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snap object to tangent of arc or circle


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Posted

okay this is so simple i'm sure but i'm a bit baffled.....

 

tan.jpg

 

i want to snap this line to where it would be at a tangent to the arc (as right), but as you see (left) when i hover with TAN snap it picks a tangent from the pick point, not from object's orientation.

 

at the moment i construct a tangent by rotating a copy of my line by 90°, and snapping it to centre of the arc. then extend out past arc, where the intersection is now the point i originally wanted to pick. make sense? gotta be a better way!

 

thx

Posted

If you are trying to move the line so that it becomes a tangent, have you tried using the perpendicular snap?

Posted

thanks eldon, but have you tried this? i find it works the same as above, i.e. perpendicular to the base point, not the object. if i'm missing something, please do enlighten me! like i said, this should be really simple!

Posted

Draw a construction line from the centre of the arc perpendicular to the line to be moved.

Move the line to the intersection point of the construction line and the arc.

 

I don't think it can be done without a construction line.

Posted
Draw a construction line from the centre of the arc perpendicular to the line to be moved.

Move the line to the intersection point of the construction line and the arc.

 

yes tyke that is basically how i've been doing it. surprised there is not a more clever way! thanks.

Posted
yes tyke that is basically how i've been doing it. surprised there is not a more clever way! thanks.

 

 

Me too, its something we do a lot, but it doesn't for curve fitted polylines or splines.

Posted

I am sure it worked the first time I tried, but now it is not cooperating - sorry.

 

Your method is the safest. I eventually found a way that uses 2 Moves. The first way is to move the line choosing a definite point on the line (endpoint or midpoint) and for the second point use the From option, and picking the centre of the circle to the perpendicular to the line. Now the move works from your picked point perpendicular to the circle. A but long winded, but your method requires less thinking.

Posted

In fact if you use the From option for the first pick point, i.e. from the centre of the circle, perpendicular to the line, and then the second point is perpendicular to the circle.

 

Got there at last. I must really get on with all the urgent jobs now.

Posted
....surprised there is not a more clever way! thanks.

AutoCAD 2012 with geometry constriants.

Posted

Constraints are an interesting new (for me, at least) option - definitely useful for the problem described in the OP.

 

The Tangent constraint doesn't seem to accept spline entities, however. Unless I missing something.

Posted

The constraints under the Parametrics tab are new to me too, but with two clicks and its done Stuart.

Posted

(looking forward to that upgrade we're promised)

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