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Thread: Pline & Line Comparison (File & Hardcopy Effects)

  1. #1
    I could stop if I wanted to CEHill's Avatar
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    Question Pline & Line Comparison (File & Hardcopy Effects)

    Are there any disadvantages as far as file performance, size etc. by using PLINES as opposed to LINES for main drawing features?

    Without doing any tests at this point, the motiviation to use PLINES is to show a consistently thicker line weight regardless of plot style for major drawing features such as main process lines on P&ID's, etc.

    Any experiences or information is appreciated.
    Last edited by Clinton.Hill; 2007-08-23 at 05:53 PM. Reason: Clarify
    Yours,

    Clint
    Hill

    ------------------
    CAD Systems Operation and Management
    Chemical Plant Process + Mechanical Design Focus Areas

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    Default Re: Pline & Line Comparison (File & Hardcopy Effects)

    In my experience, using PLINES for P&IDs is a short trip to grey and/or missing hair. If you have a choice, go with standard lines. As an example: I was working on a project, and the piping lead wanted the lines to plot thicker on the11x17 check prints, and thinner on the D-size issue drawings. Over 150 P&IDs, changing the weight on that many polylines would have been murder on the schedule (and prone to user error). Thankfully, I had set it up with standard lines and it only required changing the two CTB files - only 120 seconds of work required.

    Now, this may not mean much to you. But those drawings will eventually go to another company, and they may want to plot the lines thicker/thinner, or have only the existing stuff plot lightweight, and so on. It will be much easier to do by CTB/STB control than by going through all the polylines and manually forcing the weight to 0 (or the desired value).

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    I could stop if I wanted to CEHill's Avatar
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    Default Re: Pline & Line Comparison (File & Hardcopy Effects)

    What's another gray hair or two?

    Excellent suggestion. I am at a company where I am a contractor (via my company) and helping develop CAD standards from scratch as nearly all (90%) of the P&ID's were set up by the seat of the pants by several previous contractors. No consistency except in the case where a new file's geometry might be copied from an existing filel. That's it.

    That will help with knowing what not to do.
    Yours,

    Clint
    Hill

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    CAD Systems Operation and Management
    Chemical Plant Process + Mechanical Design Focus Areas

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    All AUGI, all the time TerribleTim's Avatar
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    Default Re: Pline & Line Comparison (File & Hardcopy Effects)

    Can't say I can share too much info on this but. . .

    We pretty much stick with plines in our office. We are an Architectural firm doing mostly commercial stuff. The advantage of plines is, you can join them rather easily into one continuous line instead of 50 individual segments. For what we do it works better. I think it is a matter of preference. We do not require one or the other by standard. You know, you can always select them all and explode them into regular lines if needed. Conversly, you can select all regular lines and pedit them into plines as well.

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    All AUGI, all the time Richard.Kent's Avatar
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    Default Re: Pline & Line Comparison (File & Hardcopy Effects)

    Here is my response to a similar question in another forum a while back.

    I prefer lines for most things I draw. If I am creating something that
    makes sense as one entity then I will use a pline.

    I don't like plines because people still draw them with widths for
    everything and then you can't control the width in other drawings when
    Xrefing them in, for instance.

    Lines make sense when you are needing to offset the lines and having a
    single straight pline just makes no sense to me. Plines are good if you are
    going to offset say a rectangle 6" to create the boundary of a wall
    thickness.

    Lines can be easily checked for the angle they are drawn at, plines can't.
    Draw a line and a pline, list them both, what is the angle of the pline?

    Length of lines can be modified with the change command, plines cannot.
    Multiple lines can be brought to one point quickly with change, plines
    cannot. Lines can be straightened to align with Ortho quickly with change,
    plines cannot.

    If I need to show the routing of tubing and I want to show a radius at each
    corner then I use plines because I can fillet every corner on a pline, with
    lines I have to pick over and over.

    Lines have the extra grip in the middle of the line, a straight pline will
    not. That extra grip comes in handy when modifying in certain situations
    when using grips.

    A line inherits the elevation of the object that it is snapped to. A polyline
    inherits the elevation of the first point it is started at.

    Use every tool in autocad properly for your situation, there are no
    absolutes in using or not using plines -VS- lines, and all other commands
    for that matter. Sometimes blocks are the way to go, sometimes groups,
    sometimes none at all.

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    Certifiable AUGI Addict ccowgill's Avatar
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    Default Re: Pline & Line Comparison (File & Hardcopy Effects)

    i dont believe you can start a polyline tangent to an arc or circle, you have to use a line to achieve that.

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