IMAGINiT Civil Solutions Blog

OFFSETGAPTYPE and other AutoCAD Offset Variables

Craig Batchelor | Applications Expert

If you are like me, there is a chance you execute Autodesk commands by route, not thinking about it. Sometimes extra steps are created by not reading the command line, and seeing the options that are available. A simple example is the AutoCAD Offset command.

Type “O” in the command line then select Enter, the command line will read:

Command: O

OFFSET

Current settings: Erase source=No  Layer=Source  OFFSETGAPTYPE=0

Specify offset distance or [Through/Erase/Layer] <Through>:

Or select the Offset icon in the Home ribbon tab, the command line will read:

Command: _offset

Current settings: Erase source=No  Layer=Source  OFFSETGAPTYPE=0

Specify offset distance or [Through/Erase/Layer] <Through>:

At this point, a distance is entered, then on to the next screen:

Specify offset distance or [Through/Erase/Layer] <Through>: 10

Select object to offset or [Exit/Undo] <Exit>:

Specify point on side to offset or [Exit/Multiple/Undo] <Exit>:

Offset Variables:

In the command line (as noted above) which starts with ‘Current settings:’

What is OFFSETGAPTYPE=0? Also, are there other variables to use?

The answer to the second question is “yes”.

Type OFFSETGAPTYPE in the command line then select Enter:

Command: OFFSETGAPTYPE

Enter new value for OFFSETGAPTYPE <0>:

The variables for this command are found in the System Variables in the Express Tools ribbon.

OFFSETGAPTYPE

Controls how potential gaps between segments are treated when polylines are offset.

Value    Description

0          Extends line segments to their projected intersections.

1          Fillets line segments at their projected intersections. The radius of each arc segment is equal to the offset distance.

2          Chamfers line segments at their projected intersections. The perpendicular distance from each chamfer to its corresponding vertex on the original object is equal to the offset distance.

Fig, 1 This figure shows the OFFSETGAPTYPE variables.

Three other variables we can control in the OFFSET command are Through/Erase/Layer.

Through offsets the selected object

Select object to offset or [Exit/Undo] <Exit>:

Erase is a yes or no variable to erase the source and is set by typing E

Erase source object after offsetting? [Yes/No] <No>: Y

Layer can be set by typing the letter L

Enter layer option for offset objects [Current/Source] <Current>

Layer has the choice to use the Source layer of the original object being offset, OR it can be changed to the Current layer by typing “C”.

Fig. 2 This figure shows an offset to current layer.

In Civil 3D, the Current or Source Layer options are also found in the Stepped Offset command used with Feature Lines.

 

Conclusion:

By reading the command line as a command is executed, and looking at the options available, sometimes a little tweak could save some extra steps after the object is created.

Civil 3D 2018 – The Orange Circle with an “i” (and how to disable it)

Craig Batchelor | Applications Expert

As Civil 3D matures as a product, new things seem to pop up that are more of a hindrance than a help. New features are great, and it is good to become familiar with any software updates, but some are distracting.

Issue:

One of the new features, that appears to sporadically show up is an Orange Circle with the letter i in the middle. While drafting, after a zoom extents and zoom back into a new area, the whole screen could appear orange, making it impossible to work. At first this seems to be random, but up on further study, the Orange Circle with an i appears after a Civil 3D label style has been modified using Edit Label Text... For example, a Sanitary Sewer line that has modified text to convey a tie-in. It is good to know what labels have been modified, but an option to remove these Orange Circles with an i would let the engineer focus on the task at hand. Since using the Edit Label Text.. option on a label style is an excellent feature, and dramatically cuts down on the number of styles needed as presets in a template, it might be advantageous to learn where to toggle this new feature on and off.

What is it?

By hovering over the Orange Circle with an i, a dialog box appears that states it is an Overridden Text Component. The dialog box will also tell what the original text said.

So How is this Circle with the i turned off?

This is a label style, so the first place many would go is to the TOOLSPACE Settings tab and navigating down to the label style in question, but there is not an option in the label style to modify this Orange Circle with an i, like there is for the Orange Triangle with an ! warning symbol used in an alignment style to indicate a design speed violation.

The location of this variable is in the Options dialog box.

Type “Options” then press enter “Enter”. The last Tab is AEC Editor. In the lower left under Solution Tips, Display solution tip when: uncheck the box Drafting. Then select Apply and OK. The Orange Circle with the i will disable.

Conclusion:

New features are better if we know how to control them, and can be frustrating if the default option is set to something undesired.

The TRACE command in AutoCAD

James Branagan | Applications Expert

Trace - What is it?

Trace is an old, very old command in AutoCAD. It was somewhat popular before Polylines were introduced (as I mentioned – it is old!) and quickly lost out to that newfangled Polyline object.

However, it still has some uses. If nothing else, it’s interesting trivia.

Some commands just never die!

There are a few commands in AutoCAD that are not found in ribbons, menus, toolbars or tool palettes. The “Oops” command is probably one of the best known of these “Orphan Commands”.

Trace is another. Sometimes AutoCAD tries to be too clever by autocompleting the commands, thus when typing in TRACE, it thinks one wants “Maptrace” or “PMTrace or even “Trackpath” (a system variable). So that to get to the actual TRACE command, one needs to put a <PERIOD> in front of the command, thus “.TRACE” to overcome the autocorrect and getting the “raw” command.

One the command starts, the user is prompted for a width (as with a Polyline), one can either enter a value, or pick two points to define the width. Unlike the Polyline, the width is not a starting, or an ending with rather, a global width.

Next the user is prompted for a start point, and then a next point. What is strange is the user doesn’t see the trace segment defining the next point. When the user defines the third point, the previous segment is generated.

In a way, this is somewhat similar to a Polyline with a width, where the Polyline segments are not “healed” until the Polyline is completed. However, with the Polyline, one can “preview” the next segment.

When the user clicks on the Trace object (notice, it is a “Trace” object), the grips begin to reveal the unique nature of the object. The Trace has four grips per segment along the corners of the segment (Polyline only has 2), and each grip can be independently moved.

In the properties (or customized Quick Properties), each vertex can be accessed and changed. However, all vertices will have the same elevation. If the user turns the FILL variable off (and regenerates), they will see the outlines of the trace.

 

Conclusion

AutoCAD has been around for a long time. In order for it to maintain its compatibility to read old drawings, many of these old “orphaned” commands and object types still reside in the newest AutoCAD releases.

Trace is one of these commands that isn’t used much any more, but still has unique capabilities.