Topic: Controlling the AutoCAD DrawOrder

[sparky]

I'm being very confused by some changeable results in the draw order of objects in AutoCAD (2002).  I know you can manually change the draworder of an object by selecting an operation (front -> back etc) and object.  But how does AutoCAD decide an the original draworder.  Does it set priorities for certain objects? If so where is the list of priorities kept.  

I'm just using different Z-coordinates (on 2D drawings) to control Draworder.  But some blocks aren't behaving as I expect, i.e not covering underlying lines when others, with the same elevated Z-coordinate, are!

Any hints...links to relevant help files or just some helpful experience?

[hendie]

Never had occasion to use it but as far as I am aware, teh draworder is dependant upon the order in which the objects were created... unless specified otherwise by the draworder command or whatever.
this may be of use to you...

When you open a drawing previously saved with a specified drawing order, the display is regenerated based on the original order in which the objects were created. To display objects in the DRAWORDER command order, use the REGEN  command. REGEN regenerates the display in the current viewport, but because it also regenerates the entire drawing, the screen coordinates for all objects are also regenerated.
The REDRAW command refreshes the display in the current viewport but does not recalculate the coordinates for all objects. REDRAW takes much less time than REGEN. For more information about REDRAW and REGEN, see "Refreshing the Screen Display."

[sparky]

Thanks.  That explains it. I figured out why some blocks weren't covering underlying objects...they are don't consist of Circles or rectangles or closed polylines.  At least thats why I think they don't cover lower objects!

But here's a thing...how do you resort the order of objects created to get a different Draworder, so you can control their proiority?

Write a lisp function to change and sort their "creation date", then regen. But, where, if anywhere, does AutoCAD store the entity or object creation sequence?

[hendie]

I'm sure I've seen somewhere that if you delete and reinsert, then the draworder changes. I assume copying , and then deleting the original does the same.
but to be honest, it's a command I've never used so I'm probably not the best one to be helping here.

[ronjonp]

Draworder is also considered a bug in ACAD 14-2002. This was fixed in 2004.

http://www.dotsoft.com/acadbugs.htm

[42]

If you create with a costume button with the following code, it will bring the selected ojects to the front of the hatch:

Code: [Select]

^C^C_select;_auto;\_copy;_p;;0,0;@;_erase;_p;;

I have posted this previously on the Cadalog site having blatantly stolen it from others.
 

[hendie]

If you create with a costume[/color] button ....

I think Dent will be wanting some more info on that 42 !    come to think of it ...... nah !