Topic: contour linetype generation

[drizzt]

How do I get contours to enable linetype generation. I am using a dashed linetype and the dashes aren't all the same size.

Thanks in advance for your answers

[mjfarrell]

How do I get contours to enable linetype generation. I am using a dashed linetype and the dashes aren't all the same size.

Thanks in advance for your answers

Tell autodesk you need this little item fixed....1000000000000000  times
due to Contour Objects NOT having the ability to honor LTGEN settings....
the workaround  EXTRACT those objects from surface...fold, spindle, and mutilate as required

[Dinosaur]

 
Are you saying that this little broken feature the dogs were barking about 4 years ago has yet to be addressed?  My throat is still sore from howling about that.

[drizzt]

Thats wierd, I have files that it works in, and some that it doesn't

[mjfarrell]

Are you saying that this little broken feature the dogs were barking about 4 years ago has yet to be addressed?  My throat is still sore from howling about that.

you know, I've really tried to let go of all that so's that my 'constant' ranting does put every one off...however just because we all agree to not talk about problems with the application, doesn't make them any less annoying...or get them fixed any sooner...what's a guy to do?

STILL can't query any C3D objects with MAP inside C3D

[drizzt]

STILL can't query any C3D objects with MAP inside C3D

wow, that seems like a basic need !!!!!

[Dinosaur]

I think that at one point anyway, you could get those countours to display correctly if that surface was actually a part of the drawing you were working in and not just a data reference.  I have no way to test that theory now or any idea if even that functionality has persisted however.

... and yes that map "queery" thing has to be the most ornerous of all the long standing defects.

[drizzt]

Now that you mention it, the drawings I am having the problems with, are drawings I imported a 2007 TIN from....

[mjfarrell]

Now that you mention it, the drawings I am having the problems with, are drawings I imported a 2007 TIN from....

to be clear did you Import the surface from previous LDT project
OR
did you use the create surface from TIN operation?

either way the answer is MOOT, as....the parent object is a Surface, contained in that object are Contour Display Objects, which when extracted become the root object of a polyline...however the contour object itself does NOT honor or offer LTGENeration as a user controlled setting anywhere within the surface style parameters.

In short the LAST thing one may want to do...Extract the contours...wblock them out to their own file....set surface style to NOT show contours...XREF the extracted, and LTGENed polyline objects into the file....and Have a Nice Day!

[drizzt]

or just use a continuous line type..... time is money!

[mjfarrell]

or just use a continuous line type..... time is money!

yeah...which one of these solid lines are the exisitng, and proposed contour lines here?





Uh....the solid ones?


 

[drizzt]

the skinny ones

[Jeff_M]

or just use a continuous line type..... time is money!

yeah...which one of these solid lines are the exisitng, and proposed contour lines here?
Uh....the solid ones?
 

We've used solid lines for existing & proposed for probably 10 years or more....whenever we got rid of that old pen plotter. The existing get shaded, the proposed do not. We haven't had even one complaint about which is which.

[drizzt]

yeah I've done it both ways to (no comments from you guys!) solid vs. dashed...

[Dent Cermak]

I use the dashed linetype on all of my contours too. Clients seem to prefer that.
To finally answer your question, and not whine about AutoCad's short commings, you can make the dashews even lengths with the PEdit command. Pick the contour and note one of the edit options is "Ltype Gen". Apply that and your line and all should look fine. If all of your contours have this problem use the PEdit.....M (for multiple)...window all the contours and apply the Ltype Gen option.

[mjfarrell]

I use the dashed linetype on all of my contours too. Clients seem to prefer that.
To finally answer your question, and not whine about AutoCad's short commings, you can make the dashews even lengths with the PEdit command. Pick the contour and note one of the edit options is "Ltype Gen". Apply that and your line and all should look fine. If all of your contours have this problem use the PEdit.....M (for multiple)...window all the contours and apply the Ltype Gen option.

uh...NO
you can't just use the PEdit command on a Contour Display Object within the Surface Object, as the contour is a(n) integral part of the Surface object and can't be manipulated using any autocad command.

As a Logic statement:
IF the Contours Are Extracted from the Surface THEN YES this process will work...otherwise NOT.

[reno]

i'm not sure what you guys are talking about. seems to work just fine for me:



perhaps it was fixed...

[mjfarrell]

no, it still looks a bit jacked in places....I see gaps where it appears there should be vertices...

[sinc]

The test is to see how it looks at different scales.  If you can go to large plot scales and still see linetype generation, then it's working.  Otherwise, you just happen to be lucky enough to have triangles that are big enough in relation to the plot scale that it looks OK.

[sinc]

And for what it's worth, the contours look like linetype generation is turned on for me in both 2010 and 2011.  (Didn't look at anything earlier.)

So I suspect it has something to do with those things coming forward from 2007, as you mentioned.

Now, linetype generation for Survey Figures, that's another story...  Autodesk has recently been asking for feedback about improvements to linetypes, though, so hopefully we'll be seeing a fix there soon.

[reno]

no, it still looks a bit jacked in places....I see gaps where it appears there should be vertices...

isn't that what LTGEN is supposed to do? put linetype gaps where vertices should be...

[mjfarrell]

no, it still looks a bit jacked in places....I see gaps where it appears there should be vertices...

isn't that what LTGEN is supposed to do? put linetype gaps where vertices should be...

LTGEN, or PLINEGEN, eye of newt...whatever variable or setting that should make this a non issue, isn't working optimally or the discussion wouldn't be happening.  And there is no indication as to the version at play here to further the discovery.

[sinc]

There was a mention that the only drawings that seemed to have any problem with linetype generation in contours involved a "2007 TIN"...  Not sure what exactly that means, however...

[mjfarrell]

There was a mention that the only drawings that seemed to have any problem with linetype generation in contours involved a "2007 TIN"...  Not sure what exactly that means, however...

I asked and there was no further information provided.  Either way the surface would be getting it's contours from whatever style was placed on it, with whatever version of C3D in use.  TIN, Points, Point File, Point Cloud, Data Ref or otherwise.

[reno]

that screen shot was taken from 2011...

[mjfarrell]

that screen shot was taken from 2011...

not your version...the person with the question/issue

(and it's still jacked)

[sinc]

Michael, why do you keep saying the contours in that screen shot are "jacked"?  It looks like linetype generation is working fine in that image, and I see no issues.

[drizzt]

You are correct. I only seem to have the problem when I import a TIN from 2007. Other drawings, where I created the surface in 2010 seem to work fine so far.

[mjfarrell]

Michael, why do you keep saying the contours in that screen shot are "jacked"?  It looks like linetype generation is working fine in that image, and I see no issues.

let's just say they could be better...

[sinc]

You are correct. I only seem to have the problem when I import a TIN from 2007. Other drawings, where I created the surface in 2010 seem to work fine so far.

Can you explain that further?  What do you mean by "import a TIN from 2007"?

[drizzt]

I go to surfaces, right click and select create surface from TIN. I then navigate to a surface folder from LDT 07, find the TIN and import it.

[sinc]

I just did that, and contour linetype generation looks fine:

[mjfarrell]

There was a mention that the only drawings that seemed to have any problem with linetype generation in contours involved a "2007 TIN"...  Not sure what exactly that means, however...

I asked and there was no further information provided.  Either way the surface would be getting it's contours from whatever style was placed on it, with whatever version of C3D in use.  TIN, Points, Point File, Point Cloud, Data Ref or otherwise.

what he said