Ayuda

Shapes

Commands for the shape gallery, survey-style points, and converting or breaking shapes: points along a line, points by bearing, joining points into a line, breaking curves, hatch editing and conversion of shapes and solids.

More shapes

Opens a list of every drawing tool, so you can find one by name instead of searching the ribbon.

Where to find it

Draw tab → Draw group → More shapes.

How to

1. Click More shapes. The More shapes window opens: "Every drawing tool — search by name or filter by category, then double-click (or Enter) to start it."
2. Type part of a name in the search box, or pick a category in the drop-down on the right.
3. Select a shape and click Draw, or double-click it, or press Enter. The drawing tool starts.

Each entry shows the tool title and its category (the same grouping as on the ribbon); a tool with no place on the ribbon is listed under Other. If the filters match nothing, the window reads "No shape matches: change the search or the category." Draw is disabled until a shape is selected. Close closes the window.

Points by count

Puts points along the selected line that divide it into equal parts.

Where to find it

Draw tab → Draw group (the Single-point drop-down) or the Frequent group (the Points drop-down) → Points by count.

Before you start

Select exactly one line, curve or outline (polyline, spline, circle, arc and so on). Otherwise the button is disabled with "Select one line, curve or outline first."

How to

1. Click Points by count.
2. Enter Parts (a whole number, 2 to 100000, default 5; the last value is kept) and click Place.

An open line gets one point fewer than parts, a closed line as many as parts. The points are placed on the line's layer with the current point properties, and the line stays as it is. One undo step. The log reports "Points placed: ...".

Points by step

Puts points along the selected line at a set step from its start, such as pickets along a road.

Where to find it

Draw tab → Draw group (the Single-point drop-down) or the Frequent group (the Points drop-down) → Points by step.

Before you start

Select exactly one line, curve or outline.

How to

1. Click Points by step.
2. Enter Step (m, default 10; the last value is kept) and click Place.

The first point is one step from the start of the line; the start itself gets no point. No point is placed beyond the end of the line. At most 100000 points are placed. One undo step.

Point by bearing and distance

Places points the way a surveyor does a traverse: from a station, by a bearing, a horizontal distance and a rise.

Where to find it

Draw tab → Draw group (the Single-point drop-down) or the Frequent group (the Points drop-down) → Point by bearing and distance.

How to

1. Click Point by bearing and distance.
2. In the 3D view click the station the bearing is taken from (a point snaps). The hint reads "Click the station the bearing is taken from".
3. In the Point by bearing and distance window, enter the values and click Place. The window shows the station coordinates.
4. The new point becomes the next station and the window opens again. Click Cancel to end the traverse.
5. Press Esc to leave the tool.

Parameters

Each point is placed on the active layer, as one undo step. The values are kept for the next point.

Point on a line

Puts a point on a line where you click it, at the line's own height there.

Where to find it

Draw tab → Draw group (the Single-point drop-down) or the Frequent group (the Points drop-down) → Point on a line.

How to

1. Click Point on a line.
2. Hover a polyline or spline. A handle shows where the point would go and the label gives Z there. Off every line the hint reads "Click a line where the point goes".
3. Click to place the point on the active layer. Each click is one undo step.
4. Press Enter or Esc to finish.

The height is read between the vertices on either side of the click.

Point at centre

Puts a point at the centre of each selected shape.

Where to find it

Shape tab → Points group, and Solid tab → Convert group → Point at centre.

How to

Select circles, arcs, ellipses, polygons, rectangles or solids and click Point at centre. A point is created at the centre of each, on the shape's layer. The shapes stay. One undo step. The button is disabled with "Select the shapes first." when nothing is selected. If no selected object has a centre, the log reads "None of the selected objects has a centre."

Connect points

Draws a polyline through the selected points, such as survey pickups of a toe or a crest.

Where to find it

Point tab → Build group → Connect points.

Before you start

Select two points or more. Otherwise the button reads "Select two points or more first."

How to

1. Click Connect points.
2. Set Point order and Closed and click Connect.

Parameters

The polyline is created on the first point's layer with the current colour and line style and is selected. The points stay. One undo step.

Break

Cuts the part between two points out of a circle, arc, ellipse, polyline, spline or rectangle.

Where to find it

Line tab → Shape group, and Shape tab → Modify group → Break.

How to

1. Click Break. The hint reads "Click a curve at the first break point".
2. Click the object at the first break point. A snapped point is taken exactly; otherwise the place on the line nearest the cursor.
3. Move the cursor: the preview shows what will be left. The hint reads "Click the second break point".
4. Click the second point. The part between them is cut out. On a closed line, the part running from the first point to the second in the line's own direction is removed.

To cut an open line in two at the first point, press Enter after the first click, or right-click and choose Break at point. The hint then reads "Click the second break point (Enter: break at the first point)". Esc after the first point drops it; Esc again leaves the tool.

The pieces are polylines in the original's layer, colour and line style; a polyline's vertices keep their values. The pieces are selected. One undo step; the tool then ends. Objects on locked or hidden layers are not offered.

Recreate boundary

Draws a closed polyline along every loop of each selected hatch.

Where to find it

Hatch tab → Boundary group → Recreate boundary.

How to

Select hatches and click Recreate boundary. The polylines are created on the hatch's layer and in its colour, and are selected. The hatches stay. Use them to measure, offset or drape an outline of a hatch that came from DXF without one. One undo step.

Separate hatches

Splits each selected hatch into one hatch per outer loop, each with the holes inside it.

Where to find it

Hatch tab → Boundary group → Separate hatches.

How to

Select hatches on unlocked layers and click Separate hatches. The areas can then be coloured, moved or deleted one by one. The new hatches are selected. One undo step. If no selected hatch has more than one outer loop, the log reads "None of the selected hatches has more than one outer loop."

Hatch pattern

Fills the selected hatches solid or with a line pattern at a scale and an angle.

Where to find it

Hatch tab → Pattern group → Hatch pattern.

How to

1. Select hatches on unlocked layers and click Hatch pattern.
2. Choose the parameters and click Apply.

Parameters

The values are kept between runs. The new fill replaces the lines the hatch drew before. One undo step.

To polyline

Turns the selected shapes into polylines along their outline, so they can be edited vertex by vertex, densified, draped or offset.

Where to find it

Shape tab → Convert group → To polyline.

How to

1. Select circles, arcs, ellipses, elliptical arcs, polygons or rectangles on unlocked layers and click To polyline.
2. If a curve is among them, enter Legs per full turn (whole number, 8 to 3600, default 72) and click To polyline. Polygons and rectangles use their own corners and are not asked.

A curve is followed by that many legs to a full turn; an arc gets its share. A closed shape becomes a closed polyline; an arc stays open. The polylines keep the layer, colour and line style and are selected. One undo step.

If nothing fits, the log reads "None of the selected objects is a shape with an outline."

To mesh

Turns the selected boxes, cylinders and spheres into meshes, so that wireframe commands, which take meshes only, can combine, cut and measure them.

Where to find it

Solid tab → Convert group → To mesh.

How to

Select solids on unlocked layers and click To mesh. Each solid is replaced by a closed mesh with the same layer, colour, surface and line style. The meshes are selected. One undo step. If nothing selected is a solid, the log reads "None of the selected objects is a box, a cylinder or a sphere."

Label elevation

Writes the elevation of each selected point beside it, as a text.

Where to find it

Point tab → Annotation group → Label elevation.

How to

1. Select points and click Label elevation.
2. Enter Decimals (whole number, 0 to 6, default 2) and click Label.

A text is placed just to the right of each point, on the point's layer, in the current text style. The text follows the point: when the point is moved, it shows the new height. Typing over the text makes it a plain text. One undo step. If no selected object is a point, the log reads "None of the selected objects is a point."