Trim Tool

[AOA]

We use VW 8.5.2.

1. When you use the trim tool, the trimmed line changes to the current class automatically. This drives me insane, no other command seems to do this. How can I change the setting.

2. Also, if you have two intersecting lines and you wish to cut them at the intersection, this can quickly be done with the join command, unfortunately it automatically joins the longest ends of the lines, not necessarily the ones you want. Is there any way round this?

[jan15]

1. I don't know of any way to prevent that with the Trim tool. In fact, I didn't know until now that it happens. I never use the Trim tool; it's very glitchy, hardly ever actually working, and when it doesn't work compounding the time-wasting by throwing up an error message. I find that very frustrating.

But the class-change glitch doesn't happen with the Trim command, which works like AutoCad's Break command, breaking any line crossed by the selected line or polyline into two lines. Perhaps you could use that instead? I always use the Trim command instead of the tool. It works pretty nicely as part of a macro (which I invoke by pressing F9) which breaks the line I want to trim into two lines and then deletes the construction line that I've just drawn for that purpose. Then I delete the unwanted part of the line that was just broken.

2. No alternative to this, either. I know AutoCad joins the end that you clicked on, but I always disliked that and wished it would use the longest end, so was very glad to find that VW does it that way.

When I want to join the short end of line AB, I first draw a short construction line across AB, near the joining point, and then use the aforementioned break-and-delete macro to break AB there, so that the Join command will then do what I want. It's actually pretty quick and easy, especially if a single keystroke both breaks AB and also gets rid of the construction line.

[acepernich]

2. You used to be able (v8.5.2, anyway) use Command-Option-J to do this.

In v10, Join in the Tool menu gives you 3 options - the third,"Join (no trim)", does the same.

The Command-Option-J key combination is now used for a different command by default. You can gine the Join (no trim) command a key combination and or change them around as you want in the Workspace editor.

[ 07-23-2003, 04:52 PM: Message edited by: Antone Cepernich ]