Pre-specify an angle

[Mike.Perry]

Hi

Full credit for the following goes to Ellen Finkelstein -

When you're drawing a line at an unusual angle, you may want to see how the angle looks. After you specify the first point, you can type the < (angle) symbol and then the angle you want to try. For example, <10.

This locks the next segment to that angle while you enter the length. This is called a polar override angle and you see the following on the command line:

Angle Override: 10

Now you can see what the angle looks like and move the cursor to various lengths to see where the line at that angle will go. To complete the segment, type the length and press Enter.

:beer: Mike

[robert.1.hall72202]

That is a good tip........is there a way you can change the angle after you have set it without hitting escape and then restarting the command?

[Mike.Perry]

Hi

Hint - Experiment / Test - try inputting the angle twice (first time will clear the current angle, second time will set the new angle).

:beer: Mike

[dzatto]

It doens't work with ortho on, though. At least it didnt for me.

Also, for those of you that need to draw a quick site layout, you can type in your bearings. Just start a line, then type @length<bearing, looks like this


@150<n58d22'19"w

Then hit enter and the line is drawn with the length and bearing.

To do more than one line, just type @length<bearing, then enter until you are done.

Also if you need only one curve and you have the radius, put in all of your lines, then start a polyline, pick the first point, type R for radius, type in the radius, then pick the second point. Be careful though, the end you start with determines which way the arc faces. You may draw it backward, if so, just do the same thing but start with the other point.

If you have more than one curve on your property boundary, then you have to turn the angle and that is a whole other lesson, plus I cant remember how to do it right now!!

Dan

[jaberwok]

Better, I'd have thought, to convert one line into a pline (with PEdit) then use the Fillet command to join them and fit the radius.
Acad will always try to draw an arc in the anti-clockwise direction.

[dzatto]

I'm not sure if that would work. For example, if the adjacent boundary lines are 150' long and the radius is 2,250 feet, I dont think the fillet command would let you do it because your radius is too big. Sites usually only use a portion of the radius so turning the actual angle and using chord bearings and such is the correct way to do it, this is just a quick way to do one radius.

Dan

[jaberwok]

I'm not sure if that would work. For example, if the adjacent boundary lines are 150' long and the radius is 2,250 feet, I dont think the fillet command would let you do it because your radius is too big. Sites usually only use a portion of the radius so turning the actual angle and using chord bearings and such is the correct way to do it, this is just a quick way to do one radius.

Dan


Ah. I didn't expect a radius longer that the side. Apologies.

[dzatto]

No need to apologize!! I'm sure you know way more about CAD than I do.

[robert.1.hall72202]

I saw this post again and was messing around with specifying angles.
It is very easy to type in the angle while missing the < symbol with
dynamic input turned on. Might need to slow down and pay attention
to the input boxes while using this tip/trick.

[jaberwok]

I saw this post again and was messing around with specifying angles.
It is very easy to type in the angle while missing the < symbol with
dynamic input turned on. Might need to slow down and pay attention
to the input boxes while using this tip/trick.


Dynamic Input shows its weakness again.
My (least) favourite is "@" which I use a lot and DI nearly always misses.
.

[robert.1.hall72202]

Dynamic Input shows its weakness again.
My (least) favourite is "@" which I use a lot and DI nearly always misses.
.

I know exactly what you mean................the slower I go, the better it gets.
What is up with that?

[rkmcswain]

Also, for those of you that need to draw a quick site layout, you can...
Also if you need only one curve and you have the radius, put in all of your lines....
If you have more than one curve on your property boundary, then...



There is some more detailed information on entering lines and curves from survey data, using vanilla AutoCAD, available here: http://www.cadtutor.net/tutorials/autocad/survey_data.php

[gabe.bincik133299]

This is not directly relevant to this thread, but I seem to be having a problem with angle input in 2008. Using the heads-up input of angle and distances, I enter a distance, hit tab and enter a bearing eg. N45d15'30"E and the line is drawn. What I'm finding is that if I enter a southerly bearing, for example S23d35'15"W, the line is drawn to the north-west. This phenomenon is not consistently happening but if someone could try it, I would appreciate knowing if it's a bug or I'm doing something wrong. (You might have to do a few N-E and N-W entries before trying the S-E or S-W bearings for the problem? to show up).

Thanks!
Gabe.