Beta 10

2D CAD software for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux
Eric Pousse
Posts: 1064
Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2011 12:31 pm
Location: Tours - France

Re: Beta 10

Post by Eric Pousse »

You are welcome George!

There is one limitation : no side must cut another side.
Polygon can be opened but with at least 4 points.

Cordialement.
Eric Pousse
Mikerosen
Posts: 339
Joined: Sun Dec 11, 2011 6:16 pm
Location: Seattle, WA, USA
Contact:

Re: Beta 10

Post by Mikerosen »

Eric,
I must be misunderstanding. Where is the "command line?"
Mike Rosen
Seattle, WA, USA

Mac OS Ventura 13.1, iOS 11.4.1 on iPad Pro
debenriver
Posts: 696
Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2011 9:19 pm
Location: Maine USA and Suffolk England
Contact:

Re: Beta 10

Post by debenriver »

Hi Mike
I must be misunderstanding. Where is the "command line?"
It's under the Window menu.

It took me a while to master because I had never used it.

If you click Windows >> Command line, a little command line pallet pops up. Then you can use it.

Say you want to draw a 100mm diameter circle by centre. Click the Circle by centre tool and you should see this:
Screen Shot 2015-07-18 at 18.57.58.png
Screen Shot 2015-07-18 at 18.57.58.png (16.27 KiB) Viewed 15586 times
The first three items (xc, yc dx) are the x-center, y-center, x-diameter. The items in [...] are optional

If you know your required x-center and y-center just type them directly on the keyboard and they will appear in the command line. So if you typed 500 300 100 and hit enter, you would get a 100mm dia circle centered on x=500, y=300.

If you want the x-center and y-center to be, say at the intersection of two lines, simply click on the intersection, using snap and the appropriate data will automatically appear in the command line. Then just type 100 and hit enter. You will have a 100mm diameter circle centered on your intersection.

If you are using click and drag mode (which I do) after you've clicked the intersection, you have to keep holding the mouse button down until after you've entered the data and hit enter.

It works the same for the other tools (rectangle, line, arc).

I don't think you can leave gaps in the data once you start on the optional data – so if you want a 100mm diameter circle with line thickness 5px you would have to hit 100 (for dx) 100 (for dy) 5 (for the line thickness). And so on for the other data. Colors (both for colorline and colorback) are 0 = white, 1 = red, 2 = yellow, and so on to 7 = black.

Hope this helps!

Cheers -- George
Mikerosen
Posts: 339
Joined: Sun Dec 11, 2011 6:16 pm
Location: Seattle, WA, USA
Contact:

Re: Beta 10

Post by Mikerosen »

Thanks George. I never would have found it!

OK, it works for me with rectangles and circles. And lines in the +Y and -Y. But lines in the X don't go horizontal. A +X (or just an X dimension) goes diagonally to the lower right. A -X goes to the upper left. Do I have an improper default somewhere?

I'm using click and click with this, as Eric recommended. Since I have the mouse in my right hand, I can't hold the button down and easily reach the numberpad with my left hand.

Let's get this straightened out (no pun intended)! I think I like it!
Mike Rosen
Seattle, WA, USA

Mac OS Ventura 13.1, iOS 11.4.1 on iPad Pro
debenriver
Posts: 696
Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2011 9:19 pm
Location: Maine USA and Suffolk England
Contact:

Re: Beta 10

Post by debenriver »

Are you drawing lines using two tips?

If so, to draw a horizontal line you have to enter the y dimension (which will be 0).

So to draw a 500 long horizontal line left to right starting from x=1000, y=2000 you would enter 1000 2000 500 0.

Or if you want it to go right to left you would enter 1000 2000 -500 0

Or if you wanted a 500 long horizontal line from a intersection etc, you would click on the intersection and then enter 500 0 (or -500 0)

Similarly to draw a vertical line you have to enter the x dimension as 0.

I assume that eventually Line will get an angle component, like lines from the centre have, as drawing anything other than vertical or horizontal requires rather a lot of math. I don't think Eric has extended the system fully to everything yet.

I like it too – but I do not like click and click – been using click and drag too many years, so I just can't do it! So I'll have to get used to holding the mouse button down ... I just use a laptop so the numbers are along the top, which is NOT convenient for number entry generally - but at least I can get at it with the mouse button held down! – no room on my desk anymore for a keyboard with a number pad.

Even with the new system I think objects drawn from the centre I should retain their centre even if you modify them. So if you draw a 200 diameter circle and then change it to 150 diameter – it should stay centered on its origin, not hop over one way. Arcs are correct like this at the moment – circles, ovals, squares, rectangles and lines drawn from the centre really should behave the same.

Cheers -- George
debenriver
Posts: 696
Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2011 9:19 pm
Location: Maine USA and Suffolk England
Contact:

Re: Beta 10

Post by debenriver »

The only problem I have with using the command line is that it is yet another pallet open on the screen – and there are getting to be rather a lot of them and it's getting a bit crowded!

If eventually the functionality transferred into the Edit pallet, that would be nice.

But I can live with it as a separate pallet :D

Cheers -- George
Mikerosen
Posts: 339
Joined: Sun Dec 11, 2011 6:16 pm
Location: Seattle, WA, USA
Contact:

Re: Beta 10

Post by Mikerosen »

I've reduced my onscreen palettes to Tools, Edit, and now, Command Line. I just wasn't going to them often enough to need the others.

As I have said before, if the dimension defaulted to the size boxes, instead of having to TAB through the others, and the starting point issue was resolved, the edit palette would suffice, and I wouldn't need the command line.

Besides which, I have a 27" iMac. Crowding is NOT an issue!
Mike Rosen
Seattle, WA, USA

Mac OS Ventura 13.1, iOS 11.4.1 on iPad Pro
debenriver
Posts: 696
Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2011 9:19 pm
Location: Maine USA and Suffolk England
Contact:

Re: Beta 10

Post by debenriver »

Well I think what Eric was saying is that the command line was just a proving ground and that eventually the system would transfer to the Edit pallet – but I'm not entirely sure of that!

Cheers -- George
Eric Pousse
Posts: 1064
Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2011 12:31 pm
Location: Tours - France

Re: Beta 10

Post by Eric Pousse »

Bonjour George and Mike,

Yes, I don't know if I will let the command line like this.
This pallet exists for years (but with less features than now) but probably not used.
I don't know if I can transfer this new features into the edit pallet.
The data are not exactly the same because in the new command line they are according to the command, i.e. they are not the same for a line and for a line from center.
But in the edit pallet, they are the same. After being created, I can't know if a line has drawing from center or not.

What do you think about that?

Thanks.
Eric Pousse
debenriver
Posts: 696
Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2011 9:19 pm
Location: Maine USA and Suffolk England
Contact:

Re: Beta 10

Post by debenriver »

Bonjour Eric

I'm personally quite happy using the Command line – separately from the Edit pallet. In fact the more I use it, the more I like it! One is a creating tool the other an editing device, so it's not illogical to have separate pallets for them.

And it does overcome part of the problem of objects not retaining their centre if they are modified – because you're more likely to make them the right size from the start using the Command line.

But if an arc knows its centre, when it is drawn from the centre, why can't a circle? I think it's maybe more of a deal with a circle than a line or a rectangle as (I think) you naturally draw circles from the centre, whereas it's maybe not it's so usual with rectangles or lines. When you draw a circle from the centre, the Edit pallet really should show xc, yc and the radius and diameter, not the bounding rectangle. At least – that's what I think :D

One little thing: talking about clutter on a smaller screen, the Layers/Pages pallet is very big, even when made as small as possible. Would it be a good idea to put a "more options" clicker, say top right, which would open and close the bottom part of the pallet – so when closed you just have the layers part – which is what you use most of the time as you move between layers. You only create or delete layers etc every now and then, so you don't really need that part open all the time.

Cheers -- George
Post Reply