TheSwamp
CAD Forums => CAD General => Topic started by: jonesy on July 15, 2005, 04:12:59 PM
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2 of the computers here have problems when offsetting a polyline. Some of the vertices offset normally, but some of them offset what looks like more than 1000 times the size. (In fact it looks like one of the points goes through 0,0)
Its not the drawing, cos if I open the drawing on my computer it offsets normally.
Its not the users, cos the 2 users are very experienced, and are among the best we have here.
What would control/over-ride the offset and make it do this.
Apparently this has been happening for some time, but has only been bought to my attention today. I have never known a cad station do this :?
Its a real PITA because much of the work these 2 users will be doing over the next couple of months will involve this command, so any suggestions will be welcome.
Many thanks
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any scale related issues you know of? Any special routines loaded that would scale a dwg? (You did say they were experienced, so custom routines are possible)
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I have had this happen, especially on curves. All the sudden I get this GIANT circular loop. What causes it, I don't know. I do know this; if you redraw the polyline and make SURE you snap to the nodes of the points, the problem goes away. Seems you have hit an undefined vertices or an incorrectly defined vertices.
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Wild guess - you might check the OFFSETGAPTYPE system variable.
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Sometimes I offest a pline say 10'-0". It will go all crazy. But if I offset 1'-0" it is fine, then offest that line 9'-0" and that is fine.
I figured like Dent said, something with bad vertices..
Pieter
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I hate to sound thick, but can a pline offset ok on one machine, and the same pline go bad on a different machine?
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Bump :)
Any more ideas on what could be causing this? The 2 computers still have this problem :?
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Sorry, kid.........stumped! I can't recreate the problem here so ...............
could you post it in the lily and we could play with it?
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Are all the machines the same? Same processor?
Can you post a drawing? is it hit-n-miss or all the time?
Kind of stumped as well?
Pieter
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Were the pline joined from regular lines using express tools pljoin? Regardless, try this experiment: explode the pline and window select the vertices. Do you get any grip nodes showing up?
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Are all the machines the same? Same processor?
Can you post a drawing? is it hit-n-miss or all the time?
Kind of stumped as well?
Pieter
It only happens on 2 of the machines.
It seems to be when theres a survey in the drawing.
It seems that it doesnt matter how little or much you offset, it just happens.
The machines are fairly old Dells, one an optiplex 110 and one an optiplex 260, which, at some point in the near future will be taken from the technicians and given to those that dont need cad.
Both machines run acad2002.
The bit I dont understand is that they can close the file and open the same drawing on a different machine and it does what you expect, so I cant see any point in posting the file. Also, if it is a new drawing from a template file it seems fine too.
It has me scratching my head somewhat :?
Many thanks
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Did you test out my questions?
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Could it have something to do with the graphics cards?
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No, you must have posted about the same time as me!
I sat and watched as he drew a random pline anywhere on the screen, no osnaps were used, no width to the pline, and watched it as it seemed to put a point which looked like it was at 0,0. We then started a new drawing and drew a pline, which offset correctly, clicked back in the original drawing and a pline didnt offset!
If we went to any of the other machines, opened the drawing, with the pline already drawn, if offset correctly.
I am not in at work now until NEXT monday... yee ha, but I will try to remember to do this.
A question for you tho (and I know it may sound dumb) but what would exploding the pline and selexcting the grips do?
Many thanks for your help
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Back when I used 2002, I had to join lines into plines and offset them. This would cause some really strang offsets, where one vertex would shoot out a mile away or two legs would offset, but the third wouldn't. It came down to these annoying little zero length segments causing the problem. We found they were created from using express tools pljoin. Pljoin doesn't exist in express tools, nor has it been integrated into autocad; at least not 2004 that I can tell. We also found that if we exploded them, removed these segments and rejoined them with conventional tools, they would offset just fine. Lastly, we found that this problem didn't occur in 2004 and it's my understanding that you have both 2002 and 2004. I can take a stab at guessing why it works on one machine, but not the rest.
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Oh I see. The thing is, there is only 2 puters here with 2004 on the rest have 2002. it can be offset fine on all but 2 of the 2 2002 puters (2 many 2s).
The pline was created as a pline, and we dont have express tools, so we wouldnt use plinejoin. I will, however explode and select to see what happens (when I go in next!)
Thanks Daron
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If you type .offset do you still have the problem?
Note the period in front of the word offset.
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If the problem is the extra vertex use a pline weed routine to remove the extra vertrex.
http://www.theswamp.org/phpBB2/search.php?mode=results
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OBTW, don't select the grips; window select, not crossing, over the vertices. If you see grips pop up, you have zero length lines and these little buggers are killer.
CAB, if I'm right, the .offset won't be effective either, but hey, if it works, great.
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Yes, I was trying to rule out another lisp redefining the offset command.
If the weed.lsp fixes the problem we well know.
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CAB
We use very few lisps here, as until recently most of the software was LT, but I will try that when I next go into work (about a weeks time!)
Thanks
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Hi
I had enough from those offset problems :evil: and I wrote a program that gives
a solution in most of the cases. See here (http://www.theswamp.org/lilly_pond/juergmenzi/MeOffset.lsp?nossi=1)...
Sorry about the delay, but I had to prepare the program first.
The human with computers is her unscrupulousness.
Cheers
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Yes, I was trying to rule out another lisp redefining the offset command.
If the weed.lsp fixes the problem we well know.
I didn't realize that's what it was. Hendie wrote that didn't he? I haven't looked at the link. Sorry if not. I remember him writing one though. Ah, it'd be interesting if it fixes the zero length segment by just removing the lisp.
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Ah, it'd be interesting if it fixes the zero length segment by just removing the lisp.
:mrgreen:
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Hi
I had enough from those offset problems :evil: and I wrote a program that gives
a solution in most of the cases. See here (http://www.theswamp.org/lilly_pond/juergmenzi/MeOffset.lsp?nossi=1)...
Sorry about the delay, but I had to prepare the program first.
The human with computers is her unscrupulousness.
Cheers
Thanks, I tried your routine yesterday on the machines that dont offset.
Unfortunately they still dont offset :(
I will get the person to draw a pline, and offset and save so I can post an example here.
Many thanks for everyones input so far
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Welcome...
(...)I will get the person to draw a pline, and offset and save so I can post an example here.(...)
I'm really interested to check this stubborn thing.
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What about the other ideas?
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I have uploaded to the lillypond a drawing that was created on one of the offending computers, with what has been tried, and the results it produces.
http://www.theswamp.org/lilly_pond/jonesy/offset%20problem.dwg?nossi=1
Daron, I have tried the window thing you suggested, and there were no grips showing.
As I have mentioned, the offset works fine on most of the machines here, so you may not be able to replicate the problem!
Any ideas :?
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I couldn't reproduce the problem in either 2002 or 2004. I did notice however that your lines are very far away from 0,0. I don't know if it matters, but can you try moving your objects on or near 0,0 and try offsetting them on the problem computers again? I remember something being buggy a long time ago when objects were a large distance from 0,0.
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I couldn't reproduce the problem in either 2002 or 2004. I did notice however that your lines are very far away from 0,0. I don't know if it matters, but can you try moving your objects on or near 0,0 and try offsetting them on the problem computers again? I remember something being buggy a long time ago when objects were a large distance from 0,0.
I cant reproduce the problem on my computer, or in fact on many of the other computers here :x
Thanks for the idea, but unfortunately we work from UK maps, and the base point is somewhere off the Scilly(sp) Isles. We are not supposed to move the drawing (or in fact the ucs!) However, I will get the person who drives the computer to try it tho!
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Can reproduce the problem in 2005 but with another effect (only a part of the pline is offset).
Try to offset the obect with different distances and then back to the required distance... that's all I can say for the moment.
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For one thing, the elements in the drawing are at different z elevations
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For one thing, the elements in the drawing are at different z elevations
Forgive my ignorance Keith, but would that make any difference between not working on his and working on my machine?
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I dunno, it works fine on my computer, except I couldn't match the offset distance because of the differing z elevations and my lack of desire to do so....
I presume you both are running the same version of AutoCAD ... I would do a comparison of sysvars between your setup and the errant system.
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Couple of other things I have tried
1. Offseting small distances at a time until the required distance is achieved
2. Resetting the profile to the original one that was created when Autocad was installed.
I am really confused about this one