Annoying extra lines after polygon-ing

[dhbrown]

Is there somewhere where I can select/deselect the option of whether or not I want the system to leave behind the polyline from which it makes my polygon? I'm ending up having many extra lines and getting into trouble with this. This is a real pain when there ends up being many, many lines left behind. I don't want any lines left behind. Thanks!

[Guest]

What exactly are you doing?

[dhbrown]

I create my geometry, let's say a simple box, using either polylines or lines, being sure to use snaps and that my ends are connected. I then use the paint can, clicking it into the center of my geometry. It makes a polygon (it says it is in the OIP). Then, while it is still highlighted, I move it,(using apple+M) say 10' away, to see if anything is left behind, and low and behold, there is my original polyline! I now believe this is what has been giving me lots of trouble when trying to edit my polygons, polylines, etc. I now do this move thing and delete what's left behind...very time consuming.

[panthony]

dhbrown,

The paint bucket tool fills an area within a boundary of existing lines/polys. This will leave the original lines/polys in place. Try using the "Compose" command to turn the lines/polys into a complex polygon. This entails selecting the lines you want to bind together as a polygon...once selected go to Modify->Compose and Ned's your brothers uncle.

pete

[panthony]

dhbrown,

Another quick and easy is to change the active class when using the bucket fill tool...then just turn off the class or erase the lines used to fill with but make sure you set the class options to make only the class you want to erase active.

pete

[dhbrown]

Wow. Great! I have started using the Compose tool, since I've had so much trouble. I'll start using it always. Just for giggles, when would I want to use the paint bucket then?

[Guest]

Say you have a bunch of lines drawn making up a shape - there may be too many to use Connect/Combine, and the Compose command may not work on some cases - the paint bucket would quickly create a surface from those shapes.

We use it a lot when creating a floor object from a network of walls. You can quickly create the floor object using the polygon fill or lasso, without having to manually draft out the floor object corner by corner.

There are tons of other cases for it, too.

[dhbrown]

But then in that case, how do you keep track that you now have those extra lines left behind?

[Guest]

You delete them.

The polygon fill is always going to create a new object - it isn't going to combine objects together, melt them together, or otherwise change/delete existing objects.

[dhbrown]

I did just try to use it on a series of undulating and straight lines (a very long driveway). However, after using the ?ompose tool, it left me with (2) poly (-lines or -gons, I don't remember) so now I'll probably use the paint can, and do my "move it, delete the extras, and move back" trick.

[panthony]

Just drop the bucket on another class...or draw your polys on another class...makes it easier to isolate and delete.

pete

[jbrhwy]

Another way is create the new object, cut, delete underlying objects, then paste in place.

I use compose to create very complex road objects (pavement, sidewalks, curbs, etc by offsetting the road centre-line, but I always have to check the new polylines in ensure that radii is correct for the arcs in the polyline.

[DDDesign]

I create my geometry, let's say a simple box...

In the case of this example I would probably use the rectangle tool instead, and then modify>convert>convert to polygons. And for more more complex shapes, where possible I prefer to generate them using the clip and add surface commands - the result is always a polygon - and the polygon is always closed.

With the driveway example you may have ended up with more than one poly because there may have been some lines with some non co-incident end points when you tried to compose them.