Zero length line

[smooth shoes]

Hey all. Sometimes, when i want to draw a line with ortho turned on, I drag the cursor to the left or right, and type the distance that i want, when i hit enter, instead of the line being created, it gives me a zero length line (a point), basically). What is a zero length line? Why does AutoCad create it? I'm curious. It's gets annoying. Thanks in advance.

[Arben.Allaraj]

Hey all. Sometimes, when i want to draw a line with ortho turned on, I drag the cursor to the left or right, and type the distance that i want, when i hit enter, instead of the line being created, it gives me a zero length line (a point), basically). What is a zero length line? Why does AutoCad create it? I'm curious. It's gets annoying. Thanks in advance.

The osnap mode is on or off ?

[smooth shoes]

The osnap mode is on or off ?

It does it on both on and off.

[rkmcswain]

It does it when OSMODE = 0?

Are you using DYNamic entry?

[smooth shoes]

I'm using SurvCad which is a licensed by Carlson software. Release 2 i think. Dynamic entry is not an option on that version.

It does it when OSMODE = 0?

Are you using DYNamic entry?

[Capt. Computer Crasher]

I'm using SurvCad which is a licensed by Carlson software. Release 2 i think. Dynamic entry is not an option on that version.

What view are you looking at? What View orientation (are you looking down the z-axis, x-axis, or y-axis)?

[jpaulsen]

What is a zero length line?

A mathematical impossibility.

Why does AutoCad create it?

I've been asking myself that same question for years.

[rkmcswain]

I'm using SurvCad which is a licensed by Carlson software. Release 2 i think. Dynamic entry is not an option on that version.

Is this the standalone product, "Carlson Survey"?
Or is this SurvCADD running on top of a full seat of AutoCAD?

[michael.12445]

A mathematical impossibility.

But not impossible the way AutoCAD is programmed - it stores a line object with two endpoints, along with all its other properties like layer, linetype, etc. It appears there is no error-checking mechanism to prevent the two endpoints from being identical (or to convert a line so defined into a point entity). Just another one of AutoCAD's many "gotchas"...

Michael Evans
Togawa Smith Martin Residential, Inc.

[MikeJarosz]

A mathematical impossibility.

A mathematical impossibility, but not a CAD impossibility. A line has a startpoint and an endpoint. Remember that Acad uses double precision floating point, so the distance between these points could be .0000000000000001! That would round to 0 in most of the Acad display screens. But mathematically it's OK. Have you tried OVERKILL?

Imagine if you were to "flatten" a set of lines. Any truly vertical lines should result in an identical start point and end point both with a z of 0. I once worked with a CAD system (not ACAD) that had a command to identify and delete null lines and polygons. Useful tool!