Connect Arcs into Single Line

[mpkeane]

Hello;

I am trying to use the Duplicate Along Path tool to lay out a series of circles along an S-curve line. The S-curve is made out of two arcs drawn with the Arc Tool. The first arc faces left, the next arc faces right, the ends of the two arcs touch, making an S shape. The Duplicate Along Path tool recognizes these arcs separately so it only lays out circles along one arc at a time.

If I use the Duplicate Along Path tool twice on the two arcs separately, it doesn't work out, because the circles need to have the same, precise interval spacing along the whole curve. The "splice point" between the two arcs ends up with an odd spacing.

Is there a way to connect the two arcs so that the Duplicate Along Path tool recognizes them as one single line?

Marc

[mike m oz]

Compose the two Arcs into a single Polyline so you have a single path object.

[mpkeane]

Thank you Mike.

Could you tell me the steps to composing the arcs into a single Polyline? I can't find that in VW help.

Marc

[starling75]

Thank you Mike.

Could you tell me the steps to composing the arcs into a single Polyline? I can't find that in VW help.

Marc

-> MODIFY -> COMPOSE

[mpkeane]

Thank you Mike;

That was easy! Worked perfectly.

Marc

[Thomas Thomassen]

"Compose" - can't say that's a very intuitive name for a function that join lines into a polyline.

I've been searching the help files and google for a while now to find out how to connect a series of lines and polylines into one single polyline.

At first I was trying Join, which is the name of the command in many other vector applications.

[Ray Libby]

Did you try "compose"?

[islandmon]

Suggestion to replace 'Compose':

conjoin |kənˈjoin; k?n-|

verb [ trans. ] formal

join; combine : an approach that conjoins theory and method.

ORIGIN late Middle English : from Old French conjoindre, from Latin conjungere, from con- ?together? + jungere ?to join.?

_______

compose |kəmˈpōz|

verb [ trans. ]

1 write or create (a work of art, esp. music or poetry) : he composed the First Violin Sonata four years earlier.

? write or phrase (a letter or piece of writing) with care and thought : the first sentence is so hard to compose.

? form (a whole) by ordering or arranging the parts, esp. in an artistic way : compose and draw a still life.

? order or arrange (parts) to form a whole, esp. in an artistic way : make an attempt to compose your images.

2 (usu. be composed) (of elements) constitute or make up (a whole) : the system is composed of a group of machines.

? be (a specified number or amount) of a whole : Christians compose 40 percent of the state's population.

3 calm or settle (oneself or one's features or thoughts) : she tried to compose herself.

? archaic settle (a dispute) : the king, with some difficulty, composed this difference.

4 prepare (a text) for printing by manually, mechanically, or electronically setting up the letters and other characters in the order to be printed.

? set up (letters and characters) in this way.

ORIGIN late Middle English (in the general sense [put together, construct] ): from Old French composer, from Latin componere (see component ), but influenced by Latin compositus ?composed? and Old French poser ?to place.?

USAGE On the differences between comprise and compose, see usage at comprise .

[Bob Holtzmann]

"Join" is used for line segments. "Combine" is used for 2D surfaces. So the only thing left for writing music for polylines is "Compose".

[Thomas Thomassen]

"Combine Surfaces"

"Join Polylines"

"Join to Polyline"

Doesn't have to be a single word description for everything. Using synonym for every object variant quickly makes things obscure.

[mike m oz]

Compose can also mean make up. Make up into a polyline object makes sense.

Decompose can also mean break down. Break down into lines also makes sense.

[Kevin McAllister]

I agree that its all a bit confusing. I must admit I've never used the Join menu command. I use Compose and Decompose all the time. It is especially useful for joining Nurbs curves in 3d. I also use the surface (add, intersect, subtract) constantly.

It feels like there could be some house cleaning to streamline things (ie. add surface and add solids could (and should) be the same command by adding 2d/3d awareness). In the vain of this thread, I found:

Trim (Menu command)

Join (Menu command)

Compose

Decompose

Trim (Tool)

Connect/Combine (Tool)

Split (Tool)

which all perform related functions to lines. As I said before, Vectorworks has unfortunately become the Microsoft Excel of the CAD world. Powerful features hidden by an out of control interface.

Kevin