Summary: This is the list of suggestions about Multiline improvements. Multiline object is highly underrated as a 2D drawing tool, so the addition of several features can significantly improve its usability and usefulness

Description: This is a list of wishes that I noticed after browsing wishes about multiline improvement, and gathered them together. I also wrote my own wishes too.
Here’s the list:
- add curved multilines that can be curved, circular, parabolic, and spline shapes like polylines. Also make it possible to set curved corners using Fillet command, or add curved corners to Multilines Edit Tools Dialog Box. The benefit will be significant, especially in creating dynamic blocks of rebar shapes, curved walls, pipe systems or hvac rectangular ductwork etc.
- add some types of linear joints between different multilines in a Multilines Edit Tools Dialog Box: for pipe systems, HVAC rectangular ductwork etc.
- a possibility to add automatic hatching for multilines, so you don’t need to draw a hatch manually. For example, like a wall hatching system in Revit. Also, it will be great to set different hatches between different lines (i.e. wall hatch with isolation hatch etc)
- add offset properties for a multiline placement. For example, I want to place a multiline with an offset 50mm in/out the top/center/bottom justification of multiline
- add a possibility to change a style of the selected multiline in the Properties window
- make it possible to modify existed multiline style properties. It is weird that you can’t change it like dimension styles etc. The only way to edit the existing one is when none of multilines with such a style aren’t placed in a model space.
- add lineweight properties for each line of multiline
- enhance Cut Single/Cut All tools of Multilines Edit Tools Dialog Box. Make it possible to apply it with a snap because it is useless if you can’t point it accurately
- make multilines editable like a polyline
- place all multiline commands into the main ribbon panel. Also, add a temporary ribbon editor panel (as editor ribbon panels for hatches and arrays) with all tools from Multilines Edit Tools Dialog Box (as the replacement), Start/End Cap shape enabling tools, multiline style tool etc.

Also I want to suggest an idea to add “virtual” section shapes into multiline properties. For example: rectangular or other complex shapes for walls, square and rectangular shapes (and others) for columns and beams, a circular shape for pipes, different shapes for steel beams (I-shape, U-shape, L-shape or HSS-shape beams) etc. It would be great if a number and position of parallel lines of certain multiline style were being controlled and added by a certain section shape and side view. As a suggestion on how to add these section shape libraries, I would advice to use dynamic blocks. There are lots of dynamic blocks of steel beam sections made by many users. In addition, it will be nice to add material parameters to associate each multiline with the certain structure or object. That additions will allow to calculate such values as volume, mass, surface area, length, height and others. And what’s more, that will increase the developement speed of buildings and different structural frames and simplify material volume calculations. Also it can theoretically allow the possibility to import DWG files in Revit and convert each multiline object into proper categories a families according to its style settings.

Product and Feature: AutoCAD - Drawing Tools 2D

Submitted By: artifex-ag796083 on 07/31/2022