Jump to content

Attributes


Recommended Posts

Having trouble with the attributes palette. I can't seem to draw with a dashed line. I've tried setting the class attributes as dashed, no luck and tried selecting the object and 'manually' changing it to a dashed line via the attributes palette, but again, no luck. I can change the object fill settings, and the line weight. Thanks.

Link to comment

This assumes you have Zoom Line Weight checked in prefs:

1:1 scale displays line weight as measured. For example, a 10 mil line will display at 10 thousandths of an inch (.010) when the zoom of the layer is set to zero. Not a very bold line. If you zoom in on the line, it will appear to get fatter. If you zoom way in and draw a short line segment across it, the small line segment does measure .010". Standard dashed lines choices in the attributes palette do not have much space between the dashes, so at 1:1 you need to really zoom in to see the "dashedness" of a line.

Change layer scale to get a proportional change in line width and dash space display. For example, in a 1:2 layer, a 10 mil line measures .020 inch, not .010 inch.

-B

Link to comment

I would assume that a lot of people are using 1:1 design layers, for full compatibility when Autocad users are sharing their files. The problem described here with dash styles has always been common in Autocad, though it would never have come up in Vectorworks before there were sheet layers and viewports.

Link to comment

That's the joy of Autocad. You're constantly thinking things like, "Let's see, this is 1/4" scale, and this font in the other drawing was 3.25" high at 3/8" scale, so I should make it .375/.25x3.25", which is 4.875" high. Right? Or is it the other way around? No, the scale is smaller so the text should be larger. I wonder if it would be o.k. to just make it 5" high... or would that look too big? Let's see, 5/4.875 = 1.025641025. That's like the difference between 13 point and 12.675 point. I guess that's o.k."

If you're not interested in the building or the drawing, this gives you a nice distraction to occupy your mind. But if you are interested in those things, it's hell on earth.

Link to comment

Jan - Yes, line weight equals kerf. Cutting service just wants the vectors. I want to see that the shapes I want are not leaving too narrow an area between kerfs. So double line is not helpful to me for this. Drawing with polys works really well for me. The line weight of a double line would also misrepresent the cutting path.

This is mainly an issue with parts smaller than an almond or small elements within a larger item. Too narrow could mean that a shape connected by a neck drops out or that the neck is too weak for the intended use. Interior shapes of text shaped holes are good examples.

Some finished water jet objects:

http://www.bensonshaw.com/bensonshaw.com/CACHE.html

Some people ask the cutting service to offset the kerf from the vector, and do other tasks related to kerf width. That leaves the cutter to determine what is an outside or inside kerf, to make decisions about what drops out and what is kept, etc. Or an irresponsible cutter may not even review it. I really do not want the cutting service to mess with my drawings or to make very many decisions about my intent.

-B

Link to comment

Arguments similar to Benson's also apply to the drafting of circuit boards, which VW excels at, even given its heavy bias toward Architecture. Line widths drawn 1:1 represent the widths of electrical traces. Spacing is exceptionally critical, especially around filleted corners, and there's no easier way to draw than at 1:1 using the Line and Poly tools this way.

Raymond

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...