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Clipped Polyline Turns Into Rectangle - Is this a good thing?


Kevin McAllister

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I'm curious what others think - when I clip this example polyline part of the result is a rectangle. Is this a good thing? There have been many threads about how users want to be able to reshape the points of a rectangle. In this example I start with a shape where all points can be reshaped just by double clicking on it. After clipping I get one shape that retains this ability and one shape, the rectangle, that does not. I'm curious how other people feel about this. I'll admit I was tempted to bug submit this since I personally feel that a clipped polyline should result in two polylines.

 

Kevin

 

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Clipped Polyline Example.vwx

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Interesting find and question!

 

Here’s a bit more testing using same general setup where each source object to clip looks like a rectangle but may have open or closed top edge:

Clipped Rectangle = 2 Rectangles

Clipped Polyline, Open = 1 Rectangle, 1 Polygon (open)

Clipped Polyline, Closed = 2 Rectangles

Clipped Polygon, Open = 1 Rectangle, 1 Polygon (open)

Clipped Polygon, Closed = 2 Rectangles

 

Summary:
Closed product is always rectangle
Open product is always polygon

 

My pref?

I don’t really care.  I sort of? expect the clip product to be same as source object.  If the process always produced polygons, I might sometimes wish for rectangles.

 

Besides, in v2018 (and v2017?), dbl click (Reshape) any rectangle offers corner drags but not mid point drags) out of square - result is a polygon. So, to my mind, not full edit advantage if clip produces a rectangle.  There might be some uncertainty in worksheets if, for instance, a criterion of By Object Type>Polygon is in effect. New rectangles would fail the call unless new criteria are added to call rectangles, or any other new object types.  Vigilance required!

 

Actually,   I'm more concerned about polylines converting to polygons.  Wish that didn't happen.

-B

Edited by Benson Shaw
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Thanks Benson. I appreciate you experimenting with it.

 

30 minutes ago, Benson Shaw said:

Interesting find and question!

 

Here’s a bit more testing using same general setup where each source object to clip looks like a rectangle but may have open or closed top edge:

Clipped Rectangle = 2 Rectangles

Clipped Polyline, Open = 1 Rectangle, 1 Polygon (open)

Clipped Polyline, Closed = 2 Rectangles

Clipped Polygon, Open = 1 Rectangle, 1 Polygon (open)

Clipped Polygon, Closed = 2 Rectangles

 

Summary:
Closed product is always rectangle
Open product is always polygon

 

^ do  you mean polyline or polygon? My original is a polyline. I never use polygons for a variety of reasons.

 

Quote

I sort of? expect the clip product to be same as source object.

 

^ I would prefer the result to be the same as the source object myself.

 

Quote

Besides, in v2018 (and v2017?), dbl click (Reshape) any rectangle offers corner drags out of square (result is a polygon), so no edit advantage to making a polygon.

 

^ this is sort of true. In the case of my object, my original reason for using a polyline was that you can't hide the edges of a rectangle. I had to physically trace a rectangle using the polyline tool and delete the original rectangle. The new functionality is sort of there, but it only allows use of the Move Polygon Handle Mode and Move Edges Parallel Mode. It doesn't allow Change Vertex Mode, Add Point Mode, Delete Point Mode or Show or Hide Edges mode. Another unfortunate inconsistency.

 

Quote

Actually,   I'm more concerned about polylines converting to polygons.  Wish that didn't happen.

 

^ Yes, I also wish that didn't happen.

 

Kevin

Edited by Kevin McAllister
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6 hours ago, Kevin McAllister said:

do  you mean polyline or polygon? My original is a polyline. I never use polygons for a variety of reasons.

I tried several object types to see what would happen.  Polygons are low on my usage chart, too.

 

6 hours ago, Kevin McAllister said:

It doesn't allow Change Vertex Mode, Add Point Mode, Delete Point Mode or Show or Hide Edges mode. Another unfortunate inconsistency.

Agree that these edit features could be useful in the clip results.  The Modify>Convert to Polygon command facilitates all this, but, then it's a polygon rather than a polyline.  Especially since the rectangle cannot be easily converted to Polyline when needed.

 

So? Wishes? Poll?

1. Polyline clips to Polyline?

        And/Or

2. Feature request for Convert to Polyline command (with an easy shortcut)?  In this exercise clip the object then Convert to Polyline?

       And/Or

3. Further evolution of the vwx Rectangle to allow Reshape similar to Polyline?

 

Currently, conversion of a curve to Polygon results in new object composed of myriad short, straight segments. I never understood why the Convert options do not include Polyline. Normally, I would want a conversion, say of a 3d NURBS curve projected onto a 2d plane to be comprised of a series of straight segments matching any point vertex segments in the source object, and user pref for curved source segments as arc, bezier or spline. This would probably also require a tolerance parameter.

 

I usually need control points on the vector, so Spline vertices are more important to me than Bezier. But conversion with Arc and Bezier points should be included in the wish.

 

-B

Edited by Benson Shaw
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10 hours ago, Benson Shaw said:

I tried several object types to see what would happen.  Polygons are low on my usage chart, too.

 

Agree that these edit features could be useful in the clip results.  The Modify>Convert to Polygon command facilitates all this, but, then it's a polygon rather than a polyline.  Especially since the rectangle cannot be easily converted to Polyline when needed.

 

So? Wishes? Poll?

1. Polyline clips to Polyline?

        And/Or

2. Feature request for Convert to Polyline command (with an easy shortcut)?  In this exercise clip the object then Convert to Polyline?

 

^ I've already created that wish :) and I think you voted for it too ;)

 

 

10 hours ago, Benson Shaw said:

       And/Or

3. Further evolution of the vwx Rectangle to allow Reshape similar to Polyline?

 

^ I think this should also be a wish because then it doesn't matter if VW creates rectangles. Maybe I'll add it.

 

10 hours ago, Benson Shaw said:

Currently, conversion of a curve to Polygon results in new object composed of myriad short, straight segments. I never understood why the Convert options do not include Polyline. Normally, I would want a conversion, say of a 3d NURBS curve projected onto a 2d plane to be comprised of a series of straight segments matching any point vertex segments in the source object, and user pref for curved source segments as arc, bezier or spline. This would probably also require a tolerance parameter.

 

^ I would always choose a control point curve over segments too.

 

Kevin

 

 

 

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