Rope for Lines

[paul.burgener]

A co-worker here asked how she could rapidly draw ropes to show how to secure ships to barges and piers. I made her a little "two-footballs" rope "segment" BLOCK, and showed her how to replicate it down a Splined Polyline with the MEASURE command. We ended up needind several scaled Blocks with respective "Length Segment"s to match the random scale she was using.

Is there a better way to draw ropes?

See attached 2004 dwg for info.

-Paul

[mjfarrell]

Paul, I have used a lazy 'S' shaped block
and the measure command to do create
a rope pattern

[sinc]

You should be able to create a custom linetype, similar to the "Batting" linetype in the default acad.lin file...

[jpaulsen]

I agree with Sinc. Your best option is to make a custom (complex) linetype.

If you have express tools and a little knowledge of how to create linetypes this shouldn't be too difficult.

Draw your football shape.
Use Express tools Make Shape command to create a shape from it.
Use Express tools Make Linetype command to make the linetype.
Refer to the Express help for more details on how to use the commands.

[justice_ankengateh349374]

I would like to create a five cord rope coming from five slanted arched columns in autocad architecture for a monument

[cadtag]

If you frequently need to use linetypes or styles that are more complex that simple repeating patterns in straight lines, then AutoCAD does not have a good solution. The basics of linetype definition have not changd radically in the past three decades, and is essentially stuck in the Eighties. Acad still can't accomplish the types of line patterns we could do with Zip tape in 1979.

If you can utilize 3rd party software, take a look at Autoline, http://www.autodsys.com/autoline.html . It does what Acad should have done 20 years ago.

[rkmcswain]

Here is an example of a custom linetype similar to what you're doing.

http://cadpanacea.com/node/198