Topic: XREF clipping frame location/elevation

[RC]

When XCLIP'ping a 3D model the clipping frame plane reside at elevation 0 and is read as an entity when zooming 'extents' even if the frame is not displayed.

Has anyone figured out a way to make that clipping frame reside at some other elevation in order to keep the 'extents' tight to the displayed objects?

[mjfarrell]

Perhaps a DVIEW clip and set the front and back clipping planes would be in order?

[RC]

DVIEW clipping only works in the current view direction, and we utilize that heavily during drawing creation.

My goal is to view only a portion of a rather large 3D model XREF from any direction without the clipping frame altering the extents for zoom extents.

[mjfarrell]

this would suggest using saved views rather than zooming to extents....

bonus those saved views can later be used by Sheet Set manger to place views on layouts...as well as control the scale of the views

[RC]

Saved views might work if I didn't have to 'orbit' around the XREF constructing new objects.

[RC]

I can work around the XREF clipping frame being at election 0 by moving the xref down from my working elevation to elevation 0 prior to clipping, and then moving it back to the proper elevation.  That is a royal pain in the arse and opens the design up to errors if the XREF gets improperly located somewhere along the way.

It seems logical to me that the clipping frame would reside on the 0 plane of the current UCS but that doesn't work either.  Nor can you adjust the location of the frame after placement, which appears to be another oversight.

This wasn't an issue until they added the ability to adjust the clipping frame after placement.  Seems they need to think about it a bit more.

[Bryco]

Randy xclip frames have an elevation in net
http://through-the-interface.typepad.com/through_the_interface/2010/11/adding-a-2d-spatial-filter-to-perform-a-simple-xclip-on-an-external-reference-in-autocad-using-net.html

SpatialFilterDefinition sfd =
                  new SpatialFilterDefinition(pts, Vector3d.ZAxis, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0, true); where the 1st 0.0 is the elev.
maybe you can access the extension dictionary w/ lisp

[RC]

Thanks Bryco

I was afraid it might require a .net solution