Moving and selecting

[JBender]

Pretty basic operations here, wondering how i can move an object or group of objects by a distance and direction specified by mouse clicks. A move command in autocad world. Very basic, though so far very missing from what I can see. No, I don't want to fill in the coordinates every time I want to do this.

Also, can anyone shed some light for me on why when I select many objects, and go to move them, sometimes VW decides that it should only move the one object I snapped to to move them all. Very annoying.

Thanks,

Jason

[Guest]

Have you tried using the Move command under the Modify menu?

If you want to move something to the right, enter the number in the x field; to the left, enter the number in the x field as a negative number (Just like a graph); up, a number in the y field' down, a negative number in the y field; or some combo of this.

You can also change the coordinates to polar in the move dialog box. This allows you to enter a move distance and the polar angle.

[Christiaan]

Pretty basic operations here, wondering how i can move an object or group of objects by a distance and direction specified by mouse clicks. A move command in autocad world. Very basic, though so far very missing from what I can see. No, I don't want to fill in the coordinates every time I want to do this.

You could try the Duplicate Array command and uncheck Retain Original Object?

[G_Hannigan]

Pretty basic operations here, wondering how i can move an object or group of objects by a distance and direction specified by mouse clicks. A move command in autocad world. Very basic, though so far very missing from what I can see. No, I don't want to fill in the coordinates every time I want to do this.

And how are you doing this in autocad without entering data?

Autocad:

1.Move/Enter

2.Select Objects/Enter

3.Select Base Point or Displacement/Click

4.Select Second Point of Displacement/Click or enter xy values.

As the others have noted, there are several ways to move an object in VW, plus free plugins.

The second problem may involve an inadvertent second click that replaces your multiple selection with a single object.

George

Edited February 15, 2007 by G_Hannigan

[JBender]

I'm trying to find a way to move objects by specifying a displacement with the mouse. In many cases I don't need or want to specify a numeric displacement. It's a very simple and powerful feature to line things up, make even, etc. It would take all day to figure out what my exact displacement was every time...

BTW, in autocad, it select - m - enter - mouse clicks. Are you trying to make it sound difficult?

As far as moving multiple objects, it's not inadvertant mouse clicks. Perhaps something to do with an triangle mouse icon vs the crosshair, but I have't been able to see a rhym or reason...

I haven't tried (or do I yet understand) the duplicate array method - will be investigating.

Thanks!

Edited February 15, 2007 by Jhaceun

[G_Hannigan]

Yes, I'm aware that m = move in AC, no I'm not trying to make it sound difficult. How do you perform the "specify a numeric displacement" using mouse clicks in AC? VW has a full screen cursor option if you prefer that.

I have no interest in debating the merits of AC v VW.

[Petri]

The absence of this simple, basic CAD-function is astonishing. Some of the astonished people have programmed the function as a VW tool (takes about 10 lines of code and 5 minutes) and at least one such tool is available from VectorDepot.

[jeffroyer]

Select the object.

Place cursor over desired reference point on object to move.

Cursor becomes a vertical cross hair with name of point you are hovering over (i.e., "top left") If cursor is a diagonal line you are in a reshape mode - either move the mouse away a bit or this can be turned off with the furthest left button on the top "command bar".

Click and hold down to move object to desired location.

Objects can be moved around just like in graphics programs such as Illustrator.

[jan15]

You want to move by remote reference points, which is not available, except by an add-on that you have to buy somewhere.

And the reason why the selection set is de-selected, and one object is grabbed instead, is that the one object is the highest one at the location you clicked on to start the drag-move.

Both problems arise from the fact that the Select tool is also the Move and Copy tool, a feature which is normally very advantageous and one of VW's best features. In this case you want it to move only, but it thinks you want it to select also; so it selects and then moves, selecting the highest object at the point you clicked on to start the drag.

I suggested a while back that NNA could solve both of these deficiencies by making the Alt key force a momentary drag-only mode for the Select tool, i.e. a temporary mode in which the Select tool doesn't select but only drag-moves or drag-copies, whenever the Alt key is held down. But they had other priorities.

So you can work around it by grabbing the set of objects at some other point, where there are no other over-lying objects, and moving it a little, and then grabbing it at the intersection point you wanted to use as the start point for the move.

[Tom K]

you can get pt to pt move and copy @ vectordepot, for free

[G_Hannigan]

Duplicate (Ctrl+D) has a feature that came up recently in another topic. Duplicate an object, then drag the duplicate to a different location. When Crtl+D is performed again, the offset created in the previous step will repeat.

Jhaceun, what kind of layout are you trying to create?

[JBender]

OK, thanks guys - very helpful.

Sometimes I wonder if the programmers are paying attention - seems there are a few things that could help us a lot that I would think would be an easy implementation.

I will perhaps buy the "bug fix"...

As far as the selection, I don't know what you mean by the highest (in 2d) Perhaps I need to do some research. I would think holding down the mouse would prevent a reselection - but that's just my simple view...

-J

[JBender]

Duplicate (Ctrl+D) has a feature that came up recently in another topic. Duplicate an object, then drag the duplicate to a different location. When Crtl+D is performed again, the offset created in the previous step will repeat.

Jhaceun, what kind of layout are you trying to create?

I work in machine design, and I work on schematics, orthagonal machine views, and am learning and heading the way on creating 3d models of our machines. I like a lot of things about VW so far, but am a little perplexed on a few things like this one...

[G_Hannigan]

As far as the selection, I don't know what you mean by the highest (in 2d) Perhaps I need to do some research. I would think holding down the mouse would prevent a reselection - but that's just my simple view...

-J

If you draw 2D objects that overlap, they become "stacked" on top of each other in the order that they are created. Try it, then select one of them, go to "Modify>Send" and you'll see "Send Forward, Backward, Front & Back" allowing you to rearrange the "stack". Holding down the mouse button should work as you drag them, don't know what's causing this problem.

[jan15]

I would think holding down the mouse would prevent a reselection ....

It does. But you didn't hold down the mouse button. You released it. Then when you pressed it again, to start the drag, you were making another selection. It's unfortunate that you don't have the option to hold down a modifier key to prevent selection, so you can drag without selecting when you want to.

I don't know what you mean by the highest (in 2d)....

Layer in VectorWorks doesn't mean what it means in Autocad. It has the usual English meaning, as in layer cake or paint layers. VW Classes are similar to AC Layers. A VW Layer is like a sheet of clear film on which things are drawn. Many layers can be piled on top of each other, and wherever nothing is drawn on the top layer, you can see through to the layers below. Also, within each Layer, the objects are all layered, and you can control that layering, or stack order, both of the Layers vis-a-vis each other, and of the objects on each layer.

[P Retondo]

Petri, well put. I wish NNA would ask one of their engineers to spend a day putting this extremely useful vector displacement and vector duplication capability into the program. It might take more than 10 lines of code to make it bulletproof, but why give AutoCAD the bragging rights to this one? The original poster is correct in that VW lacks the ability to define a move vector by two clicks.

[Petri]

OK, Pete. It is 20 lines. With some 200 lines more, it might be able to store the previously used value and display a fancy dialog.

Whatever, this is beyond NNA's programmers' skills:

 
PROCEDURE OffsetDuplicate; {? Petri Sakkinen 1994/99}

VAR
i, n : INTEGER;
x1, y1, x2, y2 : REAL;

BEGIN
   n:=INTDIALOG('Number of copies','1');
   IF NOT DIDCANCEL THEN BEGIN 
       REDRAWALL;
       PUSHATTRS;
       PENSIZE(1);
       GETLINE(x1, y1, x2, y2); 
       POPATTRS;
       FOR i:=1 TO n DO 
           DUPLICATE(x2-x1, y2-y1);
   END;
END;

RUN(OffsetDuplicate);

How to use the code only to move is a Trade Secret. Once I move to India, NNA might even buy it from me.

[P Retondo]

Petri, you should look into VW's developer's interface (I haven't, but I suspect it's similar to Autodesk's ObjectARX). Probably it means you have to learn C++, but that should be relatively doable since you already understand the concepts of writing code. I don't think it's the locale (I know you're just kidding!), it's the language that likely matters to NNA.

[acepernich]

To move an object an amount and direction set by remote points, insert a 2D locus at the first remote point, keep it selected and select the object(s) to move (shift click), then grab the selected object(s) by the 2D locus and drag the locus to the second remote point. To move a copy, use option key (Mac). You can get rid if the loci if you want.

[Pete (STZ)]

The pt to pt move and copy from vectordepot.com is something that saves alot of rsi and dragging across the screen... also the only way to move by reference in the quickest number of strokes.

It is so simple and useful, and such a common tool in almost every other cad package it is amazing it has not been included in the standard package

[NigelShaw]

Hi i would agree with the move command. in AC, it is very easy...

select item and press move ( press move and select items,

press enter

click the point which you require on your items to be moved

click where you want that point to be

all items moved to the desired point.

it takes nothing more than a few seconds however VW, it is hard.

i don't want to move by co-ordinates beacuse mostly, i want to move visually from one area to another snapping to a point and moving to another point. in VW, you have to group ( otherwise only one line moves ), move your mous arond until the move icon appears, then move but it does still pick up other iems instead of the one you want. it could be alot easier.

regs,

Nigel

[mike m oz]

This one comes up regularly. There are two readily available options to satisfy this want:

- Pt2Pt Move A menu command to allow moving entities by selecting a start and end point (contributed by Peter Vandewalle). Available from Vector Depot: http://www.vectordepot.com/Plugins1.shtml

- Vector Move A tool which provides the capability to move, duplicate and distribute both 2D and 3D objects. Available from Vectorbits (20 Euros): http://www.vectorbits.com/

I prefer the latter option because it provides more functionality.

This one comes up so often that I am really surprised that NNA haven't added the capability.

[mike m oz]

A couple more options from Vector Depot (contributed by Katerina Panagiotakis)

- Duplicate/Multiple A very clever PIO that allows you to duplicate an object once or 1000 times by selecting a reference point then the location of the new object with point and click simplicity.

- Move Similar to the Duplicate/Multiple PIO this is a PIO that allows you to move an object by selecting a reference point then the location of the new object with point and click simplicity.

Available from the old Vector Depot website: http://www.vectordepot.com/Plugins1.shtml

[eas]

That is the VectorDepot I am familiar with--is there a new site?

[mike m oz]

Yes - the site has been remade: http://www.vectordepot.com/

Most of the old sites resources haven't been brought across to the new site. Instead there are links to the old site's content.