Welcome to Lince2D

Lince2D is a 2D technical drawing program that works directly with DWG and DXF files, the AutoCAD formats. It opens drawings as they arrive, edits them with the commands and aliases AutoCAD and progeCAD users already know, and saves them back to DWG or DXF, in whatever version the recipient needs.

Who it is for

• For people who draw architectural, building services, civil engineering or surveying plans and exchange DWG files with others.
• For AutoCAD users: commands have the same names (in the interface language, or their English name prefixed with _), the command line prompts come in the same order and the usual aliases work (L, C, PL, O...).
• For beginners: the tutorials in this manual go from an empty drawing to a dimensioned plan with blocks, plotted to PDF.

What it includes

• 2D drawing and editing: lines, polylines, arcs, circles, hatches, text, dimensions, leaders and tables.
• Layers, linetypes, lineweights, blocks with attributes, dynamic blocks and external references.
• Layouts with their viewports and plotting to PDF with plot style tables (CTB and STB).
• Raster images, georeferenced images, coordinate systems (EPSG) and import of SHP, KML and GeoJSON.
• Basic AutoLISP and scripts (SCRIPT) to automate tasks.
• Spanish and English interface.

How the help is organized

• F1 opens the help. With a command running, it opens that command's page directly. The HELP command does the same.
• Contents: the tree on the left, in three parts: this User manual (installation and step-by-step tutorials), the General help (concepts: interface, coordinates, layers, dimensions...) and the Reference (one page per command, the system variables and the AutoLISP functions).
• Index: terms in alphabetical order; type the first letters to jump to them.
• Search: looks for a word in every page.
• PDF manual: the Help > Manual (PDF) menu opens this same content as a single document, handy for printing or reading without the program.

Each command page starts with its name, its English global name, its aliases and where it is on the ribbon and in the menus. Prompts are shown exactly as they appear on the command line, for example:

Specify first point:

Where to start

1. Install Lince2D.
2. First drawing: draw, save and open again.
3. The tutorials, in order: floor plan, dimensioning, blocks, plotting to PDF and georeferenced drawings.

If you already know AutoCAD, have a look at The interface, the alias table and What's new.

See also

The interface · File formats · Keyboard and shortcuts

Installing Lince2D

Lince2D is installed on Windows with a setup program and on Linux with a compressed package. In both cases it is installed for the current user, without administrator rights.

Requirements

• 64-bit Windows (x64) or 64-bit Linux (x86_64) with a graphical desktop.
• A graphics driver with OpenGL, as found on any computer from recent years.
• About 40 MB of disk space for the program and the symbol library.
• AutoCAD or any other program is not needed: Lince2D reads and writes DWG and DXF files by itself.

Windows

The setup program is in Spanish for now; the steps below give the meaning of each option.

1. Run Lince2D-<version>-setup.exe.
2. Choose whether to install for your user only (recommended, no administrator needed) or for all users of the computer. For your user, the program goes to %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\lince; for all users, to the program files folder.
3. Tick the optional tasks you want: - Create a desktop shortcut. - Add Lince2D to "Open with" for .dwg and .dxf files: the program appears in the Explorer Open with menu when you right-click a DWG or DXF file. It does not change the default program: if AutoCAD opens those files on double-click, it still does.
4. Click Install. When it finishes you can start Lince2D from the last page of the wizard or from the Start menu.

The bibliotecas folder is installed next to the program, with the 2D symbols used by the Blocks palette and DesignCenter (see Inserting blocks).

Updating

Run the setup program of the new version: it replaces the previous one in the same folder and keeps your preferences.

Uninstalling

Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps, find Lince2D and click Uninstall. The program, its shortcuts and, if you chose it, the "Open with" entry are removed. User preferences (%APPDATA%\lince) are left in place in case you install it again; delete them by hand if you do not want them.

Linux

The package is lince-<version>-linux-x86_64.tar.gz. It can be used without installing:

tar xzf lince-<version>-linux-x86_64.tar.gz
cd lince-<version>-linux-x86_64
./lince

To install it for your user, with a launcher in the applications menu, run from that folder:

install -Dm755 lince ~/.local/bin/lince
install -Dm644 lince.desktop ~/.local/share/applications/lince.desktop
install -Dm644 lince.png ~/.local/share/icons/hicolor/256x256/apps/lince.png
mkdir -p ~/.local/share/lince && cp -r bibliotecas ayuda ~/.local/share/lince/

The last line copies the symbol library and this help to ~/.local/share/lince, where the program looks for them when they are not next to the executable. To uninstall, delete those files and the ~/.config/lince folder (preferences).

Language

On first start, Lince2D uses the system language if it has it (Spanish or English) and Spanish otherwise. To change it, open OPTIONS, Interface tab, and choose the Language; the change applies at once. The number format (decimal comma or point) is chosen on the same tab.

On the command line you always type as in AutoCAD, whatever the language: decimal point and a comma between coordinates (10.5,20). Global command names (_LINE, _CIRCLE...) work in any language.

Languages can be added without reinstalling: a <code>.ftl catalog in the idiomas folder next to the executable or in the user configuration folder is enough.

See also

First drawing · Options · OPTIONS

First drawing

In this tutorial you create a drawing, draw a rectangle with lines and a circle, save it as DWG, close it and open it again. It takes about five minutes.

1. A new drawing

On start, Lince2D shows an empty drawing. To start another one at any time, enter NEW, click New on the Quick Access toolbar or press Ctrl+N. Each open drawing has its own tab above the drawing area.

New drawings are metric: one drawing unit is one millimetre. Coordinates are typed on the command line, at the bottom, where Command: appears.

2. Drawing some lines

1. Enter LINE (or L) and press Enter.

Specify first point:

2. Type 0,0 and press Enter: this is the coordinate origin.

Specify next point or [Undo]:

3. Type 100,0 and Enter: the first segment is drawn, 100 mm to the right.
4. Type @0,60 and Enter. The @ means a relative coordinate: 60 mm up from the last point.

Specify next point or [Close/Undo]:

5. Type @-100,0 and Enter: 100 mm to the left.
6. Type C (Close) and Enter: the line goes back to the first point and the command ends.

If you get a point wrong, type U (Undo) without leaving the command. After the command has finished, Ctrl+Z undoes the whole command.

3. Drawing a circle

1. Enter CIRCLE (or C) and Enter.

Specify center point for circle or [3P/2P/Ttr (tan tan radius)]:

2. Type 50,30 and Enter: the centre of the rectangle.

Specify radius of circle:

3. Type 20 and Enter.

To see the whole drawing on screen, double-click the mouse wheel or type Z, Enter, E (Extents) and Enter. The wheel zooms in and out; pressed and dragged, it pans the view.

4. Saving as DWG

1. Enter SAVEAS or press Ctrl+Shift+S.
2. In the dialog box, choose the folder, type the name primero and click Save.

The status bar confirms the file and the version. SAVEAS typed on the command line saves in the DWG 2018 format, the one used by AutoCAD 2018 to 2027. For another version, open the Lince2D menu (top left), hover over Save As and choose from the list: DWG 2018, 2013, 2010, 2007, 2004 or 2000, or DXF 2018 or 2000. Choose an older version when the recipient has an old program.

From then on, QSAVE (Ctrl+S) saves to the same file and in the same version, without asking.

5. Closing and opening again

1. Enter CLOSE (or use Close in the Lince2D menu). If there are unsaved changes, the program asks whether to save them.
2. Enter OPEN or press Ctrl+O, find primero.dwg and click Open. You can also drag the file from Explorer onto the program window.

The drawing opens in its own tab, as it was saved. Lince2D opens DWG files from release R14 up to the current one and DXF files from R12 on; large drawings are read in the background, with a progress bar.

Notes

• Press Esc to cancel a command halfway, and Enter (or Space) on the empty command line to repeat the last one.
• The program saves an automatic copy of the drawing every so often; if it closes unexpectedly, opening the file again warns that there is a more recent copy.

See also

Coordinates and input · File formats · Floor plan with layers · LINE · CIRCLE · SAVEAS

Tutorial: floor plan with layers

In this tutorial you draw the plan of a simple 8 × 6 m dwelling: 25 cm outer walls, a 10 cm partition with a doorway, an entrance door and two windows, each on its own layer. The following tutorials dimension this plan, add furniture and plot it.

The drawing is in millimetres (the unit of new drawings). All coordinates are typed on the command line; press Enter after each value. A coordinate with @ is relative to the last point: @8000,0 is 8 m to the right.

1. Creating the layers

1. Start a new drawing with NEW.
2. Enter LAYER (or LA). The Layer Properties Manager opens.
3. Click New Layer. A layer appears with its name ready to type: type Walls and Enter.
4. Repeat step 3 for Doors, Windows, Furniture, Dims and Text.
5. In the Color column of each layer, drop down the colour and choose the one in the table. On the Walls layer, also change the Lineweight to 0.50 mm: walls will plot thicker.
6. Double-click the Status column of the Walls layer to make it current (the ✔ mark appears) and close the dialog.

The same, from the command line with -LAYER (useful in scripts): each line is one answer and the empty one at the end is the Enter that ends the command.

-LAYER
N
Walls,Doors,Windows,Furniture,Dims,Text
C
1
Walls
C
3
Doors
C
4
Windows
C
8
Furniture
C
2
Dims
LW
0.5
Walls
S
Walls

2. Outer walls with PLINE and OFFSET

1. Enter PLINE (or PL).

Specify first point:

2. Type 0,0.

Specify next point or [Arc/Close/Width/Undo]:

3. Type @8000,0, then @0,6000 and then @-8000,0.
4. Type C (Close): the polyline closes. It is the outer face of the walls, a single object.
5. Double-click the mouse wheel to see the whole drawing.
6. Enter OFFSET (or O).

Specify offset distance:

7. Type 250, the wall thickness.

Select object to offset or <exit>:

8. Click the polyline.

Specify point on side to offset:

9. Type 4000,3000 (a point inside the dwelling) or click inside. The inner face appears. Press Enter to finish.

3. The partition

1. Enter LINE (or L), 5000,250, 5000,5750 and Enter: the line runs from wall to wall.
2. Enter OFFSET, 100, click the line you have just drawn, type 6000,3000 and press Enter. The partition lies between x = 5000 and x = 5100: the living room on the left, the bedroom on the right.

4. Opening the gaps

Each opening is marked with two jambs (short lines across the wall) and then the wall is trimmed between them.

1. Enter LINE, 1000,0, @0,250 and Enter: the first jamb of the entrance door.
2. Enter COPY (or CO) to repeat it at the other openings.

Select objects:

3. Click the jamb and press Enter.

Specify base point:

4. Type 1000,0.

Specify second point or <exit>:

5. Type, one after the other, 1900,0 (door), 2000,5750 and 3500,5750 (living room window), 5900,5750 and 7400,5750 (bedroom window). Press Enter to finish.
6. For the partition doorway: LINE, 5000,1000, @100,0 and Enter; then COPY that line with base point 5000,1000 and second point 5000,1800.
7. Enter TRIM (or TR).

Select cutting edges or <select all>:

8. Press Enter without selecting anything: every object acts as a cutting edge.

Select object to trim:

9. Click each piece of wall between two jambs: at the door, the outer and the inner line; at each window, both; at the partition, its two lines (zoom in with the wheel if they are close together). That is eight clicks. Press Enter to finish. If you trim the wrong piece, finish and press Ctrl+Z.

5. The entrance door

1. Drop down the layer control on the ribbon and choose Doors: it becomes the current layer.
2. Draw the open leaf: LINE, 1000,250, @0,900 and Enter.
3. Draw the swing with an arc by its centre. Enter ARC (or A).

Specify start point of arc or [Center]:

4. Type C (Center).

Specify center point of arc:

5. Type 1000,250 (the hinge).

Specify start point of arc:

6. Type 1900,250 (the other jamb).

Specify end point of arc:

7. Type 1000,1150 (the end of the leaf). The arc is drawn counterclockwise, from the jamb to the leaf.

6. The windows

1. Make the Windows layer current.
2. Draw the two lines on the wall faces: LINE, 2000,5750, @1500,0, Enter; and LINE, 2000,6000, @1500,0, Enter.
3. Draw the glass with RECTANG (or REC).

Specify first corner point:

4. Type 2000,5850.

Specify other corner point:

5. Type @1500,50.
6. Copy the window to the bedroom: COPY, click the three pieces of the window, Enter, base point 2000,5750 and second point 5900,5750, Enter.

7. Saving

Enter SAVEAS and save the drawing as plano.dwg. The next tutorial starts from it.

Notes

• Instead of typing, points can be specified with the mouse and object snaps (F3), such as Endpoint or Intersection, and with Ortho (F8) for horizontal and vertical lines. See Object snaps and precision.
• The partition doorway is left open: in the blocks tutorial a door from the library is placed in it.

See also

Layers · Coordinates and input · Editing · Dimensioning the plan · PLINE · OFFSET · TRIM · COPY

Tutorial: dimensioning the plan

In this tutorial you dimension the plan from the previous tutorial and label the rooms. You create a dimension style for plotting at 1:50, draw chains of dimensions with DIMLINEAR and DIMCONTINUE and write text with TEXT.

Open plano.dwg. As before, press Enter after each typed value.

1. A dimension style for 1:50

The drawing is in millimetres and will be plotted at 1:50. The Standard style has text and arrows of 2.5 units: at 1:50 they would come out 0.05 mm high. The overall scale of the style multiplies all those sizes.

1. Enter DIMSTYLE (or D). The Dimension Style Manager opens.
2. Click New.... Create New Dimension Style appears below.
3. In New Style Name: type Plan50; in Start With: leave Standard. Click Continue.
4. Modify Dimension Style opens. On the Fit tab, set Overall scale = 50.
5. On the Primary Units tab, set Precision (decimal places) = 0: measurements will show in whole millimetres (8000).
6. Click OK.
7. In the manager, with Plan50 selected, click Set Current and close the dialog.

With a scale of 50, the 2.5 text is 125 mm high in the drawing and 2.5 mm on paper.

2. Dimension chain along the lower façade

1. Make the Dims layer current in the layer control.
2. Enter DIMLINEAR (or DLI).

Specify first extension line origin or <select object>:

3. Type 0,0 (corner of the wall).

Specify second extension line origin:

4. Type 1000,0 (first jamb of the door).

Specify dimension line location:

5. Type 500,-600: the dimension line sits 60 cm below the wall. It measures 1000.
6. Enter DIMCONTINUE (or DCO). It starts from the last dimension drawn.

Specify a second extension line origin or [Undo/Select] <Select>:

7. Type 1900,0 and then 8000,0. Each point adds a dimension next to the previous one: 900 (the door) and 6100. Press Enter to finish.
8. Add the overall dimension outside: DIMLINEAR, 0,0, 8000,0, 4000,-1200.

If a point in the chain goes wrong, type U (Undo) in DIMCONTINUE: it removes the last dimension without leaving the command.

3. Dimensions on the left side and the upper façade

1. Left side: DIMLINEAR, 0,0, 0,6000, -1200,3000. As the location is to one side, the dimension is vertical: 6000.
2. Upper façade, with the windows: DIMLINEAR, 0,6000, 2000,6000, 1000,6600.
3. DIMCONTINUE, 3500,6000, 5900,6000, 7400,6000, 8000,6000 and Enter. The chain measures 2000, 1500, 2400, 1500 and 600.

4. Interior dimensions

1. DIMLINEAR, 250,2000, 5000,2000, 2625,2000: the clear width of the living room, 4750. The dimension line runs inside the room.
2. DIMCONTINUE, 5100,2000, 7750,2000 and Enter: the partition (100) and the bedroom (2650).

5. Room names

1. Make the Text layer current.
2. Enter TEXT (or DT).

Specify start point of text or [Justify/Style]:

3. Type J (Justify).

Enter an option [Left/Center/Right/Middle/TL/TC/TR/ML/MC/MR/BL/BC/BR]:

4. Type MC: the text is centred on the point, horizontally and vertically.
5. Specify the point: 2625,1500.

Specify height <…>:

6. Type 200 (4 mm on paper at 1:50).

Specify rotation angle of text <…>:

7. Press Enter to keep 0.

Enter text:

8. Type LIVING ROOM and Enter. The command asks for another line below: press Enter on the empty line to finish.
9. Repeat for the bedroom: TEXT, J, MC, 6425,1500, 200, Enter, BEDROOM, Enter, Enter.
10. Add a title under the plan: TEXT, 0,-2200, height 250, Enter, GROUND FLOOR - 1:50, Enter, Enter.

6. Saving

Press Ctrl+S (QSAVE): the drawing is saved to plano.dwg, in the same version.

Notes

• Dimensions are drawn with the current style and on the current layer. To change the style of a dimension later, select it and change it in the PROPERTIES palette; when a style is modified, all its dimensions are redrawn.
• DIMBASELINE makes chains from a common origin, each dimension further out than the previous one.
• To change the text of a dimension (for example, to add a prefix), use DIMEDIT.
• TEXT always proposes 2.5 as the height: type the one you want for each text. For multi-line formatted text, use MTEXT.

See also

Dimensions · Text · Inserting blocks · DIMSTYLE · DIMLINEAR · DIMCONTINUE · DIMSCALE

Tutorial: inserting blocks from the library

In this tutorial you furnish the plan from the previous tutorials with symbols from the library installed with Lince2D: a door in the partition doorway, furniture and a socket with its attribute. You use the Blocks palette (INSERT) and ADCENTER.

Open plano.dwg.

The included library

The bibliotecas folder, next to the program, holds two drawings with 2D symbols in millimetres, on layer 0 (they take the layer they are inserted on). Block names are in Spanish:

• Arquitectura.dwg (architecture): swing doors PUERTA_70, PUERTA_80 and PUERTA_90 (base point at the hinge), PUERTA_DOBLE_160 (double door) and PUERTA_CORREDERA_80 (sliding door); windows VENTANA_60, VENTANA_120 and VENTANA_180 (for a 15 cm wall); INODORO (WC), LAVABO (washbasin), BANERA_170 (bath), PLATO_DUCHA_80 (shower tray), FREGADERO_2 (sink); SILLA (chair), MESA_4_SILLAS (table with four chairs), CAMA_150 and CAMA_90 (beds), SOFA_3 and ARMARIO_120 (wardrobe).
• Electricidad.dwg (electrical): ENCHUFE and ENCHUFE_DOBLE (sockets), INTERRUPTOR (switch), CONMUTADOR (two-way switch), PULSADOR (push button), PUNTO_LUZ (ceiling light), APLIQUE (wall light), FLUORESCENTE_120 (linear luminaire), TOMA_TV (TV outlet), TOMA_DATOS (data outlet) and CUADRO_ELECTRICO (distribution board). Most carry the CIR attribute (circuit).

Opened as drawings, each one shows its catalogue: every symbol with its name below.

1. The Blocks palette

1. Enter INSERT (or I), or click Insert on the ribbon. The Blocks palette opens, with three tabs: Current Drawing (the blocks already in the drawing), Recent and Libraries.
2. Click Libraries. The library folder appears with its two drawings and the thumbnails of their blocks. The Search box filters by name: type puerta to see only the doors.
3. Below are the Insertion Options: the Insertion Point is specified on screen; the Scale is 1 and the Rotation 0. Leave them like that: the symbols are drawn at real size.

The palette can stay open while you draw.

2. The partition door

1. Make the Doors layer current.
2. In the palette, click PUERTA_80. The command line starts inserting and the block follows the cursor.

Specify insertion point or [Scale/Rotate]:

3. The library door opens upwards; in the partition it has to open towards the living room. Type R (Rotate).

Specify rotation angle <0>:

4. Type 90.
5. It asks for the point again: type 5000,1000, the corner of the doorway on the living room face. The hinge is at the bottom and the leaf opens to the left, with its swing inside the living room.

The block is copied from the library file into the drawing the first time; from then on it also appears on the Current Drawing tab.

3. Living room furniture

1. Make the Furniture layer current.
2. Click MESA_4_SILLAS and type 2600,3300: the table is centred on that point, with its four chairs (a SILLA block inside another block).
3. Click SOFA_3 and type 2800,4750: the base point is the lower left corner and the back rests against the wall.

To place the same block several times, tick Repeat Placement: after each insertion it asks for the point again, until you press Enter or Esc.

4. The bedroom with DesignCenter

DesignCenter browses other drawings (open ones or those in the library folders) and copies blocks, layers, styles and layouts from them.

1. Enter ADCENTER (or ADC). DesignCenter opens.
2. In the tree on the left, under the library folder, choose Arquitectura.dwg.
3. Click Blocks in the list of categories: its thumbnails appear.
4. Double-click CAMA_150 and type 5700,3500.
5. Click ARMARIO_120, click Insert and type 6400,250: the wardrobe stands against the lower wall.

With the other categories (Layers, Text Styles, Dimension Styles...) the Add to Drawing button copies the chosen item into the drawing; if an entry with that name already exists, the drawing's own is kept.

5. A socket with an attribute

1. In the Blocks palette, Libraries tab, search for enchufe and click ENCHUFE (from Electricidad.dwg).
2. Type 5600,250: the socket sits on the inner face of the lower wall.
3. The block has an attribute, and the program asks for its value with the block's own prompt, Circuito <C2>:. Type C3 and Enter (or press Enter to keep C2).

The value can be changed later by double-clicking the block (ATTEDIT) or with EATTEDIT.

6. Saving

Press Ctrl+S. The plan now has walls, doors and windows, dimensions, text and furniture: the next tutorial plots it to PDF.

Notes

• On the Current Drawing tab, Browse… inserts another whole DWG or DXF as a block.
• Add Folder… (Libraries tab) adds your own folder of drawings with blocks: it appears in the palette and in DesignCenter.
• -INSERT asks everything on the command line (name, point, scale and rotation); it is the one scripts use.
• To keep the blocks you use most at hand, with their layer, scale and rotation, drag them to a tool palette (TOOLPALETTES).
• To create your own blocks, see BLOCK and WBLOCK.

See also

Blocks and attributes · Plotting to PDF · INSERT · ADCENTER · BEDIT

Tutorial: plotting to PDF

In this tutorial you plot the plan from the previous tutorials to a PDF file, at 1:50 on an A4 sheet, in black and white with the monochrome.ctb plot style table. Then you see how layouts, with their viewports, are plotted.

Open plano.dwg and check that the Model tab, below the drawing area, is active.

1. The Plot dialog

Enter PLOT (or PRINT) or press Ctrl+P. The Plot dialog opens. Lince2D plots to vector PDF: lines, text (with its fonts) and hatches come out as on screen, at any magnification.

1. Printer/plotter: leave DWG To PDF.pc3 (lince PDF). It is the same name AutoCAD uses, so the settings saved in the drawing work for it too.
2. Paper size: choose ISO full bleed A4 (297.00 x 210.00 mm).
3. Drawing orientation: select Landscape.

2. What to plot: a window

1. In What to plot: choose Window and click Window <. The dialog hides and the command line asks for the corners.

Specify first corner:

2. Type -1800,-2400 (bottom left, outside the dimensions and the title).

Specify opposite corner:

3. Type 9200,7200. The Plot dialog comes back.

The other options are Extents (everything drawn), Display (what is on screen) and Limits.

3. The scale

1. In Plot scale: clear Fit to paper.
2. Choose 1:50 from the list. Below it you can read the equivalence: 1 mm of paper = 50 drawing units. As the drawing is in millimetres, 1 m of the plan measures 2 cm on paper.
3. Tick Center the plot: the window is placed in the middle of the sheet.

The window measures 11 × 9.6 m: at 1:50 it takes 220 × 192 mm and fits on the landscape A4.

4. The plot style table

The plot style table (CTB) decides the colour, lineweight and screening each drawing colour is plotted with.

1. In Plot style table (pen assignments): choose monochrome.ctb: everything comes out black, whatever its colour on screen. With grayscale.ctb colours become greys.
2. In Plot options: leave Plot object lineweights ticked (walls, at 0.50 mm, come out thicker) and Plot with plot styles (without this box the table is not applied).

Your own tables (.ctb files, or .stb if the drawing uses named plot styles) are copied to the %APPDATA%\lince\estilos_trazado folder or to the drawing folder, and appear in the same list.

5. Preview and PDF

1. Click Preview… to see the sheet as it will come out. Close the preview to return to the dialog.
2. If you want the drawing to remember these settings for next time, tick Apply to Layout.
3. Click OK, choose the folder and type the name plano.pdf. The command line confirms the file and its size.

The same dialog saves PNG or SVG instead of PDF: just type the name with that extension. The PNG resolution is chosen in PNG:.

6. Layouts and viewports

Besides Model, a drawing can have layouts (paper space): each tab is a sheet with its title block and one or more viewports that show the model at a scale. Drawings coming from AutoCAD usually have them ready.

1. Click the layout tab. You see the sheet, its printable area and the viewports.
2. Double-click inside a viewport to enter the model through it (the status bar button changes from PAPER to MODEL); double-clicking outside it, or PSPACE, goes back to paper.
3. With a viewport active, the sun-with-viewport icon of the layer control freezes a layer in that viewport only; in the Layer Properties Manager it is the VP Freeze column. That way each viewport shows its own content.
4. Whatever you draw with the layout active and outside the viewports goes on paper: a title block, a legend.
5. To plot it, enter PLOT on that tab. What to plot: proposes Layout and a 1:1 scale: the sheet comes out at its size and each viewport keeps its own scale.

New layouts and viewports are created with LAYOUT and MVIEW; the viewport scale is set in the status bar. For a plan drawn from scratch you can also plot from Model as in steps 1 to 5.

Notes

• PAGESETUP saves named page setups to reuse them or import them from another drawing.
• PREVIEW opens the preview directly, with the current settings.
• To print on paper, choose the printer in Printer/plotter:.

See also

Layouts and plotting · Georeferenced drawings · PLOT · PAGESETUP · MSPACE

Tutorial: georeferenced drawings

In this tutorial you set up a drawing in real-world coordinates: you give the drawing a coordinate system, insert a georeferenced orthophoto and overlay the parcels of a SHP file, which Lince2D converts to the drawing's system if it comes in another one.

You need two sets of files for the same area, like those published by official mapping agencies:

• An orthophoto in GeoTIFF, or in TIFF, JPG or PNG with its world file (.tfw, .jgw, .pgw or .wld) next to it. Here it is called ortofoto.tif.
• A SHP with its companion files (.shx, .dbf and, preferably, .prj). Here it is called parcelas.shp.

The example uses ETRS89 / UTM zone 30N (EPSG:25830), the official system in much of mainland Spain; use the one for your area. In UTM, one drawing unit is one metre.

1. The drawing's coordinate system

1. Start a drawing with NEW.
2. Enter GEOGRAPHICLOCATION (or GEO). The Geographic Location dialog opens and, at the same time, the command line asks:

Enter EPSG code of the coordinate system or [Remove/List] <…>:

3. Type 25830 and Enter (or choose the system from the list in the dialog and click OK). The command line confirms the chosen system.

This is the target system: everything imported with its own system is converted to it. Type L (List) to see the available systems: ETRS89, WGS84 and ED50 in zones 28 to 31, REGCAN95, Web Mercator (3857) and geographic coordinates. The AutoCAD code, such as ETRS89.UTM-30N, is accepted too.

The drawing is assumed to be, or to be going to be, in coordinates of that system: GEOGRAPHICLOCATION does not move what is already drawn.

2. The orthophoto

1. Create an Orthophoto layer and make it current, so that you can turn it off or lock it later.
2. Enter GEOIMAGE.

Enter image file name to attach or [Browse] <Browse>:

3. Press Enter (Browse) and choose ortofoto.tif.
4. The image is placed at its coordinates, with its pixel size and rotation, read from the world file or the GeoTIFF tags. The command line says which georeferencing file it used and which system the image is in.
5. Double-click the mouse wheel to see the whole image.

If the image states its coordinate system and it differs from the drawing's, it is reprojected on insertion. If it does not, it is inserted as it is: its coordinates must already be in the drawing's system.

3. The SHP parcels

1. Create a Parcels layer, with a colour that stands out on the photo (for example 2, yellow), and make it current.
2. Enter MAPIMPORT (or SHP2CAD). The Import SHP, KML or GeoJSON dialog opens.
3. In File click Browse… and choose parcelas.shp. The dialog shows the Contents: how many features and how many fields it has.
4. Layer from field: leave none so that everything goes to the current layer, or choose a field of the table (for example, the land use or type field): each feature goes to a layer named after the value of that field, created if it does not exist.
5. Block for the points: only matters if the file has points. With (point object), each point is a POINT object; with a block of the drawing, each point is that block, and its attributes take the values of the fields with the same name.
6. File coordinate system: the one stated in the .prj appears. If the file has no .prj, choose its system here; with (no reprojection) the coordinates are imported as they are.
7. Drawing coordinate system shows EPSG:25830. Click OK.

The parcels are drawn as closed polylines (polygon holes too) over the orthophoto. If the SHP was in another system, for example zone 29 or geographic coordinates, it has already been converted. The table data of each feature is kept with it, as extended data.

The same can be done on the command line, for example in a script:

SHP, KML, KMZ or GeoJSON file:

Field for the layer (…) or [None] <None>:

Block name for the points <point object>:

4. Checking coordinates

1. Enter GEOCOORD.

Specify point or [System] <EPSG:…>:

2. Click a parcel corner: the command line shows its drawing coordinates and its WGS84 latitude and longitude. With S (System) you choose another target system, for example 4326 or 23030 (ED50).
3. With the drawing georeferenced, clicking the coordinates on the status bar toggles them with the latitude and longitude of the cursor.

5. Saving and sharing

• Save as DWG: the coordinate system is saved the way AutoCAD saves it, and AutoCAD recognizes it when it opens the drawing (GEOGRAPHICLOCATION).
• The image is not stored inside the DWG: the drawing points to the file. Send the orthophoto and its world file along with the drawing.
• MAPEXPORT writes the selected objects to SHP, KML, KMZ or GeoJSON, with the table data they came with. KML and GeoJSON are in WGS84: a KMZ opens directly in map viewers.

Notes

• Image formats: TIFF and GeoTIFF, JPG, PNG, BMP, GIF and WebP. ECW and JPEG 2000 are not read: convert them to GeoTIFF first.
• If the image has no georeferencing, place it with GEOREFIMAGE, giving two or three points on the image and their real position.
• So that the orthophoto does not cover the parcels, send it to the back with DRAWORDER. IMAGEADJUST changes its brightness and contrast, and TRANSPARENCY lets what is underneath show through its transparent pixels.
• With the ED50 datum, the conversion to ETRS89 uses the official IGN grid (SPED2ETV2.gsb) if it is in the program's rejillas folder (centimetre accuracy); otherwise, a 7-parameter transformation (≈ 1.5 m).

See also

Georeferencing · Raster images · GEOGRAPHICLOCATION · GEOIMAGE · MAPIMPORT · GEOCOORD

Appendix: command aliases

An alias is a short way of typing a command on the command line: L instead of LINE, C instead of CIRCLE. Lince2D uses the usual AutoCAD aliases in each language, so muscle memory works just the same.

• Type the alias and press Enter or Space, as if it were the full name.
• Every command also has an English global name prefixed with _ (_LINE, _CIRCLE), which works in any interface language: it is the one to use in scripts and in AutoLISP.
• As you type, the command line suggests the commands starting with those letters; an exact alias always comes first.

Your own aliases

Aliases can be changed and added with ALIASEDIT: they are saved in lince.pgp, in the configuration folder (%APPDATA%\lince; on Linux, ~/.config/lince), with the syntax of AutoCAD's acad.pgp (LL, *LINE). An AutoCAD acad.pgp can be imported as it is: its external commands are ignored.

• Your own alias wins over a built-in one with the same letters, but not over a command name.
• With _ or . in front, your own aliases are not used.
• They apply at once, without restarting.

Built-in aliases

The table lists every command with its name, its global name and its aliases in the language of this page.

See also

Keyboard and shortcuts · The interface · Welcome

The user interface

From top to bottom, the Lince2D window has the ribbon (or the menus and toolbars of the Classic workspace), the drawing area, the layout tabs, the command line and the status bar. Palettes (Properties, layers, blocks...) open when you need them and can float over the drawing or be docked at its sides.

Workspaces

A workspace is a named layout of the interface. Two are built in:

• Drafting & Annotation (ribbon): the ribbon with its tabs, the Lince2D ▾ application button and the Quick Access toolbar (New, Open, Save, Save As, Undo, Redo and Plot).
• Classic (menus and toolbars): the traditional menu bar (File, Edit, View, Insert, Format, Tools, Draw, Dimension, Modify, Window and Help) and the Standard, Draw, Modify and Layers toolbars.

Each workspace also remembers the ribbon state, how the command line is placed and which palettes are open, on which side and how wide. The ⚙ gear on the status bar shows the current one and, when clicked, lists them all to switch with one click. WSSAVE saves the current layout with a name and WORKSPACE renames and deletes them. They are kept when the program closes.

Both built-in workspaces give access to the same commands. Commands that are not finished yet are dimmed; hovering over any button shows its description.

The ribbon

Every available command is in some panel. Each panel shows its large buttons and two columns of small ones; if it has more, the ▾ in its title expands the rest. While you edit a block, the Block Editor contextual tab appears (see Blocks).

When the window is narrow, the panels that do not fit collapse, from right to left, into a button with their icon, title and ▼ that drops the panel down below.

Minimizing the ribbon

The ▴/▾ button to the right of the tabs cycles through the ribbon states; right-click it to choose one directly:

• Show Full Ribbon: tabs and panels.
• Minimize to Tabs: only the tabs; clicking one drops its panels over the drawing, and they fold away when you choose a command or click elsewhere.
• Minimize to Panel Titles: the tabs and the titles of their panels; each title drops its panel down.

The command line

The keyboard always goes to the command line, as in AutoCAD: just start typing.

• It shows the last three lines; the text window (F2) has the full history.
• While you type a command name, a list of up to 8 suggestions with their descriptions appears: choose with the arrow keys and complete with Tab or a click.
• Enter or Space sends what you typed (Space does not while you are typing text). Enter on an empty line repeats the last command.
• The options in brackets in the prompt are shown in blue and can be clicked; typing their capital letters also works.
• You can type the command name, its alias (built-in or your own) or the global English name with _ (_LINE) in any language.
• A line that starts with ( is evaluated as AutoLISP (see AutoLISP).

Floating command line

The ⇱ button at its left undocks the command line: it becomes a window without a title bar that you can drag anywhere and widen by its edges. While it floats, the ◐ button sets its transparency (opacity from 10 to 100 %); it turns opaque when the mouse is over it. ⇲ docks it again below the drawing.

Palettes

Each one has buttons in its header to place it:

• ◂ / ▸ (Dock left / Dock right): the palette docks on that side and the drawing narrows to make room. Several palettes on the same side share its height. Drag the edge facing the drawing to change the width.
• ◻ (Floating): it becomes a floating window again.
• 📌 (Auto-hide), docked only: the palette folds into a vertical tab at the edge of the window and slides out when the mouse passes over it.

Customizing

CUI changes the commands of any ribbon panel or Classic toolbar (add, remove and reorder) and assigns your own keyboard shortcuts. Your own aliases are edited with ALIASEDIT and saved in lince.pgp, with the syntax of AutoCAD's acad.pgp (one can be imported). Everything is saved in the configuration folder (%APPDATA%\lince; on Linux, ~/.config/lince), together with the workspaces.

The status bar

Next come the program messages and, at the far right, what was drawn in the last redraw and how long it took.

Drawing tabs and layout tabs

With two or more drawings open, their tabs appear above the drawing area; Ctrl+Tab and Ctrl+Shift+Tab switch to the next and previous one. Below the drawing are the Model tab and one tab per layout (see Layouts and plotting).

Shortcut menu and double-click

Right-clicking in the drawing area opens a menu that depends on what you are doing:

• With a command running: Enter, Cancel and the options of the prompt.
• With no command: repeat the last command, the usual editing commands if something is selected (Erase, Move, Copy, Scale, Rotate, Mirror) and Deselect All, plus Undo, Redo, Zoom Extents, Select All and Properties.

Double-clicking an object opens its editor: a text, TEXTEDIT; a hatch, HATCHEDIT; a block with attributes, ATTEDIT; a block without attributes, BEDIT; a table cell, TABLEDIT. For any other object it opens the Properties palette.

You can also open a drawing by dragging the file onto the window.

See also

Keyboard shortcuts · Command aliases · Options · OPTIONS

Coordinates and input

When a command asks for a point, you can specify it by clicking in the drawing, with an object snap, or by typing its coordinates on the command line. Coordinates are Cartesian, in drawing units, in the current User Coordinate System (UCS), which at first is the World Coordinate System (WCS).

Ways to type a point

• Input is always typed as in AutoCAD: decimal point and comma between X and Y (10.5,20), whatever number format is chosen in OPTIONS.
• Angles are typed in degrees and measured from the X axis, counterclockwise.
• Direct distance entry is very handy with Ortho (F8) or polar tracking (F10): point with the mouse and type only the length.
• When the command expects a number (a radius, a height, a factor), what you type is that number, not a point.

Dynamic input (F12)

With DYN on (it is on at startup), the command prompt appears next to the cursor and, when a point is requested, two fields with live values:

• for the first point, X and Y;
• for the following ones, the distance and the angle from the last point.

What you type goes to the active field. Tab locks that value (the cursor is constrained to it and a padlock appears) and moves to the other field; Enter sends the point. Without Tab, what you type is read exactly as on the command line. F12 or the DYN button on the status bar turns it on and off.

Coordinates on the status bar

The left end of the status bar shows the cursor position (or that of the point it snaps to, if there is an object snap or grid snap). It uses the units and precision set with UNITS and the number format from OPTIONS: with a decimal comma, X and Y are separated by a semicolon (12,5; 30). If the drawing has a coordinate system (GEOGRAPHICLOCATION), clicking the coordinates adds latitude and longitude.

Drawing units

UNITS sets how lengths and angles are displayed (decimal, feet and inches, degrees-minutes-seconds, bearings...) and their precision. The variables LUNITS, LUPREC, AUNITS, AUPREC and INSUNITS store these settings in the drawing.

Querying coordinates and distances

• ID shows the coordinates of a point.
• DIST measures the distance and angle between two points.
• LIST shows the data of the selected objects, including their coordinates.
• MEASUREGEOM measures distances, radii and areas.

User coordinate systems (UCS)

A UCS is an origin and axes of your own, moved or rotated with respect to the WCS: for example, aligned with a building that does not follow the axes of the plan. Lince2D has UCSs in the plane, like AutoCAD in 2D:

• UCS defines the current UCS (by origin and X axis, aligned with an object, rotated with Z...), saves it with a name and goes back to the previous one or to the world system. UCSMAN manages named UCSs.
• With a UCS, the coordinates you type and those shown in the status bar are in the UCS; an asterisk in front (*x,y) gives them in the world system.
• Ortho, the grid, snap and the crosshairs are aligned with the UCS, and so are RECTANG and the rotation of TEXT. Polar tracking, dynamic input and the angles of other commands stay on the world axes.
• The UCS icon, at the lower left or at the origin, is set up with UCSICON (variable UCSICON).
• PLAN rotates the view so that the UCS X axis is horizontal.
• The UCS is saved in the drawing as in AutoCAD. In AutoLISP, trans converts points between the WCS and the UCS.

For georeferenced drawings, see Geolocation.

See also

Object snaps and precision · LINE · UNITS · UCS · The user interface

Object snaps and precision

Clicking "close enough" is not enough to draw accurately: object snaps take the cursor to exact points on objects (endpoints, centers, intersections...), and Ortho, polar tracking and object snap tracking guide it along exact directions. All these aids work only while a command is asking for a point.

Object snaps (F3)

With OSNAP on, moving the cursor near a key point shows a yellow marker with its name, and the click snaps to that point. F3 or the status bar button turns snaps on and off; right-clicking the button opens the list of modes, with Select All and Clear All. At startup all modes are on except Nearest.

Snap override: when the command asks for a point, type the abbreviation (END, MID, TAN...) and press Enter: only that mode applies to the next point, even if OSNAP is off. The Spanish abbreviations (FIN, MED, CER...) and the underscore forms (_end) are accepted too. Object snaps also work inside inserted blocks and dimensions.

Object snap tracking (F11)

With OTRACK and object snaps on, rest the cursor on an object snap for half a second: the point is acquired and marked with a green cross. Horizontal and vertical tracking paths come out of each acquired point; the cursor snaps to them and to their intersections with other paths or with polar paths. Up to 7 points can be acquired; resting on one again releases it. The Extension mode is acquired the same way, by resting on an endpoint.

Ortho (F8) and polar tracking (F10)

• ORTHO forces the next point to be horizontal or vertical from the last one.
• POLAR snaps the cursor to directions that are multiples of the increment angle when it passes near them, with a dashed tracking path and a tooltip with the distance and angle. Right-click the button to choose the increment: 90°, 45°, 30°, 22.5°, 18°, 15°, 10° or 5°.

Ortho and polar tracking exclude each other: turning one on turns the other off. With either of them, typing just a distance places the point in the marked direction (see Coordinates and input).

Grid and snap (F9)

The model background shows a grid that adapts to the zoom: its spacing is a power of 10 with at least 25 pixels between lines. With SNAP (F9) the cursor jumps to the nodes of that grid. The grid cannot be configured or hidden yet (the GRID toggle and F7 are not available yet). With a rotated UCS, the grid, snap and Ortho follow its axes (see Coordinates and input).

Isometric drafting (F5, Ctrl+E)

To draw isometric views in 2D, turn on isometric drafting with ISODRAFT or the ISO button on the status bar. Ortho, the grid, snap and the crosshairs then follow the two axes of the current isometric plane:

F5 or Ctrl+E switch to the next plane (so does ISOPLANE), and ELLIPSE offers the Isocircle option to draw circles in the plane. The mode is saved in the drawing (SNAPSTYL and SNAPISOPAIR).

Order of priority

When several aids are on, the point is decided as follows: first the object snap under the cursor, if any; otherwise tracking (polar or object snap tracking); otherwise grid snap and Ortho. Dynamic input can then lock the distance or the angle with Tab.

See also

OSNAP · ORTHO · POLAR · SNAP · ISODRAFT · Coordinates and input · Keyboard shortcuts

Selecting objects

Almost all editing commands work on a set of selected objects. You can select them before starting the command (pre-selection, or noun/verb selection) or when the command asks for them with the prompt:

Select objects:

Ways to select

While selecting, the object under the cursor is highlighted so you can see what a click would select. Selected objects are drawn highlighted and, with no command running, show their grips (see Editing).

Pre-selection

With no command running, each click or window adds objects to the selection. If you then start an editing command (ERASE, MOVE, COPY...), the command uses that selection and does not ask again. To clear it:

• press Esc (with a command running, the first Esc cancels the command and the second one clears the selection);
• click an empty area of the drawing;
• or use Deselect All on the shortcut menu.

With something selected, Delete erases it and right-clicking offers the most common editing commands.

What cannot be selected

• Objects on locked layers: they are visible, but neither clicks nor windows select them (a few layer commands, which only need to know an object's layer, do accept them).
• Objects on layers that are off or frozen, which are not visible.
• Objects hidden with HIDEOBJECTS or left out by ISOLATEOBJECTS.

Groups

A group (GROUP) is a named set of objects that are selected together. With the PICKSTYLE variable set to 1, selecting a member selects the whole group; Ctrl+Shift+A toggles this behavior. GROUPEDIT adds or removes members and UNGROUP dissolves the group.

Selecting by properties

• QSELECT: selects by object type and by the value of a property (layer, color, linetype...).
• SELECTSIMILAR: selects the objects of the same type and properties as the selected ones.
• The PROPERTIES palette shows a drop-down list by type ("All (6)", "Line (2)"...) to view or change only part of the selection.

Table cells

With no command running, a click inside a table selects the cell; Shift+click or dragging from one cell to another selects a range (see Tables).

Notes

• AutoCAD's Previous, Fence and polygon window options and selection cycling between overlapping objects are not available yet.
• AutoCAD's selection variables (PICKFIRST, PICKADD...) cannot be changed: Lince2D behaves as with their default values.

See also

Editing · Layers · AI_SELALL · QSELECT · GROUP

Editing: grips, undo, clipboard and properties

Objects are changed with the editing commands (MOVE, COPY, ROTATE, TRIM...) or directly with the mouse, through their grips. This page covers what all of them have in common.

Grips

When you select objects with no command running, their grips appear: blue squares at the points that define each object (endpoints and midpoints of segments, center and quadrants of circles and arcs, insertion point of blocks and texts...). The one under the cursor turns red.

1. Click a grip: it becomes the hot grip (red) and STRETCH mode starts.

Specify stretch point or [Base point/Copy/eXit]:

2. Move the cursor and click where the point must go (object snaps and typed coordinates work). You can also drag the grip and drop it in place.
3. Enter or Space cycles to the next mode, in this order:

Every mode has three options:

• Base point (B): picks another base point instead of the grip.
• Copy (C): keeps the original and creates a copy with each click, until you press Enter.
• eXit (X): ends without further changes. Esc cancels as well.

Dimensions, tables (column widths, row heights) and dynamic blocks have their own grips; those of dynamic blocks are drawn in cyan.

Undo and redo

• UNDO (Ctrl+Z) undoes the whole last command; it can be repeated up to 50 times.
• REDO (Ctrl+Y) redoes what was undone.
• A change made with grips, in the Properties palette or in a table cell is also an undo step.
• A whole Block Editor session counts as a single step.

Clipboard

You can copy from one drawing and paste into another open drawing. The clipboard keys only act when the command line is empty and no command is running; if another text box has the keyboard focus, they copy and paste text as usual.

Properties

The PROPERTIES palette (Ctrl+1, or double-click an object) shows and changes the properties of the selection:

• General: color, layer, linetype, linetype scale and lineweight, common to all objects.
• Geometry and sections specific to each type: coordinates of a line, radius of a circle, vertices of a polyline, contents of a text, style of a dimension, cells of a table, properties of a dynamic block...
• When the objects have different values, *VARIES* is shown. Read-only values are grayed out.
• With nothing selected, the palette shows the current properties: the ones new objects will take.

MATCHPROP copies the properties of one object to others.

Other editing aids

• Delete erases the selection (ERASE).
• DRAWORDER changes which objects are drawn on top.
• ISOLATEOBJECTS and HIDEOBJECTS let you work with part of the drawing only, without changing it.

See also

Selecting objects · Layers and properties · Object snaps

Layers and object properties

Layers organize a drawing like stacked transparent sheets: every object is on a layer and, unless the object says otherwise, the layer sets its color, linetype, lineweight and transparency. Turning a layer off, freezing it or locking it affects all its objects at once.

The layer control

The layer control is on the ribbon (Home tab, Layers panel) and on the Layers toolbar of the Classic workspace: the drop-down list with the current layer and, for each layer, the state icons:

Choosing a layer in the drop-down list makes it current: new objects are created on it. The current layer is also shown on the status bar.

The Layer Properties Manager

LAYER opens the Layer Properties Manager, a palette with one row per layer and AutoCAD's columns: status, name, on, freeze, VP freeze, lock, color, linetype, lineweight, transparency, plot, new VP freeze and description. Click a column title to sort, select several layers at once, and search by name with wildcards (*, ?).

• Filters: property filters (conditions on name, state, color, linetype...) and group filters (a list of chosen layers), in a tree on the left, with the option to invert them.
• Layer states (LAYERSTATE): save the settings of all layers so you can restore them later. They are stored in the drawing as in AutoCAD, which lists and restores them.

Layer commands

Color, linetype, lineweight and transparency

Each object has four properties that can take a specific value or one of these two:

• ByLayer: the object takes the value of its layer. This is the usual choice, and what new objects have at first.
• ByBlock: an object inside a block takes the value of the inserted block.

Objects on layer 0 inside a block are drawn with the layer of the inserted block.

The global linetype scale is LTSCALE; the one for new objects is CELTSCALE. The current values are in CLAYER, CECOLOR and CELTYPE. Lineweights are always shown on screen (the LWDISPLAY toggle is not available yet), and when plotting they depend on the plot style table.

To change the properties of objects already drawn, use the PROPERTIES palette or MATCHPROP.

Transparency

Transparency lets what is underneath an object show through: at 50 %, the object is half visible over the background and over whatever is behind it. Object transparency is changed in the Properties palette; layer transparency, in the Transparency column of the layer manager or with the TRansparency option of -LAYER. New objects take CETRANSPARENCY, which starts as ByLayer.

• The TRANSP button on the status bar (TRANSPARENCYDISPLAY) shows or hides it on screen; it does not change the drawing.
• It is always plotted to PDF, SVG and PNG (there is no option to plot without it).
• It is saved in DWG files from version 2004 (group code 440 on objects and AcCmTransparency data on layers); DWG 2000 keeps the layer transparency but not the object transparency.
• Multiline text with its own colors inside the text loses its transparency.

See also

Editing and properties · Blocks · Layouts and plotting · PURGE

Text, styles and fonts

Lince2D has AutoCAD's two kinds of text: single-line text (TEXT), created with TEXT, and multiline text or paragraph text (MTEXT), created with MTEXT. Both use a text style, which sets the font and its shape, and both are drawn with the real SHX or TrueType fonts, on screen and when plotting.

Single-line text

TEXT asks for the start point, the height and the rotation, and then the contents. Each line you type is a separate text object and the next one is placed below it; Enter on an empty line ends the command.

Specify start point of text or [Justify/Style]:

• Justify chooses which of the 15 points of the text is the insertion point (Left, Center, Right, Middle and the nine combinations of top, middle and bottom).
• Style changes the text style used (? lists them).

Multiline text

MTEXT asks for the two corners of the paragraph box; the width of the box decides where lines wrap. Before the second corner you can change the height, justification, style, rotation and width:

Specify opposite corner or [Height/Justify/Style/Rotation/Width]:

Then the Text Editor opens, with style, height, justification, width and color, and bold, italic and underline buttons that apply to the selected text. Each line in the editor is a paragraph. AutoCAD's MTEXT formatting codes are honored (font change, height, color, underline, stacked fractions...).

Editing text

Double-click a text, or use TEXTEDIT, to change its contents: a single-line text on the command line itself and an MTEXT in its editor. The PROPERTIES palette also changes the height, style, justification and rotation.

Text styles

STYLE opens the text style manager: create, rename, delete and set current. Each style sets:

The current style is in TEXTSTYLE and the default height in TEXTSIZE. Annotative texts and annotation scales are explained in Dimensions and annotation scales.

Fields

A field is a piece of text that is computed automatically: the date, the file name, the drawing author or title, the user, or a property of an object (the length of a line, the area of a boundary, the layer...). FIELD creates a text with a field or puts it in an existing text.

• Fields are shown on a gray background that is not plotted (FIELDDISPLAY turns it off).
• They are updated when the drawing is opened and saved; UPDATEFIELD updates them at any time, including the date.
• They are saved as in AutoCAD: the fields of an AutoCAD drawing are read and updated, and the other way round.

Find, replace and check spelling

• FIND finds a text and replaces it with another in the whole drawing or in the selection: texts, attributes, dimension texts, multileaders and table cells, matching case and whole words or not.
• SPELL checks those same texts with the dictionary of the interface language (Spanish or English, both included with the program) and suggests corrections; your own words are added to a user dictionary.

Fonts

• SHX: AutoCAD's stroke fonts (shapes 1.0 and 1.1, Unicode and big fonts).
• TrueType: the system fonts (.ttf).

Lince2D does not ship AutoCAD's own fonts: it looks for them, in this order, in the drawing folder, in AutoCAD's font folders if AutoCAD is installed, and in the system fonts (on Linux, those of fontconfig). If a style's font is missing, it uses simplex.shx, txt.shx or Arial instead, the first one it finds, as AutoCAD does with FONTALT. For a drawing to look the same on another computer, copy its SHX fonts next to the DWG.

Notes

• When a DWG is read, texts are placed as AutoCAD left them; texts from a DXF are justified again.
• MTEXT indents, tabs and columns, text background masks and fields inside the MTEXT editor are not available yet.
• The texts of dimensions, leaders and tables also use text styles.

See also

TEXT · MTEXT · STYLE · Dimensions · Tables

Dimensions, leaders and annotation scales

A dimension measures the drawing and writes the measurement. In Lince2D every dimension is an AutoCAD dimension object (DIMENSION) with its style: it is drawn from its definition points and regenerated when it is moved, copied or its style changes, so AutoCAD recognizes it and can edit it.

Dimension types

All of them ask for the points one by one, with a preview; object snaps (Endpoint, Center, Intersection...) are almost essential to dimension accurately. The dimension is created on the current layer; its lines, arrows and text go on layer 0 of the dimension's block with ByBlock properties, as in AutoCAD.

TOLERANCE creates geometric tolerance feature control frames (position, flatness, perpendicularity...); measurement tolerances (± and limits) are turned on in the dimension style.

Editing dimensions

• Grips move the dimension line, the text or the measured points.
• MOVE, COPY, ROTATE, SCALE, MIRROR and ARRAY regenerate the dimension; each copy gets its own block.
• DIMEDIT changes the text of dimensions or puts it back in its home position.
• DIMSPACE evens out the spacing between parallel dimensions, DIMBREAK breaks them where other objects cross them and DIMJOGLINE adds a jog to a linear dimension.
• The PROPERTIES palette has Dimension and Overrides sections: changing a dimension variable there overrides it for that dimension only, without touching the style (stored as AutoCAD does).

Associative dimensions

With DIMASSOC set to 2 (the initial value), a dimension whose points lie on the geometry (endpoint, midpoint, center, quadrant, node or polyline vertex) is associated with it: when the line, arc or polyline is moved, stretched, scaled or edited with grips, the dimension moves and its measurement changes.

• If the dimension is moved on its own or its geometry is erased, the dimension is disassociated and stays where it is.
• DIMREASSOCIATE associates it again by specifying its points once more; DIMDISASSOCIATE removes the association.
• Associations are saved as in AutoCAD, both ways: associative dimensions of an AutoCAD drawing stay associative in Lince2D, and the other way round.
• A point at an intersection or a nearest point does not associate the dimension.

Dimension styles

DIMSTYLE opens the dimension style manager, with Set Current, New, Modify, Rename and Delete. When you modify a style, its settings are on AutoCAD's tabs: Lines, Symbols and Arrows, Text, Fit and Primary Units. Changes to a style apply to all the dimensions that use it.

A new drawing starts with a metric ISO-25 style (arrows and text 2.5 high). The decimal separator of the measurements is the style's: with a comma, as in Spanish AutoCAD, the dimension reads "56,57". The current style is in DIMSTYLE.

Multileaders

MLEADER draws a multileader: arrowhead, leader line, landing and a text or a block.

• MLEADERSTYLE: creates, modifies and sets current multileader styles.
• MLEADEREDIT: adds leader lines to an existing multileader or removes some.
• MLEADERALIGN: aligns the contents of several multileaders.

Annotation scales

For texts and dimensions to have the intended size on paper there are two ways:

• Fixed scale: DIMSCALE multiplies all dimension sizes (with 50, a 2.5 arrowhead is 125 drawing units long, which is 2.5 mm on a 1:50 plot), and texts are written with the height already multiplied.
• Annotative objects: they are written with the paper height (2.5) and shown at the size that matches the annotation scale (CANNOSCALE). If the plot changes scale, just change the annotation scale.

The current annotation scale is chosen with the selector on the status bar (or with CANNOSCALE) among the scales of the drawing's list, which is edited with SCALELISTEDIT. What is created annotative:

• texts, multiline texts and dimensions created with an annotative style (Annotative box in STYLE and on the Fit tab of DIMSTYLE);
• multileaders and tolerances with an annotative style;
• any text or dimension set to Annotative: Yes in the PROPERTIES palette.

An annotative object can support several scales and keeps one representation (position and size) for each. OBJECTSCALE adds scales to it or removes them and, with ANNOAUTOSCALE, the new scale is added automatically when the annotation scale changes. In a layout, each viewport shows the annotative objects at its own scale: the same text comes out the same size in a 1:50 viewport and in a 1:100 one.

Everything is saved as in AutoCAD: annotative objects of an AutoCAD drawing look the same in Lince2D, and the other way round.

Notes

• Annotative blocks cannot be created yet (those that come in drawings do change scale), and annotative multileader styles are the ones that come in drawings.
• A grip moves all the representations of an annotative object, not only the one shown, and a copy of an annotative object supports only the current scale.

See also

Text and styles · Object snaps · Layouts · Tutorial: dimensioning a plan

Blocks, attributes and libraries

A block is a named set of objects that you define once and insert as many times as needed (a door, a socket, a symbol). Each insertion is a single object that can be moved, rotated or scaled; if you change the definition, all insertions change.

Creating and inserting

When you create a block you choose what to do with the original objects: retain them, convert them to an insertion of the block, or delete them. If the name already exists, you are asked whether to redefine it.

The Blocks palette shows thumbnails of the blocks in the current drawing, the recently used ones and those of the libraries. Click or drag a block to place it; scale and rotation are typed or picked with the mouse. Inserting a DWG or DXF file brings it in as a block with its layers, styles and nested blocks; definitions that already exist in the drawing are kept.

Tip: draw the contents of a block on layer 0 with ByBlock properties; that way each insertion takes the layer, color and linetype it is inserted with (see Layers).

Attributes

Attributes are variable texts inside a block (a reference, a circuit, a price).

• ATTDEF creates an attribute definition: tag, prompt and default value. It is included in the block when the block is created.
• When the block is inserted, the values are requested.
• ATTEDIT (or double-click the block) and EATTEDIT change the values of an insertion.
• BATTMAN changes the order, prompt, default value and modes of a block's attributes, and ATTSYNC updates the existing insertions to match the definition.
• ATTEXT extracts attributes to a CSV file or to a table in the drawing.

Dynamic blocks

Dynamic blocks made with AutoCAD work in Lince2D: their grips are drawn in cyan and change visibility, flip, lengths, point positions, rotation, arrays and lookup tables. The Properties palette shows their values in the Custom section. RESETBLOCK resets them to the values of the definition. Lince2D cannot create new parameters or actions yet.

Block Editor

BEDIT (or double-click a block without attributes) opens a block definition as if it were a drawing: all commands, object snaps, grips and undo work. The Block Editor ribbon tab appears and, at the bottom, a bar with the block name.

• BSAVE saves the definition and redraws all its insertions.
• BSAVEAS saves the edited contents as a new block and leaves the original unchanged.
• BCLOSE closes the editor; if there are unsaved changes, it asks.

The whole editor session is undone in one step. External references and anonymous blocks cannot be edited.

DesignCenter, palettes and libraries

• ADCENTER browses other drawings, open or in a folder, and copies their blocks, layers, linetypes, styles and layouts into the current drawing.
• TOOLPALETTES are palettes with blocks ready to insert with their scale, rotation and layer; fill them by dragging blocks from the Blocks palette or from DesignCenter.
• Lince2D is installed with two libraries of its own in the bibliotecas folder: Arquitectura.dwg (doors, windows, furniture and sanitary fittings) and Electricidad.dwg (switches, sockets and lights, with CIR and REF attributes). Any DWG with blocks can serve as a library.

Notes

• PURGE deletes unused block definitions.
• The base point of a drawing inserted as a block is INSBASE.

See also

Layers and properties · External references · Tables · Tutorial: blocks

Hatches and fills

A hatch (HATCH) fills a closed boundary with a pattern of lines, a solid fill or a gradient: sections, materials, areas of a plan. Lince2D draws the hatches of any DWG or DXF with their pattern and islands, and creates new hatches with HATCH and gradients with GRADIENT.

Creating a hatch

1. Enter HATCH or click Hatch on the ribbon. The Hatch and Gradient dialog box opens.
2. Choose the Pattern, the Scale and the Angle.
3. Specify the boundary with Add: Pick points (click inside the area: Lince2D finds the closed boundary around it and any islands inside) or with Add: Select objects (select the closed objects that form it). Both can be combined. If the boundary has small gaps, HPGAPTOL closes them.
4. Click OK.

Islands (boundaries inside the boundary) are treated as in AutoCAD's Normal style: hatched and empty areas alternate inwards.

Patterns

They are Lince2D's own definitions with the usual names, so AutoCAD recognizes the hatch. Hatches that come with a drawing are always drawn with the pattern they store, even if it is not in this list.

The scale multiplies the pattern spacing; the angle rotates it (with ANSI31, 0° gives the 45° hatching).

The Origin option of HATCH chooses the point the pattern passes through: for example, so that a row of bricks starts at the corner of the wall.

Editing a hatch

Double-click the hatch, or use HATCHEDIT, to change its pattern, scale, angle, gradient or origin. On the command line, HATCHEDIT also disassociates it from its boundary or associates it with other objects, separates it into independent hatches (one per area) and recreates its boundary as polylines. The PROPERTIES palette also changes the layer, the color and the other general properties. A hatch is moved, copied, rotated and scaled like any other object, and TRIM removes the piece you pick between the cutting edges.

Associative hatches

The hatches Lince2D creates are associative, as in AutoCAD: they keep the objects of their boundary and, if one of them is edited (with grips, MOVE, STRETCH, PEDIT...), the hatch is rebuilt to follow it. It stops being associative if the hatch is moved on its own, if a boundary object is erased or if it is trimmed. AutoCAD recognizes the associativity when it opens the drawing.

HATCHGENERATEBOUNDARY creates polylines with the boundary of a hatch that has lost it (without associating them).

Gradients

GRADIENT, or the Gradient tab of the HATCH dialog box, fills with a gradient of one color (towards black or white) or of two, in the nine AutoCAD types (linear, cylinder, spherical, hemispherical, curved and their inverted versions), centered or shifted and at any angle. They are saved as in AutoCAD, and the gradients that come in drawings are shown with their colors.

Related commands

• BOUNDARY creates a polyline or a region from the boundary around a point, with the same search as HATCH.
• REGION converts closed curves into regions.
• SOLID draws filled triangles and quadrilaterals, and DONUT, filled rings or circles.
• WIPEOUT covers what lies under a boundary with the background color.
• DRAWORDER decides whether the hatch is below or above other objects.

Notes

• AutoCAD's Outer and Ignore island styles are drawn as Normal.
• User-defined patterns (.pat files) are not available yet.
• The hatch is not automatically sent behind its boundary: use DRAWORDER if needed.
• When plotting, hatches come out with their pattern or fill, just as on screen.

See also

HATCH · HATCHEDIT · GRADIENT · Layers and properties · Layouts and plotting

Tables

A table is an object with rows and columns of cells holding text, numbers or formulas: bills of materials, area schedules, legends. Lince2D creates and edits tables compatible with AutoCAD's (TABLE object), which look and plot the same in both programs.

Creating a table

TABLE opens the Insert Table dialog box:

• the table style;
• the number of columns and rows and their size (column width and row height in lines of text);
• what the first and second rows are: title, header or data;
• how it is placed: by its insertion point or with a window that sets the overall size;
• the contents: empty, from a CSV file, or pasted text (separated by tabs, commas or semicolons).

Once placed, you start typing in the first cell: Tab and Shift+Tab move to the next and previous cell, and the arrow keys move between cells.

Selecting and editing cells

With no command running:

• a click inside a cell selects it; Shift+click or dragging to another cell selects a range;
• double-clicking a cell, or TABLEDIT, edits its text with the multiline text editor.

With cells selected, the Table Cell palette appears: insert and delete rows and columns, merge and unmerge cells, alignment, text height and color, fill color, and quick formulas (Sum, Average, Count). Each button is equivalent to TABLECELL and is undone separately. The PROPERTIES palette also shows Table and Cells sections.

Formulas

A cell that starts with = is a formula. References are column and row, as in a spreadsheet (A3, B2:B9).

Formulas are recalculated when a cell changes, and a formula can use the result of another. A decimal comma is accepted, as in Spanish AutoCAD. They are stored as AutoCAD stores them, so AutoCAD keeps calculating them.

Grips

A selected table has grips to move it, to change the width of each column, the overall width and height (at the corners), and the height of each row. COPY, ROTATE, SCALE and EXPLODE work with tables as with any other object.

Table styles

TABLESTYLE creates and modifies table styles: cell margins and, for each kind of cell (title, header and data), text style and height, color, fill and alignment. The current style (CTABLESTYLE) can also be chosen on the ribbon, Annotate tab, Tables panel.

Import and export

• CSV: TABLE imports it when the table is created; TABLEEXPORT saves the cells of a table to a CSV file, with formulas as their values.
• ATTEXT creates a table with the attributes of blocks.

Notes

• Formulas do not update their references when rows or columns are inserted or deleted.
• Rows grow with the text but do not shrink by themselves. SCALE does not change text heights.
• In DWG 2000, formulas are saved as values (in DXF 2000 they are kept).
• There are no data links to Excel: use CSV.

See also

TABLE · TABLESTYLE · Text and styles · Blocks and attributes

External references

An external reference (xref) is another DWG or DXF drawing displayed inside the current one without copying it: an architectural plan under the building services, a survey base, a project's common title block. If someone changes the referenced drawing, the change shows when it is reloaded. A PDF underlay is the same with a page of a PDF: a plan received as a PDF that serves as a background to draw on.

Attaching a reference

1. Enter XATTACH or click Attach DWG… in the XREF palette.
2. Choose the file and specify the insertion point, the scale and the rotation.

With the Overlay option the reference is an overlay: it is shown in this drawing, but not in the drawings that attach this one (useful to avoid carrying bases from one drawing to another). The reference's layers appear as reference|layer: they can be turned off, frozen or recolored like any other, and with VISRETAIN = 1 those changes are kept when it is reloaded. The reference content is shown somewhat faded (XFADECTL) to tell it apart from your own objects.

The references of a reference (nested ones) are also loaded and drawn; nested overlays are not.

The External References palette

XREF opens the External References palette, with the tree of DWG references (and their nested ones), the PDF underlays and the raster images of the drawing. For each reference it shows its status, type, size, date, saved path and the file that was found, and it has buttons to:

The same is done on the command line with -XREF, which accepts wildcards in the names. If a reference's file changes while the drawing is open (for example, because someone else saved it), the status bar warns about it with a button to reload it.

Where files are looked for

As in AutoCAD, for each reference the program tries, in this order:

1. the saved path, if it is absolute;
2. the saved path, relative to the drawing's folder;
3. just the file name, in the drawing's folder.

That is why, to take a project to another computer, it is enough to copy the drawing and its references together. How the path of new ones is saved (full, relative or no path) is decided by REFPATHTYPE. For security, network paths (\\server\...) are not read, and nothing from a referenced file is ever run: only its geometry is read.

Clipping

XCLIP shows only part of a reference or a block, inside or outside a rectangular, polygonal or polyline boundary. XCLIPFRAME decides whether the boundary is shown.

PDF underlays

• PDFATTACH attaches a page of a PDF; at scale 1 it measures the same as on paper.
• PDFCLIP clips the underlay, PDFADJUST changes its fade or contrast or turns it monochrome, and PDFLAYERS turns the PDF layers off or on.
• Lince2D turns the page into an image by itself, without external programs. That is why object snaps do not work on what is drawn in the PDF, and with a lot of zoom the pixels show.

Not available yet

• Editing references in place (REFEDIT); the Block Editor does not open external references.
• XCLIP clip depth (3D).
• DWF and DGN underlays.

Alternatives

• To bring the content of another drawing in permanently, insert it as a block with INSERT or -INSERT, or bind it with -XREF: its objects become part of the current drawing.
• To copy only layers, styles or blocks from another drawing, use ADCENTER.

See also

Blocks · Raster images · File formats · XREF · XATTACH · PDFATTACH

Raster images

You can place raster images (photos, orthophotos, scanned drawings, logos) in the drawing, as in AutoCAD: the drawing stores only the image path, its position, size and rotation, not the pixels. So the image file must always travel with the drawing.

Formats

PNG, JPEG, BMP, TIFF (including GeoTIFF and tiled TIFF), GIF and WebP. ECW and MrSID cannot be read: convert them to GeoTIFF first with another program (for example, GDAL).

Inserting an image

1. Enter IMAGEATTACH or use the Insert tab. Enter opens the dialog box to choose the file.
2. Specify the insertion point (lower-left corner). The Path option chooses whether the path is saved Relative to the drawing folder or Full.
3. Enter the scale factor (with 1, the image takes the size given by its resolution and the drawing units) and the rotation.

To place an image at its real-world coordinates, use GEOIMAGE or GEOREFIMAGE (see Geolocation).

Managing the images of a drawing

• The XREF window lists the images with their status, size and coordinate system, and has buttons to Reload, Detach and Change Path….
• -IMAGE does the same on the command line: ? lists them; Detach, Path, Reload and Unload ask for the image name (* for all); Attach attaches a new one.
• If an image is not found when the drawing is opened, its frame is shown with the file name; change the path to see it again.

Adjusting the image

The IMAGEFRAME variable controls image frames: 0, no frame; 1, displayed and plotted; 2, displayed but not plotted (for now Lince2D plots it too).

An image is moved, copied, rotated and scaled like any other object.

Large images

Very large images (orthophotos of hundreds of megapixels) are loaded in tiles and in the background: a reduced version appears first and the detail arrives as you zoom in. Their memory use is capped, so you can work with several at once. Huge PNG and JPEG files, unlike TIFF, are read whole; it is better to convert them to TIFF.

Plotting

Images come out in PDF, SVG and PNG with their clipping and transparency. To keep files from growing without limit, each image is plotted at 300 dpi and 16 megapixels at most.

Notes

• Images are saved in DWG and DXF as AutoCAD saves them, and AutoCAD opens them in place.
• Brightness and contrast are close to, but not exactly, AutoCAD's.

See also

Geolocation · External references · IMAGEATTACH · Layouts and plotting

Geolocation and GIS

A georeferenced drawing has its coordinates in a real-world reference system (for example, ETRS89 / UTM 30N): every point of the drawing is a point on the ground. This way orthophotos, maps, GIS files and GPS data can be overlaid without moving them by hand.

Coordinate system of the drawing

GEOGRAPHICLOCATION assigns a coordinate system to the drawing. Type its EPSG code (25830, 4326...) or the Autodesk code (ETRS89.UTM-30N), or choose it in the dialog box; the List option shows the available systems and Remove deletes it. The drawing must already be in coordinates of that system: GEOGRAPHICLOCATION moves nothing, it only states which system the drawing is in. It is saved as in AutoCAD, which recognizes it.

Transformations between ETRS89, WGS84 and UTM are accurate to better than a millimeter. ED50 transformations use the official NTv2 grid of the Spanish IGN if it is installed (in the rejillas folder next to the program or in AutoCAD's); otherwise a 7-parameter transformation with an error of about 1.5 m.

Geographic coordinates

• With a coordinate system assigned, clicking the coordinates on the status bar adds the cursor's latitude and longitude.
• GEOCOORD shows a point in WGS84 (latitude and longitude) or, with the System option, in any other system of the catalog.

GIS import and export

MAPIMPORT brings SHP (with its DBF), KML, KMZ and GeoJSON files into the drawing:

• points, lines and polygons (holes as closed polylines);
• reprojected to the drawing's system according to the SHP's .prj (KML and GeoJSON are always in WGS84);
• the attributes of each feature are stored on the object as extended data;
• the layer can come from a field, and points can be a block whose attributes take the values of the fields with the same name.

MAPEXPORT saves the selection to SHP, KML, KMZ or GeoJSON; the format comes from the file extension. SHP is written in the drawing's system, with its .prj and one file per geometry type. KML, KMZ and GeoJSON are written in WGS84 and need the drawing to have a coordinate system.

Georeferenced images

• GEOIMAGE inserts an image at its real coordinates from its world file (.tfw, .jgw, .pgw, .bpw, .wld...) or its GeoTIFF tags. If the image carries its coordinate system (.prj or GeoTIFF) and it is not the drawing's, the image is reprojected.
• GEOREFIMAGE places an image without georeferencing using control points: for each one, specify the point on the image and its real position. With two points the image is moved, rotated and scaled exactly; with three it is fitted by least squares.

Large orthophotos are loaded in tiles (see Raster images). ECW and MrSID cannot be read: convert them to GeoTIFF with GDAL.

Tips

• Use meters as drawing units (UNITS) when working in UTM.
• With UTM coordinates the numbers are large (X ≈ 400,000, Y ≈ 4,500,000): use ZOOMEXTENTS to find the drawing.

See also

Raster images · Coordinates · Tutorial: georeferenced plan

Layouts and plotting

In model space you draw at full size (1 unit = 1 meter, or 1 millimeter, depending on the project). In the paper space of each layout you compose the sheet to be printed: the title block, notes, and one or more viewports that show the model at the chosen scale. Plotting turns the model or a layout into a PDF, SVG or PNG file.

Model and layout tabs

Below the drawing area are the Model tab and one tab per layout in the drawing. Switching to a layout shows the sheet of paper with its shadow and printable area, and the viewports with their contents.

A button next to the tabs shows whether you are working on paper (PAPER) or inside a viewport (MODEL); a click switches.

Viewports

• Double-click inside a viewport, or use MSPACE, to enter it: what you draw or edit goes to the model, clipped and at the viewport scale.
• Double-click outside the viewports, or use PSPACE, to return to paper.
• On paper you draw the title block, the texts and the dimensions of the sheet, at paper size (in millimeters or inches).
• Each viewport keeps its scale and its list of frozen layers: the Freeze in current viewport icon of the layer control hides a layer in that viewport only, on screen and when plotting. AutoCAD respects it.
• Annotative objects of the model are shown in each viewport at its annotation scale (the viewport's own or the one matching its scale): the same text comes out the same size on paper in a 1:50 viewport and in a 1:100 one.

LAYOUT and the layout tab context menu create, copy, delete, rename and insert layouts from templates (drag the tabs to reorder). MVIEW creates viewports (also non-rectangular) and VPCLIP clips them; inside a viewport zoom changes its view, and its scale is set in the status bar or PROPERTIES. VPMAX maximizes it.

Plotting

PLOT (Ctrl+P) opens the Plot dialog box:

When you click OK you choose the file: the extension (.pdf, .svg or .png) decides the format. For PNG you choose the resolution in dots per inch. Apply to Layout saves the settings in the layout.

The PDF is vector-based: lines, fills and texts (with their real SHX or TrueType fonts) stay sharp at any zoom. With a system printer, the sheet is printed at the printer resolution.

Plot styles (CTB and STB)

The plot style table decides the color, screening and lineweight each object is plotted with. Lince2D includes monochrome.ctb (everything in black) and grayscale.ctb (grays), and also uses the .ctb files (or .stb, if the drawing uses named plot styles) in the drawing folder and in %APPDATA%\lince\estilos_trazado. You can copy AutoCAD's tables there.

Page setups and preview

• PAGESETUP manages the page setup of each layout and the named page setups, and imports them from other drawings. They are stored in the drawing as in AutoCAD.
• PREVIEW shows the sheet exactly as it will be plotted, with plot styles; the wheel zooms and dragging pans.
• EXPORT plots directly to PDF, SVG or PNG with the same dialog box.

Notes

• Plotting is always wireframe (no hidden lines), which is what a 2D drawing needs.
• Viewport views cannot be rotated yet, and ZOOM does not work inside a viewport yet.

See also

Layers · Dimensions and annotation scales · Raster images · Tutorial: from a plan to PDF

File formats and compatibility

Lince2D works directly with AutoCAD's formats: it opens and saves DWG and DXF with no conversion, and what it saves opens in AutoCAD with all its entities. Compatibility is checked with AutoCAD 2027 on dozens of real drawings, auditing every copy.

Opening

OPEN (Ctrl+O), or dragging the file onto the window, opens:

• DWG files from R14 to 2018, that is, those written by every AutoCAD release from R14 to 2027;
• text DXF files of the same versions.

Each drawing opens in its own tab, in the background and with a progress bar (an 80 MB plan takes a few seconds). If the empty drawing from startup (Drawing1) has not been touched, it is replaced. Several drawings can be open at once, and you can copy and paste between them.

Saving

• QSAVE (Ctrl+S) saves the drawing in its format and version. A DWG older than 2000 (R14) is saved as DWG 2018.
• SAVEAS chooses the format and version. In the application menu and the File menu, Save As has a submenu with all the versions; when typed, it proposes DWG 2018.

When saving to an earlier version, objects that do not exist in it (proxy objects of third-party applications, render sun) are left out, with a warning. Drawings with AutoCAD Architecture objects can only be saved as DWG in their original version. The DWG 2000 format is not compressed, so it takes about twice the space of the same drawing in 2004 or later.

Safe saving

• The drawing is first written to a temporary file; only when it is complete does the original become .bak and the new file take its place. If anything fails, the original is left intact.
• Read-only files are not overwritten.
• When you close a drawing, exit, or open another drawing in its place, you are asked whether to save the changes.

Automatic save

Every 10 minutes, drawings with unsaved changes are saved in the background to the user's temporary folder (%TEMP%\lince\<name>_<n>.sv$). The file is deleted when the drawing is closed normally. If Lince2D closes unexpectedly, opening the drawing again warns that there is a more recent automatic save: change its extension to .dwg and open it.

Damaged drawings

• AUDIT checks the integrity of the open drawing and fixes what is safe to fix.
• RECOVER opens a damaged file in tolerant mode, recovers whatever can be read and shows a report. Then save the drawing to keep what was repaired.
• If a file cannot be read, the error is shown and the drawing that was open is not lost.

Other formats

Notes

• Saving to R14 or R12, to DXF 2004 to 2013, or to binary DXF is not in the save dialog yet.
• There are no .dwt templates: NEW starts an empty metric drawing (ISO-25).
• Lince2D does not associate itself with .dwg files when installed, so as not to take them from AutoCAD; the installer can add it to "Open with".

See also

What's new · External references · SAVEAS · RECOVER

Options and languages

OPTIONS (alias OP; also on the application menu and the Tools menu) opens the Options window with the program preferences. They belong to the user, not to the drawing: they apply to every drawing you open.

Interface tab

Apply tries the change without closing the window; OK applies and saves it; Cancel leaves everything as it was. Changing the language takes effect at once: no restart is needed.

Language and command names

• In English you type the English command names (LINE, CIRCLE...) and their aliases (L, C...).
• In Spanish you type the Spanish AutoCAD names (LINEA, CIRCULO...).
• In any language the global names with an underscore (_LINE, _CIRCLE) and the Spanish names always work, so .scr scripts and AutoLISP routines run with any interface language.
• The first time, Lince2D starts in the system language if it has a catalog for it; otherwise in Spanish.

Number format

The format decides how numbers are displayed: status bar coordinates, measurements from DIST or LIST, properties... With Automatic (by language) the language's format is used (comma in Spanish, point in English). With a decimal comma, X and Y are separated by a semicolon (12,5; 30).

What you type never changes: On the command line, input is always AutoCAD-style: decimal point and comma between coordinates (10.5,20).

Drawing units (decimal, feet and inches, angles) are a different thing: they are stored in each drawing and changed with UNITS. The decimal separator of dimensions is set by their style (DIMSTYLE).

Where they are stored

Preferences are stored in preferencias.toml, in the user configuration folder: %APPDATA%\lince on Windows and ~/.config/lince on Linux. The same folder holds lisp.toml (APPLOAD routines and trusted folders), idiomas (added language catalogs) and estilos_trazado (your own CTB and STB tables).

Adding a language

Each language is a text file <code>.ftl (UTF-8) with one key = text line for each text of the interface. Nothing needs to be compiled:

1. Start from es.ftl, the complete Spanish catalog (in the idiomas folder of the Lince2D source code), and save it with the code of the new language: fr.ftl, de.ftl, pt-BR.ftl...
2. Translate the texts to the right of =; do not change the keys or the { $name } variables. Use AutoCAD's official terms in that language.
3. Put the name of the language, written in that language, in idioma-nombre, and its decimal separator (, or .) in idioma-separador-decimal.
4. cmd-<command>-nombre and cmd-<command>-alias hold the names and aliases to be typed in that language. In the options (opt-…), the capital letters are the abbreviation.
5. Copy the file to the idiomas folder next to lince.exe or to %APPDATA%\lince\idiomas and restart Lince2D: the language appears under Language.

A partial catalog works: whatever is missing is shown in Spanish. A file with the code of an existing language (es.ftl, en.ftl) replaces only the keys it contains, which is useful to adjust a few texts.

The pages of this help are translated the same way: an ayuda\<code> folder next to the program with the pages you want to translate; missing pages are shown in Spanish.

Other preferences

• The workspace (ribbon, Classic or a saved one) is chosen with the ⚙ button on the status bar; the ribbon, toolbars, shortcuts and aliases are adapted with CUI (see The user interface).
• Automatic save runs every 10 minutes (see File formats).

See also

The user interface · Coordinates · Keyboard shortcuts · UNITS

Keyboard and mouse shortcuts

Lince2D uses AutoCAD's keys and mouse gestures. The keyboard always goes to the command line: you do not need to click it before typing a command.

Function keys

Command shortcuts

Shortcuts assigned to commands in the program's command registry:

Other combinations

Editing keys

Space does not send while you are typing text (TEXT, MTEXT, names) or inside an AutoLISP expression that starts with (: in those cases, only Enter does.

Mouse

In a layout, double-clicking inside a viewport enters it, and double-clicking outside the viewports returns to paper.

Notes

• Command options are chosen by typing their capital letters (C for Close, U for Undo), as in AutoCAD; in Spanish the letters may be different.
• The clipboard keys (Ctrl+C, Ctrl+X, Ctrl+V) only act when the command line is empty; if another text box has the keyboard focus, they copy and paste text.
• With CUI you can add your own shortcuts (Ctrl, Alt or a function key plus a key) for any command; your own shortcut wins over a built-in one with the same keys. Aliases are changed with ALIASEDIT.

See also

The user interface · Object snaps and precision · Selecting objects

What's new

History of the Lince2D versions, from the most recent to the oldest. The installed version is shown in the window title and in ABOUT.

0.1.4-beta (November 2026)

• Complete external references: XATTACH (attach or overlay), -XREF (bind, detach, unload, reload, path and path type), the XREF palette with the tree of nested references and a status bar warning when a file changes, XCLIP and the BINDTYPE, REFPATHTYPE, VISRETAIN, XCLIPFRAME and XFADECTL variables.
• PDF underlays: PDFATTACH, -PDFATTACH, PDFCLIP, PDFADJUST and PDFLAYERS, without external programs.
• Gradients (GRADIENT and the Gradient tab of HATCH) and associative hatches, with the new options of HATCHEDIT, HATCHGENERATEBOUNDARY, TRIM on hatches and HPGAPTOL.
• XLINE and RAY.
• Isometric drafting: ISODRAFT, ISOPLANE, F5 and Ctrl+E, the ISO button and isocircles in ELLIPSE.
• UCS: UCS, UCSMAN, UCSICON and PLAN; trans converts between the WCS and the UCS.
• Annotation scale and annotative objects: CANNOSCALE with a selector on the status bar, annotative text and dimension styles, OBJECTSCALE, ANNOAUTOSCALE, Annotative in PROPERTIES and viewports that each show their own scale.
• Associative dimensions (DIMASSOC, DIMREASSOCIATE and DIMDISASSOCIATE) and new dimensions: DIMARC, DIMJOGGED, DIMJOGLINE, QDIM, DIMSPACE, DIMBREAK, three-point DIMANGULAR, TOLERANCE and measurement tolerances in DIMSTYLE.
• Fields: FIELD, UPDATEFIELD and FIELDDISPLAY.
• FIND (find and replace) and SPELL, with Spanish and English dictionaries included.
• Output: PUBLISH (several sheets to one PDF or one PDF per sheet), ETRANSMIT (ZIP package with the dependent files), layered PDF and PDF/A-2b, SAVEAS to DWG R14 and DXF R12, and proxies kept as AutoCAD does when changing version.
• Help (F1): this viewer, with help for every command, extended tooltips and the PDF manual.
• Interface: collapsible ribbon (full, tabs only or panel titles; panels that do not fit collapse) with every command; workspaces (WORKSPACE, WSSAVE and the ⚙ gear); dockable palettes on the left or right with auto-hide; floating command line with transparency; CUI (ribbon, toolbars and shortcuts) and ALIASEDIT (aliases in lince.pgp, compatible with acad.pgp).
• Object and layer transparency (0–90 %): in PROPERTIES, the layer manager and -LAYER, with CETRANSPARENCY, TRANSPARENCYDISPLAY and the TRANSP button; saved in DWG files and plotted.

0.1.3-beta (November 2026)

• Block Editor: BEDIT (also by double-clicking a block), BSAVE, BSAVEAS and BCLOSE; dynamic blocks remain dynamic after being edited.
• Editing: complete PEDIT, SPLINEDIT, LENGTHEN, ALIGN, OVERKILL and SCALELISTEDIT.
• Groups: GROUP, GROUPEDIT and UNGROUP, with Ctrl+Shift+A.
• ISOLATEOBJECTS, HIDEOBJECTS and UNISOLATEOBJECTS, with the ISOLATE button on the status bar.
• Multilines: MLINE and MLEDIT.
• Tables: TABLE, cell editing, formulas, TABLESTYLE, CSV import and TABLEEXPORT.

0.1.2-beta

• Raster images: IMAGEATTACH, -IMAGE, IMAGECLIP, IMAGEADJUST and TRANSPARENCY, with large tiled orthophotos and plotting to PDF, SVG and PNG.
• Georeferenced images: GEOIMAGE (world files and GeoTIFF) and GEOREFIMAGE (control points).
• Dynamic blocks: visibility, flip, stretch, rotation, arrays and lookups, with their grips; RESETBLOCK.

0.1.1-beta

• Blocks palette with thumbnails and libraries (INSERT), -INSERT, DesignCenter (ADCENTER) and tool palettes (TOOLPALETTES). Architecture and Electrical libraries included.
• Attributes: BATTMAN, ATTSYNC and ATTEXT.
• Geolocation: GEOGRAPHICLOCATION, GEOCOORD, latitude and longitude on the status bar, MAPIMPORT and MAPEXPORT (SHP, KML, KMZ and GeoJSON).
• AutoLISP: .lsp routines, expressions on the command line, C: commands and APPLOAD.

0.1.0-beta: first complete basic 2D clone

Brings together everything from the 0.0.x versions: drawing, editing, precision, layers, text, dimensions, blocks, hatches, layouts, plotting, utilities and several open drawings. The program is now split into independent modules, which speeds up its development.

0.0.14-alpha

• Utilities: DIST, AREA, ID, LIST, MEASUREGEOM, text window (F2), PURGE, UNITS, clipboard, QSELECT, SELECTSIMILAR, SETVAR, SCRIPT and DRAWORDER.
• Annotation and drawing: MLEADER and its styles, REVCLOUD, WIPEOUT, DONUT, SOLID, DIVIDE, MEASURE, PTYPE, BOUNDARY, REGION, and complete ELLIPSE and SPLINE.
• Several open drawings, with tabs, CLOSE, CLOSEALL and copy and paste between drawings.
• Plotting and saving, much faster using several cores.

0.0.13-alpha

• Complete Layer Properties Manager: all columns, filters, layer states and the layer commands.
• Plotting: Window and Limits areas, PAGESETUP, CTB/STB plot styles, PREVIEW and PNG/SVG output.
• Visible name Lince2D and a smaller executable.

0.0.12-alpha

• Progress bar when opening large drawings.

0.0.11-alpha

• Editable grips (stretch, move, rotate, scale, mirror), POLAR (F10), OTRACK (F11) and dynamic input (F12).
• Tangent, Nearest and Extension snaps, and typed snap overrides (END, MID...).
• CIRCLE by 3 points, 2 points and tangent-tangent-radius; ARC in four variants; PLINE with arcs and width.
• Clickable options, shortcut menu, double-click to edit, Shift to remove from the selection, Ctrl+A and ZOOM.

0.0.10-alpha

• HATCH and HATCHEDIT; MTEXT with an editor; TEXTEDIT; DIMCONTINUE, DIMBASELINE and DIMORDINATE.
• Construction lines, rays, multilines, multileaders and tables are displayed.
• Attributes (ATTDEF, ATTEDIT, EATTEDIT), block redefinition, inserting a DWG as a block, WBLOCK, read-only external references (XREF), AUDIT and RECOVER.

0.0.9-alpha

• Interface in Spanish and English, extensible with more languages without recompiling; number format; OPTIONS.

0.0.8-alpha

• Plotting to vector PDF, layouts and viewports, MSPACE and PSPACE.
• Editable dimensions, DIMSTYLE, STYLE and LINETYPE with .lin loading.
• Text with the real SHX and TrueType fonts.
• Unsaved-changes warning, safe saving with .bak, automatic save and protection against damaged files.
• Linux version.

0.0.7-alpha

• BLOCK and INSERT; linear, aligned, radius, diameter and angular dimensions.

0.0.6-alpha

• PROPERTIES palette, MATCHPROP, COLOR, LINETYPE and LWEIGHT.
• Hatches, linetypes and lineweights drawn as in AutoCAD.
• RECTANG, POLYGON, ELLIPSE, POINT, SPLINE, MIRROR, ARRAY, TRIM, EXTEND, FILLET, CHAMFER, EXPLODE, JOIN, BREAK and STRETCH.

0.0.1-alpha to 0.0.5-alpha (October 2026)

• Opening, viewing, drawing and saving DWG and DXF; layers; selection, editing, undo, object snaps and Ortho.
• Ribbon, menus and Classic workspace with all commands, own icons and autocomplete; layer control and manager; installer.

Coming soon

A collapsible ribbon with editable aliases and shortcuts, and this help (F1).

See also

File formats · The user interface · ABOUT

ARC — Arc

Creates an arc through three points.

• Command: ARC · Global name: _ARC · Alias: A
• Ribbon: Home › Draw
• Menu: Draw
• Toolbar: Draw

Draws a circular arc. By default it passes through three points: start, intermediate and end. With its options it can also be drawn by its center, or by its start, its end and the center or the radius.

Usage

1. Enter ARC (or A) or click Arc.
2. Specify the start point, or enter Center to begin with the center.

Specify start point of arc or [Center]:

3. Specify a second point the arc passes through, or enter Center or End.

Specify second point of arc or [Center/End]:

4. Specify the end point.

Specify end point of arc:

Options

• Center (C) at the first prompt: center, start point and end point.

Specify center point of arc:
Specify start point of arc:

• Center (C) at the second prompt: after the start point, specify the center and the end point.
• End (E): after the start point, specify the end and then the center or, with the Radius option (R), the radius. A negative radius draws the major arc.

Specify center point of arc or [Radius]:
Specify radius of arc:

Notes

• With a center, arcs are drawn counterclockwise from the start point; the end point only gives the direction in which the arc ends and does not have to lie on it.
• If the three points are collinear there is no arc and the program says so.
• The AutoCAD options Angle, Direction and Length are not available, nor is Enter to continue from the last line or arc.

See also

CIRCLE · PLINE · ELLIPSE · Object snaps and precision

BOUNDARY — Boundary

Creates a polyline or a region from the boundary around a point.

• Command: BOUNDARY · Global name: _BOUNDARY · Alias: BO
• Ribbon: Home › Draw
• Menu: Draw

Creates a closed polyline (or a region) from the boundary around an internal point, using the objects that enclose it. The original objects are not modified.

Usage

1. Enter BOUNDARY (or BO) or click Boundary.
2. Click inside each closed area. For each one, its outer boundary and the boundary of each island it contains are created.

Pick internal point or [Object type]:

3. Press Enter to finish; the program reports how many objects it has created.

Options

• Object type (O): chooses what is created, polylines or regions.

Enter type of boundary object [Region/Polyline] <Polyline>:

Notes

• The boundary is found in the same way as in HATCH with an internal point: lines, arcs, circles, polylines, ellipses, splines and blocks count; text and dimensions do not.
• If there is no closed boundary around the point, the program says so and you can try another point.
• The resulting polylines are useful, for example, to measure the area of a room with AREA.

See also

REGION · HATCH · AREA · PLINE

CIRCLE — Circle

Creates a circle by center and radius.

• Command: CIRCLE · Global name: _CIRCLE · Alias: C
• Ribbon: Home › Draw
• Menu: Draw
• Toolbar: Draw

Draws a circle. By default you specify the center and the radius; with its options, also by three points, by the endpoints of a diameter or tangent to two objects with a given radius.

Usage

1. Enter CIRCLE (or C) or click Circle.
2. Specify the center, or enter an option.

Specify center point for circle or [3P/2P/Ttr (tan tan radius)]:

3. Specify the radius with a point on the circle or by typing its value.

Specify radius of circle:

Options

• 3P: the circle passes through three points.

Specify first point on circle:
Specify second point on circle:
Specify third point on circle:

• 2P: the two points are the endpoints of a diameter.

Specify first end point of circle's diameter:
Specify second end point of circle's diameter:

• Ttr (T): tangent to two objects (lines, circles or arcs) with the radius you enter. Select each object near where the circle should touch it and enter the radius (or give a point: the radius is its distance to the second point selected).

Specify point on object for first tangent of circle:
Specify point on object for second tangent of circle:
Specify radius of circle:

Notes

• Type 3P and 2P in full.
• With Ttr there are usually several solutions: the one nearest the points where the objects were selected is used. If there is none with that radius, the program says so.
• The AutoCAD Diameter option is not available; use 2P or type the radius.

See also

ARC · ELLIPSE · DONUT · POLYGON · Object snaps and precision

DIVIDE — Divide

Places points or blocks that divide an object into equal parts.

• Command: DIVIDE · Global name: _DIVIDE · Alias: DIV
• Ribbon: Home › Draw
• Menu: Draw

Divides an object into a number of parts of equal length and places points (or a block) at the divisions. The object is not cut.

Usage

1. Enter DIVIDE (or DIV) or click Divide.
2. Select a line, arc, circle, polyline, ellipse or spline.

Select object to divide:

3. Enter the number of parts, from 2 to 32767.

Enter the number of segments or [Block]:

Options

• Block (B): instead of points, inserts a block of the drawing at each division, rotated to follow the direction of the object at that point or not rotated.

Enter name of block to insert:
Align block with object? [Yes/No] <Y>:
Enter the number of segments:

Notes

• On an open object, n parts give n − 1 points. On a closed one you get n points, the first one at the start (on a circle, at 0°).
• The points are shown with the style set by PTYPE; with the default style they can hardly be seen. They can be used with the Node object snap.
• On ellipses and splines the length is measured on a very fine approximation of the curve.

See also

MEASURE · POINT · PTYPE · BLOCK

DONUT — Donut

Draws filled rings or filled circles.

• Command: DONUT · Global name: _DONUT · Alias: DO
• Ribbon: Home › Draw
• Menu: Draw

Draws donuts (filled rings) or filled circles. You give the two diameters and then as many centers as you want.

Usage

1. Enter DONUT (or DO) or click Donut.
2. Enter the inside diameter; Enter accepts the one shown.

Specify inside diameter of donut <…>:

3. Enter the outside diameter, greater than the inside one.

Specify outside diameter of donut <…>:

4. Specify the center of each donut. Press Enter or Esc to finish.

Specify center of donut or <exit>:

Notes

• With an inside diameter of 0 you get a filled circle.
• The diameters (0.5 and 1 at the start) are remembered for the next donut during the session.
• Each donut is a closed polyline of two arcs with a width, as in AutoCAD; it can be changed with PEDIT.

See also

CIRCLE · SOLID · PLINE · PEDIT

ELLIPSE — Ellipse

Creates an ellipse or an elliptical arc.

• Command: ELLIPSE · Global name: _ELLIPSE · Alias: EL
• Ribbon: Home › Draw
• Menu: Draw
• Toolbar: Draw

Draws an ellipse or an elliptical arc. The ellipse is defined by one axis (its two endpoints, or the center and one endpoint) and by the distance to the other axis or by a rotation.

Usage

1. Enter ELLIPSE (or EL) or click Ellipse.
2. Specify one endpoint of the first axis, or enter an option.

Specify axis endpoint of ellipse or [Arc/Center]:

3. Specify the other endpoint of that axis.

Specify other endpoint of axis:

4. Specify the distance from the center to the other axis, with a point or a number.

Specify distance to other axis or [Rotation]:

Options

• Center (C): starts with the center and then one endpoint of the first axis.

Specify center of ellipse:
Specify endpoint of axis:

• Rotation (R): instead of the distance, the rotation of a circle about the first axis, from 0 to 89.4 degrees (0 gives a circle).

Specify rotation around major axis:

• Arc (A): draws an elliptical arc. After the ellipse is defined, it asks where it starts and where it ends.

Specify start angle or [Parameter]:
Specify end angle or [Parameter/Included angle]:

• Parameter (P) and Angle (A): switch between giving angles (the direction from the center) and parameters (the angle in the parametric equation of the ellipse).
• Included angle (I): the end as the angle swept from the start.
• Isocircle (I): only with isometric drafting on (ISODRAFT); the first prompt offers it. It draws the ellipse that represents a circle in the current isometric plane: specify the center and the radius, or choose Diameter (D) and give the diameter.

Specify axis endpoint of ellipse or [Arc/Center/Isocircle]:
Specify radius of isocircle or [Diameter]:

Notes

• The first axis may turn out to be the major or the minor one: if the distance to the other axis is greater than half the first one, the other becomes the major axis.
• The angles and parameters of the arc are measured from the first axis specified and counterclockwise, as in AutoCAD.
• A true ellipse (ELLIPSE) is created, not a polyline that approximates it.

See also

CIRCLE · ARC · SPLINE · Object snaps and precision

GRADIENT — Gradient

Fills an enclosed area with a gradient fill.

• Command: GRADIENT · Global name: _GRADIENT · Alias: GD
• Ribbon: Home › Draw
• Menu: Draw

Fills a closed area with a color gradient: from one color to another, or from a color towards black or white. It is HATCH with its dialog open on the Gradient tab: the boundary is given in the same way.

Usage

1. Enter GRADIENT (or GD) or click the button.
2. In the Hatch and Gradient dialog, choose One color or Two color and the colors (from the AutoCAD palette or a true color).
3. With one color, move the slider between Shade (towards black) and Tint (towards white).
4. Choose one of the nine types by clicking its sample, and set Centered and the Angle.
5. Click inside each area you want to fill (or select its boundaries, as in HATCH).

Pick internal point or [Select objects/Pattern/sCale/Angle/Gradient/Origin]:

6. Press Enter or OK.

Types

LINEAR, CYLINDER, INVCYLINDER, SPHERICAL, INVSPHERICAL, HEMISPHERICAL, INVHEMISPHERICAL, CURVED and INVCURVED: the same as in AutoCAD. When not centered, the gradient is shifted towards one side, as in AutoCAD.

On the command line

The Gradient (G) option of HATCH and HATCHEDIT asks for the type (? lists them), the angle and whether it is centered; it uses the colors of the last gradient.

Enter gradient name or [?] <…>:
Specify gradient angle <…>:
Centered gradient? [Yes/No] <Yes>:

Notes

• The gradient is saved as in AutoCAD (a solid hatch with the gradient data) and AutoCAD draws it the same way.
• When plotting to PDF, PNG or SVG it comes out in thin bands of flat color, which cannot be told apart by eye.
• The settings are remembered for the next gradient. They are changed later with HATCHEDIT.

See also

HATCH · HATCHEDIT · HATCHGENERATEBOUNDARY · Hatches

HATCH — Hatch

Fills a closed boundary with a pattern.

• Command: HATCH · Global name: _HATCH · Alias: H
• Ribbon: Home › Draw
• Menu: Draw
• Toolbar: Draw

Fills a closed area with a pattern of lines, a solid fill or a gradient. While the command runs, the Hatch and Gradient dialog box is shown, with its Hatch tab (the pattern swatches, the scale and the angle) and its Gradient tab; the same can be done on the command line.

Usage

1. Enter HATCH (or H) or click Hatch.
2. In the dialog box, choose the pattern by clicking its swatch and set the scale and the angle (or switch to the Gradient tab: see GRADIENT).
3. Click inside each area you want to hatch (or, with the Select objects option, select its boundaries). The dialog box shows how many boundaries have been found.

Pick internal point or [Select objects/Pattern/sCale/Angle/Gradient/Origin]:

4. Press Enter or OK to create the hatch. Cancel exits without creating it.

Options

• Select objects (S): select closed polylines, circles, ellipses or splines as boundaries.

Select objects or [Internal point/Pattern/sCale/Angle/Gradient/Origin]:

• Internal point (I): goes back to picking internal points.
• Pattern (P): enter the pattern name; ? lists them.

Enter a pattern name or [?] <…>:

• sCale (C) and Angle (A): pattern scale (greater than 0) and its rotation in degrees.
• Gradient (G): a gradient instead of the pattern: type, angle and whether it is centered.

Enter gradient name or [?] <…>:

• Origin (O): the point the pattern passes through (for example, the corner of a row of bricks).

Specify new hatch origin:

Patterns

SOLID (solid fill), ANSI31, ANSI32, ANSI37, LINE, NET, DOTS, CROSS, BRICK, HONEY and HORMIGON (concrete). The definitions are Lince2D's own; the names match AutoCAD's when the drawing is the same. HORMIGON is saved as a custom pattern.

Notes

• With an internal point, the program looks for the nearest boundary around it, with its islands (Normal island detection). Lines, arcs, circles, polylines, ellipses, splines and blocks count; text and dimensions do not. If the boundary has small gaps, HPGAPTOL closes them.
• The hatch is associative: if an object of its boundary is edited (with grips, MOVE, STRETCH...), the hatch is rebuilt to follow it. It stops being associative if the hatch is moved on its own or a boundary object is erased.
• The pattern, scale and angle are remembered for the next hatch.
• TRIM trims hatches: it removes the selected piece between the cutting edges.

See also

HATCHEDIT · GRADIENT · HATCHGENERATEBOUNDARY · BOUNDARY · Hatches

HATCHEDIT — Edit Hatch

Modifies the pattern, scale, angle, gradient or boundary of a hatch.

• Command: HATCHEDIT · Global name: _HATCHEDIT · Alias: HE
• Ribbon: Home › Modify

Changes the pattern, scale, angle, gradient, origin or boundary of an existing hatch. It also opens when you double-click the hatch.

Usage

1. Enter HATCHEDIT (or HE), or double-click a hatch. If a hatch was already selected, that one is edited.
2. Select the hatch.

Select hatch object:

3. Change the values in the Hatch and Gradient dialog box (Hatch or Gradient tab) or with the command-line options.

Enter an option [Pattern/sCale/Angle/Gradient/Origin/Disassociate/ASsociate/Separate/Boundary recreate] <exit>:

4. Press Enter or OK to apply the changes.

Options

• Pattern (P): name of the new pattern (? lists them).
• sCale (C): new scale, greater than 0.
• Angle (A): new angle in degrees.
• Gradient (G): switches to a gradient, or changes its type, angle and whether it is centered.
• Origin (O): new origin point of the pattern; it is applied at once.

Specify new hatch origin:

• Disassociate (D): the hatch stops following its boundary.
• ASsociate (AS): select closed objects; they become the boundary of the hatch, which is associated with them.

Select boundary objects:

• Separate (S): a hatch with several separate areas is split into one hatch per area (each with its islands).
• Boundary recreate (B): creates a polyline for each boundary of the hatch and associates the hatch with them.

Notes

• A hatch read from a drawing with a pattern that is not in the Lince2D library keeps its definition: its scale and angle can be changed.
• When the scale is changed, the pattern goes back to its definition origin (the origin chosen with Origin is lost).
• To create the boundary polylines without associating them, use HATCHGENERATEBOUNDARY.

See also

HATCH · GRADIENT · HATCHGENERATEBOUNDARY · PROPERTIES · Hatches

HATCHGENERATEBOUNDARY — Generate Boundary

Creates non-associated polylines around selected hatches.

• Command: HATCHGENERATEBOUNDARY · Global name: _HATCHGENERATEBOUNDARY
• Ribbon: Home › Draw
• Menu: Draw

Creates closed polylines around the selected hatches: one for each boundary, the outer one and that of each island. It is used to recover the boundary of a hatch that has lost it (for example, one that comes from another program or has been disassociated).

Usage

1. Enter HATCHGENERATEBOUNDARY or click the button.
2. Select the hatches and press Enter. If hatches were already selected, those are used.

Select hatch objects:

3. The program reports how many boundaries it has created.

Boundaries created: ….

Notes

• The polylines follow the straight segments and arcs of the boundary; ellipses and splines in the boundary become short straight segments.
• They are created on the current layer. The hatch is not associated with them; for that, use the Boundary recreate option of HATCHEDIT.
• Other objects can be included in the selection: only hatches count.

See also

HATCHEDIT · HATCH · BOUNDARY · Hatches

LINE — Line

Creates straight line segments.

• Command: LINE · Global name: _LINE · Alias: L
• Ribbon: Home › Draw
• Menu: Draw
• Toolbar: Draw

Draws straight line segments. Each segment is a separate object that can be moved, erased or put on another layer on its own. For an outline that is a single object, use PLINE.

Usage

1. Enter LINE (or L) or click Line on the ribbon.
2. Specify the first point with a click, an object snap or by typing its coordinates.

Specify first point:

3. Specify the next point. A segment is created and the prompt repeats from the last point.

Specify next point or [Undo]:

4. From the third point on you can close the figure.

Specify next point or [Close/Undo]:

5. Press Enter, Space or Esc to finish.

Options

• Close (C): joins the last point to the first one and ends the command.
• Undo (U): removes the last segment without leaving the command; it can be repeated.

Notes

• Coordinates can be typed as absolute (100,50), relative (@20,0) or polar (@50<30). See Coordinates and input.
• With Ortho (F8) or polar tracking (F10) the segments snap to the horizontal and vertical directions or to the polar angles.
• Lines are created on the current layer, with the current color, linetype and lineweight.

See also

PLINE · RECTANG · PEDIT · Object snaps and precision

MEASURE — Measure

Places points or blocks at measured intervals along an object.

• Command: MEASURE · Global name: _MEASURE · Alias: ME
• Ribbon: Home › Draw
• Menu: Draw

Places points (or a block) along an object at intervals of a given length, measured from one of its ends. The object is not cut.

Usage

1. Enter MEASURE (or ME) or click Measure.
2. Select the object near the end you want to measure from.

Select object to measure:

3. Enter the length of each segment.

Specify length of segment or [Block]:

Options

• Block (B): instead of points, inserts a block of the drawing at each mark, rotated to follow the direction of the object at that point or not rotated.

Enter name of block to insert:
Align block with object? [Yes/No] <Y>:
Specify length of segment:

Notes

• Lines, arcs, circles, polylines, ellipses and splines can be used. On an open object, measuring starts at the end nearest the point where it was selected; the last segment may be shorter. If the last mark falls exactly on the far end, it is placed too.
• If the length is so small that more than 100,000 objects would be created, the program says so and creates none.
• The points are shown with the style set by PTYPE.

See also

DIVIDE · POINT · PTYPE · BLOCK

MLINE — Multiline

Draws multilines (parallel lines following the multiline style).

• Command: MLINE · Global name: _MLINE · Alias: ML
• Ribbon: Home › Draw
• Menu: Draw

Draws multilines: several parallel lines that run together, according to a multiline style. They are used, for example, for walls or roads.

Usage

1. Enter MLINE (or ML) or click Multiline. The prompt shows the current justification, scale and style.

Current settings: Justification = …, Scale = …, Style = …. Specify start point or [Justification/Scale/STyle]:

2. Specify the start point and the following ones.

Specify next point:
Specify next point or [Close/Undo]:

3. Press Enter to finish.

Options

• Justification (J): which line passes through the points you give.

Enter justification type [Top/Zero/Bottom] <…>:

• Top (T), Zero (Z) and Bottom (B): the top line, the axis of the style or the bottom line.
• Scale (S): multiplies the spacing of the style. A negative scale reverses the order of the lines.

Enter mline scale <…>:

• STyle (ST): multiline style; ? lists those in the drawing.

Enter mline style name or [?]:

• Close (C): with three points or more, joins back to the first one and ends the command.
• Undo (U): removes the last point.

Notes

• Justification, scale and style are changed before the first point and saved in the drawing for the next time.
• Only the styles the drawing already has can be used (Standard, two lines at ±0.5, if there is no other): there is no command yet to create multiline styles.
• For crossings, tees, cuts and welds of multilines, use MLEDIT.

See also

MLEDIT · PLINE · LINE · EXPLODE

PLINE — Polyline

Creates a polyline with several segments.

• Command: PLINE · Global name: _PLINE · Alias: PL
• Ribbon: Home › Draw
• Menu: Draw
• Toolbar: Draw

Draws a polyline: a sequence of straight and arc segments that form a single object. Each segment can have a width, constant or tapering from its start to its end.

Usage

1. Enter PLINE (or PL) or click Polyline.
2. Specify the first point.

Specify first point:

3. Specify the next points. Each point adds a straight segment.

Specify next point or [Arc/Close/Width/Undo]:

4. With the Arc option, the following segments are arcs tangent to the previous segment: specify the end point of each arc.

Specify end point of arc or [Line/Close/Width/Undo]:

5. Press Enter, Space or Esc to finish.

Options

• Arc (A): switches to drawing arcs. Each arc starts tangent to the previous segment; if it is the first segment, it leaves horizontally to the right.
• Line (L): in arc mode, goes back to straight segments.
• Width (W): asks for the starting and ending width of the next segment; Enter accepts the value shown and a click gives it as the distance from the last point. Later segments keep the ending width.

Specify starting width <…>:
Specify ending width <…>:

• Close (C): joins the last point to the first one (with a straight segment or an arc, depending on the mode) and ends the command.
• Undo (U): removes the last point without leaving the command.

Notes

• A lightweight polyline (LWPOLYLINE) is created, as in AutoCAD.
• The width always starts at 0; it is not taken from the PLINEWID variable.
• Arcs are drawn only by their end point, tangent to the previous segment: the AutoCAD options Angle, CEnter, Direction, Radius and Second pt are not available, nor are Halfwidth and Length.
• To change the vertices or the width or to join segments later, use PEDIT.

See also

LINE · RECTANG · POLYGON · PEDIT · EXPLODE · Object snaps and precision

POINT — Point

Creates point objects.

• Command: POINT · Global name: _POINT · Alias: PO
• Ribbon: Home › Draw
• Menu: Draw
• Toolbar: Draw

Places point objects. Each click creates a point; points are used as marks and as targets for the Node object snap.

Usage

1. Enter POINT (or PO) or click Point.
2. Specify a point with a click or by typing its coordinates. The prompt repeats so you can place more points.

Specify a point:

3. Press Enter, Space or Esc to finish.

Notes

• The symbol used to draw all points and its size are chosen with PTYPE (variables PDMODE and PDSIZE). With the default style a point is a single pixel, hard to see.
• To place points along an object, use DIVIDE or MEASURE.
• Points are created on the current layer, with the current color and linetype.

See also

PTYPE · DIVIDE · MEASURE · Object snaps and precision

POLYGON — Polygon

Creates a regular polygon.

• Command: POLYGON · Global name: _POLYGON · Alias: POL
• Ribbon: Home › Draw
• Menu: Draw
• Toolbar: Draw

Draws a regular polygon, with 3 to 1024 sides, as a closed polyline.

Usage

1. Enter POLYGON (or POL) or click Polygon.
2. Enter the number of sides; Enter accepts the one shown.

Enter number of sides <4>:

3. Specify the center.

Specify center of polygon:

4. Choose whether the polygon is inscribed in the circle or circumscribed about it.

Enter an option [Inscribed in circle/Circumscribed about circle] <I>:

5. Specify the radius with a point or by typing its value.

Specify radius of circle:

Options

• Inscribed (I): the radius reaches the vertices; the point you give is a vertex.
• Circumscribed (C): the radius reaches the midpoints of the sides; the point you give is the midpoint of a side.

Notes

• If you type the radius, the bottom side is horizontal. With a point, the polygon rotates to pass through it.
• The AutoCAD Edge option (polygon by the length of one side) is not available.

See also

RECTANG · CIRCLE · PLINE · PEDIT

RAY — Ray

Creates lines that start at a point and continue to infinity.

• Command: RAY · Global name: _RAY
• Ribbon: Home › Draw
• Menu: Draw

Draws rays: half-lines that start at a point and go on endlessly in one direction. Like construction lines, they are construction guides, for when only one side matters.

Usage

1. Enter RAY or click the button.
2. Specify the start point.

Specify start point:

3. Specify a point the ray passes through. Each point creates another ray from the same start.

Specify through point:

4. Press Enter, Space or Esc to finish.

Notes

• RAY objects are created, as in AutoCAD. They do not count for zoom extents.
• With ortho (F8) or polar tracking (F10) it is easy to draw horizontal, vertical or fixed-angle rays.

See also

XLINE · LINE · Object snaps and precision

RECTANG — Rectangle

Creates a rectangle from two opposite corners.

• Command: RECTANG · Global name: _RECTANG · Alias: REC, RECTANGLE
• Ribbon: Home › Draw
• Menu: Draw
• Toolbar: Draw

Draws a rectangle with its sides parallel to the X and Y axes of the current UCS from two opposite corners. The rectangle is a closed polyline with four vertices.

Usage

1. Enter RECTANG (or REC) or click Rectangle.
2. Specify the first corner.

Specify first corner point:

3. Specify the opposite corner, with a click or with relative coordinates: @40,25 draws a 40 × 25 rectangle.

Specify other corner point:

Notes

• The two corners must have different X and different Y (in the UCS). With a rotated UCS (see UCS), the rectangle is rotated with it.
• The AutoCAD options Chamfer, Fillet, Width, Area, Dimensions and Rotation are not available.
• As it is a polyline, it is edited with PEDIT and exploded into four lines with EXPLODE.

See also

PLINE · POLYGON · PEDIT · Coordinates and input

REGION — Region

Converts closed curves into regions.

• Command: REGION · Global name: _REGION · Alias: REG
• Ribbon: Home › Draw
• Menu: Draw

Converts closed curves into regions: flat surfaces saved in the same way as in AutoCAD. Each closed curve selected becomes a region and the original curve is erased.

Usage

1. Enter REGION (or REG) or click Region. If objects were already selected, those are used.
2. Select closed polylines, circles, ellipses or closed splines.

Select objects:

3. Press Enter. The program reports how many loops it found and how many regions it created.

Notes

• Each region takes the layer, color and linetype of the curve it comes from.
• Only closed curves made of a single object can be used: separate lines or arcs that enclose an area are not joined into a region. For that, use BOUNDARY with the Region type or join the segments with PEDIT.
• Ellipses and splines are turned into a very fine polygon that approximates them.
• There are no operations between regions (union, subtraction, intersection).
• To get curves back, explode the region with EXPLODE.

See also

BOUNDARY · EXPLODE · AREA · Selecting objects

REVCLOUD — Revision Cloud

Draws a revision cloud: rectangular, polygonal, freehand or from an object.

• Command: REVCLOUD · Global name: _REVCLOUD
• Ribbon: Home › Draw
• Menu: Draw

Draws a revision cloud: a polyline made of arcs used to mark the changes on a drawing. The cloud can be rectangular, polygonal or freehand, or made from an existing object.

Usage

1. Enter REVCLOUD or click Revision Cloud.
2. Choose the type of cloud with its option, if it is not the current one, and specify the first point. The prompt shows the current type; Enter goes to the Object option.

Specify first corner point or [Arc length/Object/Rectangular/Polygonal/Freehand/Style] <Object>:

3. Rectangular: specify the opposite corner and the cloud is created.

Specify opposite corner:

4. Polygonal and freehand: specify the next points and press Enter to finish.

Specify next point or [Undo]:

Options

• Arc length (A): minimum and maximum arc length. The maximum cannot exceed three times the minimum.

Specify minimum length of arc <…>:
Specify maximum length of arc <…>:

• Object (O): turns a polyline, circle, ellipse or spline into a cloud. The cloud replaces the object and takes its layer, color and linetype; the direction of the arcs can be reversed.

Reverse direction [Yes/No] <No>:

• Rectangular (R), Polygonal (P) and Freehand (F): type of cloud.
• Style (S): Normal or Calligraphy (arcs of varying width, as if drawn with a pen nib).

Select arc style [Normal/Calligraphy] <Normal>:

• Undo (U): removes the last point of a polygonal or freehand cloud.

Notes

• A polygonal cloud closes itself when you press Enter. A freehand cloud closes when you come back near the first point; if you press Enter before, it stays open. Freehand clouds are also drawn with clicks, point by point.
• The arc lengths, the style and the type are remembered for the next cloud.
• The cloud is saved like AutoCAD's (a polyline with 110° arcs) and is edited with PEDIT.

See also

PLINE · RECTANG · PEDIT · WIPEOUT

SOLID — 2D Solid

Draws filled triangles and quadrilaterals.

• Command: SOLID · Global name: _SOLID · Alias: SO
• Ribbon: Home › Draw
• Menu: Draw

Draws filled triangles and quadrilaterals (2D solids). They can be chained to form a strip.

Usage

1. Enter SOLID (or SO) or click 2D Solid.
2. Specify the first and second points: they form one side.

Specify first point:
Specify second point:

3. Specify the third point.

Specify third point:

4. Specify the fourth point, or press Enter to create a triangle and finish.

Specify fourth point or <exit>:

5. After the fourth point, the third and fourth become the first side of the next solid: go on with more third and fourth points, or press Enter to finish.

Notes

• The order of the points is AutoCAD's: the first and second form one side and the third and fourth the opposite side, in the same direction. If you give them in circular order (1, 2, 3, 4 around the figure), you get a bow tie.
• To fill areas of any shape, use HATCH with the SOLID pattern.

See also

HATCH · DONUT · WIPEOUT

SPLINE — Spline

Creates a smooth curve through the specified points.

• Command: SPLINE · Global name: _SPLINE · Alias: SPL
• Ribbon: Home › Draw
• Menu: Draw
• Toolbar: Draw

Draws a smooth curve (spline). By default the curve passes through the points you specify (Fit method); with the CV method, the points are control vertices that pull the curve.

Usage

1. Enter SPLINE (or SPL) or click Spline.
2. Specify the first point, or first change the method, the knots or the degree.

Specify first point or [Method/Knots]:

3. Specify the next points.

Enter next point or [start Tangency]:
Enter next point or [end Tangency/Undo/Close]:

4. Press Enter to finish.

Options

• Method (M): chooses the method.

Enter spline creation method [Fit/CV] <Fit>:

• Knots (K): in the Fit method, how the knots are spaced between the points: by the distance between them (Chord), by its square root (S) or evenly (Uniform).

Enter knot parameterization [Chord/Square root/Uniform] <Chord>:

• Degree (D): in the CV method, the degree of the curve, from 1 to 10 (3 by default).

Enter degree of spline <3>:

• start Tangency (T): after the first point, the direction in which the curve leaves.
• end Tangency (T): the direction in which it reaches the last point; ends the spline. Enter at a tangent prompt leaves it free.
• Close (C): with three points or more, closes the curve and ends the command.
• Undo (U): removes the last point.

Notes

• A fit spline stores its fit points and tangents as AutoCAD does, which recognizes and edits it in the same way.
• In the CV method, a closed curve joins without a visible kink but is not periodic as in AutoCAD.
• To edit the curve later, use SPLINEDIT.

See also

SPLINEDIT · PLINE · ELLIPSE · REVCLOUD

WIPEOUT — Wipeout

Covers what lies under an outline with the background color.

• Command: WIPEOUT · Global name: _WIPEOUT
• Ribbon: Home › Draw
• Menu: Draw

Creates a wipeout: a polygonal area that covers everything drawn beneath it with the background color. It is used, for example, to clear the space for a text or a table on a drawing.

Usage

1. Enter WIPEOUT or click Wipeout.
2. Specify the first point of the boundary, or press Enter to convert a polyline.

Specify first point or [Frames/Polyline] <Polyline>:

3. Specify the next points.

Specify next point:
Specify next point or [Close/Undo]:

4. Press Enter (or enter C) to close the boundary and create the wipeout. At least three points are required.

Options

• Polyline (P): uses a closed polyline as the boundary; then asks whether to erase the polyline.

Select a closed polyline:
Erase polyline? [Yes/No] <No>:

• Frames (F): shows or hides the frame of all the wipeouts in the drawing (WIPEOUTFRAME).

Enter mode [ON/OFF/Display but not plot] <ON>:

• Undo (U): removes the last point.

Notes

• A wipeout covers what was drawn before it; to change what stays on top, use DRAWORDER.
• The arcs of the polyline are turned into straight segments, as AutoCAD does.
• The wipeout and its frame mode are saved in the drawing like AutoCAD's.

See also

DRAWORDER · REVCLOUD · SOLID · HATCH

XLINE — Construction Line

Creates lines of infinite length in both directions.

• Command: XLINE · Global name: _XLINE · Alias: XL
• Ribbon: Home › Draw
• Menu: Draw

Draws construction lines: infinite straight lines in both directions, useful as construction guides (axes, alignments, projections between views). They do not count for zoom extents.

Usage

1. Enter XLINE (or XL) or click the button.
2. Specify a point on the line, or choose an option.

Specify a point or [Hor/Ver/Ang/Bisect/Offset]:

3. Specify a point it passes through. Each point creates another construction line through the first one; Enter ends.

Specify through point:

Options

• Hor (H) and Ver (V): horizontal or vertical lines through each point you specify.
• Ang (A): lines at a fixed angle, in degrees, through each point.

Enter angle of xline (0) or [Reference]:

• Reference (R), inside Ang: the angle is measured from a line, a polyline (its straight segment nearest to the selected point), a ray or another construction line.

Select a line object:
Enter angle of xline <0>:

• Bisect (B): the bisector of an angle, given by its vertex and a point on each side. Each further end point creates another bisector with the same vertex and start.

Specify angle vertex point:
Specify angle start point:
Specify angle end point:

• Offset (O): parallels to a line, at a distance or through a point (Enter). After each one you can select another line.

Specify offset distance or [Through] <Through>:
Specify side to offset:

Notes

• XLINE objects are created, as in AutoCAD. They cannot be trimmed or extended yet.
• For a half-line starting at a point, use RAY.

See also

RAY · LINE · OFFSET · Object snaps and precision

-MLEDIT — Edit Multiline (command line)

Edits multilines from the command line.

• Command: -MLEDIT · Global name: _-MLEDIT

Command-line version of MLEDIT: edits crossings, tees, corners, vertices, cuts and welds of multilines by typing the code of the tool. It is the way to use it in scripts and in AutoLISP.

Usage

1. Enter -MLEDIT.
2. Type the code: CC, OC or MC (crosses), CT, OT or MT (tees), CJ (corner), AV or DV (add or delete vertex), CS or CA (cut one or all) or WA (weld all).

Enter mline editing option [CC/OC/MC/CT/OT/MT/CJ/AV/DV/CS/CA/WA]:

3. Select the multilines and the points as in MLEDIT. The prompt repeats; Enter finishes.

Select first mline or [Undo]:

Options

• Undo (U): undoes the last edit.

Notes

• In Lince2D MLEDIT opens no dialog box either, so both commands do the same.

See also

MLEDIT · MLINE · SCRIPT

-OVERKILL — Delete Duplicate Objects (command line)

Deletes duplicates from the command line.

• Command: -OVERKILL · Global name: _-OVERKILL

Command-line version of OVERKILL: erases duplicates and combines overlapping lines and arcs with typed options, without dialog boxes. It is the way to use it in scripts and in AutoLISP.

Usage

1. Enter -OVERKILL.
2. Select the objects and press Enter (or start the command with them already selected).

Select objects:

3. Change the settings you want and press Enter to clean up.

Current settings: Tolerance=…, Ignore=…, Optimize polylines=…, Combine partial overlap=…, Combine end-to-end=…. Enter an option to change [Done/Ignore/tOlerance/optimize Polylines/combine parTial overlap/combine End-to-end] <done>:

Options

The same as OVERKILL: tOlerance (O), Ignore (I), Polylines (P), parTial (T), End-to-end (E) and Done (D).

Notes

• In Lince2D OVERKILL has no dialog box either, so both commands do exactly the same.
• In a script, for example, -OVERKILL · ALL · Enter · I · layer,color · Enter cleans the whole drawing ignoring layer and color.

See also

OVERKILL · SCRIPT · AutoLISP

ALIGN — Align

Moves, rotates and scales objects to align them with others.

• Command: ALIGN · Global name: _ALIGN · Alias: AL
• Ribbon: Home › Modify
• Menu: Modify

Moves, rotates and, if you ask for it, scales the selected objects so that some source points match some destination points. Use it to fit a part or a block against another object without working out angles.

Usage

1. Enter ALIGN (or AL).
2. Select the objects and press Enter. If they were already selected before starting the command, they are used without asking.

Select objects:

3. Specify the first pair of points: one on the objects (source) and the place where it must go (destination).

Specify first source point:
Specify first destination point:

4. Specify the second pair, or press Enter to just move.

Specify second source point or <continue>:
Specify second destination point:

5. Specify the third pair, or press Enter and choose whether the objects are scaled so that the second source lands on the second destination (Enter: no).

Specify third source point or <continue>:
Scale objects based on alignment points? [Yes/No] <N>:

Notes

• With one pair of points, the objects are moved; with two, they are also rotated around the first destination so that the direction from the first source to the second matches that of the destinations.
• With three pairs, the third one also decides whether the objects must be flipped (mirrored about the line of the first pair) so that they end up on the same side as the third destination.
• Use object snaps (F3) so that the points land exactly on the vertices.

See also

MOVE · ROTATE · SCALE · MIRROR · Object snaps and precision

ARRAY — Array

Repeats objects in rows and columns or in a circle.

• Command: ARRAY · Global name: _ARRAY · Alias: AR
• Ribbon: Home › Modify
• Menu: Modify
• Toolbar: Modify

Repeats the selected objects in rows and columns (rectangular array) or around a center (polar array). The copies are independent objects.

Usage

1. Enter ARRAY (or AR) or click Array on the ribbon.
2. Select the objects and press Enter. If they were already selected before starting the command, they are used without asking.

Select objects:

3. Choose the type of array (Enter: rectangular).

Enter the type of array [Rectangular/Polar] <R>:

4. Rectangular: enter the number of rows and columns (Enter: 1) and the distances between them. The original stays in a corner; with negative distances the copies go down or to the left.

Enter the number of rows (---) <1>:
Enter the number of columns (|||) <1>:
Specify the distance between rows:
Specify the distance between columns:

5. Polar: specify the center, the number of items (including the original) and the angle to fill (Enter: 360; negative, clockwise). The copies are rotated around the center.

Specify center point of array:
Enter the number of items in the array:
Specify the angle to fill (+=ccw, -=cw) <360>:

Options

• Rectangular (R): rows and columns at a fixed spacing.
• Polar (P): copies spread around a circle or an arc.

Notes

• With a single row or column its distance is not asked. The total number of items goes from 2 to 100,000.
• The array is not associative (it cannot be edited later as a whole) and there is no path array.

See also

COPY · OFFSET · ROTATE · Selecting objects

BREAK — Break

Breaks an object between two points.

• Command: BREAK · Global name: _BREAK · Alias: BR
• Ribbon: Home › Modify
• Menu: Modify
• Toolbar: Modify

Breaks an object by removing the piece between two points, or splits it in two at a single point without removing anything.

Usage

1. Enter BREAK (or BR) or click Break on the ribbon.
2. Click the object. The point you click is the first break point.

Select object:

3. Specify the second break point: whatever lies between both points is removed.

Specify second break point or [First point] (@: at the same point):

Options

• First point (F): discards the clicked point and asks for the first break point, for example to give it with an object snap.

Specify first break point:

• @: uses the same point as the first one; the object is split into two objects that touch.

Notes

• Breaks lines, arcs, circles and polylines. The points are projected onto the object, so they do not have to lie exactly on it.
• On a circle the piece from the first point to the second one counterclockwise is removed and an arc remains; a closed polyline becomes open. Closed objects cannot be broken at a single point (@).
• It does not use preselection: the object is picked during the command.

See also

TRIM · JOIN · LENGTHEN · Object snaps and precision

CHAMFER — Chamfer

Bevels the corner between two lines.

• Command: CHAMFER · Global name: _CHAMFER · Alias: CHA
• Ribbon: Home › Modify
• Menu: Modify
• Toolbar: Modify

Chamfers the corner between two lines: it trims each one at the chamfer distance measured from their intersection and joins both ends with a straight segment.

Usage

1. Enter CHAMFER (or CHA) or click Chamfer on the ribbon.
2. If needed, change the distances with the Distance option; then it goes back to selecting.

Select first line or [Distance]:
Specify first chamfer distance (Enter: current):
Specify second chamfer distance (Enter: same as first):

3. Select the first line and then the second one, each on the part you want to keep. The first distance applies to the first line and the second one, to the other.

Select second line:

4. The chamfer is created and the command ends.

Options

• Distance (D): asks for both distances (0 or positive). Enter on the first one keeps the current value; on the second, makes it equal to the first. They are saved in the drawing (CHAMFERA and CHAMFERB).

Notes

• It only works between two different, non-parallel lines. With both distances set to 0 the lines meet in a sharp corner, with no segment.
• The segment goes on the layer of the lines if they share it; otherwise, on the current layer.
• It does not use preselection. There are no Angle, Polyline, Trim or Multiple options as in AutoCAD.

See also

FILLET · TRIM · EXTEND · Editing

COPY — Copy

Copies objects from a base point to another point.

• Command: COPY · Global name: _COPY · Alias: CO, CP
• Ribbon: Home › Modify
• Menu: Modify
• Toolbar: Modify

Copies the selected objects from a base point to one or more destination points. Each point you specify creates a new copy; the originals do not change.

Usage

1. Enter COPY (or CO, CP) or click Copy on the ribbon.
2. Select the objects and press Enter. If they were already selected before starting the command, they are used without asking.

Select objects:

3. Specify the base point.

Specify base point:

4. Specify the destination point. A copy is created and the prompt repeats to make another one from the same base point.

Specify second point or <exit>:

5. Press Enter, Space or Esc to finish.

Notes

• As in AutoCAD, copying is multiple: the command keeps asking for destinations until you finish it.
• Destinations can be typed as relative or polar coordinates from the base point, or as a distance in the direction of the cursor.
• Grips copy too: in any mode (stretch, move, rotate, scale, mirror) choose Copy (C) and each point leaves a copy.
• There is no Array option as in AutoCAD; for copies in rows, columns or around a circle use ARRAY.
• To copy between drawings use COPYCLIP and PASTECLIP.

See also

MOVE · ARRAY · OFFSET · MIRROR · Selecting objects

DRAWORDER — Draw Order

Changes the draw order of objects.

• Command: DRAWORDER · Global name: _DRAWORDER · Alias: DR
• Ribbon: Home › Modify
• Menu: Tools

Changes the order in which overlapping objects are drawn: it brings the selection to the front or sends it to the back of everything, or above or under other specific objects. It is useful with images, solid hatches and wipeouts.

Usage

1. Enter DRAWORDER (or DR).
2. Select the objects and press Enter. If they were already selected before starting the command, they are used without asking.

Select objects:

3. Choose where they go (Enter: to the back).

Enter object ordering option [Above objects/Under objects/Front/Back] <Back>:

4. With Above or Under, select the reference objects and press Enter.

Select reference objects:

Options

• Above (A): just above the highest of the reference objects.
• Under (U): just under the lowest of the reference objects.
• Front (F): in front of every object in its space.
• Back (B): behind every object in its space.

Notes

• The order is saved in the drawing (SORTENTS table of model space or of the layout), as in AutoCAD, which reads it the same way. It can be undone.
• The selected objects keep the order they had among themselves.
• When it finishes, the view is regenerated so that the new order shows. After undoing it, use REGEN if the order on screen is not up to date.

See also

WIPEOUT · HATCH · IMAGEATTACH · Editing

ERASE — Erase

Removes objects from the drawing.

• Command: ERASE · Global name: _ERASE · Alias: E · Shortcut: Del
• Ribbon: Home › Modify
• Menu: Edit
• Menu: Modify
• Toolbar: Modify

Removes the selected objects from the drawing.

Usage

1. Enter ERASE (or E) or click Erase on the ribbon.
2. Select the objects with clicks, windows or crossing windows and press Enter to erase them.

Select objects:

The quickest way is preselection: select the objects with no command running and press Delete, or start ERASE, which erases them without asking anything else.

Notes

• Erased objects come back with UNDO (Ctrl+Z).
• Objects on locked layers cannot be selected and so are not erased.
• Erasing a member of a group removes it from the group; an unnamed group that becomes empty disappears.
• To remove unused definitions (blocks, layers, styles) use PURGE; to erase repeated objects, OVERKILL.

See also

UNDO · OVERKILL · PURGE · CUTCLIP · Selecting objects

EXPLODE — Explode

Breaks a compound object into its parts.

• Command: EXPLODE · Global name: _EXPLODE · Alias: X
• Ribbon: Home › Modify
• Menu: Modify
• Toolbar: Modify

Breaks each selected compound object into the pieces it is made of: a polyline into lines and arcs, a block into its objects, a multiline into its lines, a dimension into its lines, arrowheads and text, a hatch into its lines and a table into its lines and texts.

Usage

1. Enter EXPLODE (or X) or click Explode on the ribbon.
2. Select the objects and press Enter. If they were already selected before starting the command, they are exploded without asking.

Select objects:

Notes

• Each use explodes a single level: a block that contains other blocks leaves those blocks as references, which can be exploded again.
• Pieces of a dimension that were on layer 0 go to the layer of the dimension.
• Simple objects (lines, arcs, circles, texts) do not change; if nothing selected can be exploded, a message says so.
• Exploding loses what the compound object provides: a dimension stops measuring, a block no longer updates when it is redefined and a polyline loses its width.

See also

JOIN · PEDIT · BLOCK · UNGROUP · Blocks

EXTEND — Extend

Extends objects to the nearest boundary.

• Command: EXTEND · Global name: _EXTEND · Alias: EX
• Ribbon: Home › Modify
• Menu: Modify
• Toolbar: Modify

Extends an object from the selected end until it meets the first object in its way (the boundary edges).

Usage

1. Enter EXTEND (or EX) or click Extend on the ribbon.
2. Select the boundary edges and press Enter, or press Enter straight away so that every object in the drawing acts as a boundary.

Select boundary edges or <select all>:

3. Click each object near the end you want to extend. The prompt repeats to extend more.

Select object to extend:

4. Press Enter or Esc to finish.

Notes

• Extends lines, arcs and open polylines; boundaries can be lines, arcs, circles and polylines. An arc is extended along its circle.
• If the object, when prolonged, reaches no boundary, a message says so and it does not change.
• Objects are picked one at a time with a click, near the end; preselection is not used.
• There is no quick mode and no Edge or Project options as in AutoCAD, and ellipses and splines cannot be extended. To extend by a distance or to a total length use LENGTHEN.

See also

TRIM · LENGTHEN · FILLET · Editing

FILLET — Fillet

Joins two objects with a tangent arc.

• Command: FILLET · Global name: _FILLET · Alias: F
• Ribbon: Home › Modify
• Menu: Modify
• Toolbar: Modify

Joins two lines with a tangent arc of the current radius, trimming or extending them up to the arc. With radius 0 it takes them to their intersection and makes a sharp corner.

Usage

1. Enter FILLET (or F) or click Fillet on the ribbon.
2. If needed, change the radius with the Radius option; then it goes back to selecting.

Select first object or [Radius]:
Specify fillet radius (Enter: current):

3. Select the first line and then the second one, each on the part you want to keep.

Select second object:

4. The arc is created and the command ends.

Options

• Radius (R): changes the fillet radius (0 or positive; Enter keeps the current one). It is saved in the drawing, in the FILLETRAD variable, and applies to the next fillets.

Notes

• It only works between two different, non-parallel lines. If the radius does not fit on the lines, a message says so.
• The arc goes on the layer of the lines if both are on the same one; otherwise, on the current layer.
• It does not use preselection: both lines are picked during the command.
• Compared with AutoCAD, fillets with arcs, circles and polylines, the Polyline, Trim and Multiple options and Shift for radius 0 are missing.

See also

CHAMFER · TRIM · EXTEND · Editing

GROUP — Group

Creates a group with the selected objects.

• Command: GROUP · Global name: _GROUP · Alias: G
• Ribbon: Home › Groups
• Menu: Modify

Creates a group with the selected objects: a named (or unnamed) set that is selected as a whole with one click, while its objects stay independent and can be edited separately.

Usage

1. Enter GROUP (or G).
2. If you want, choose Name or Description before selecting.

Select objects or [Name/Description]:
Enter a group name or [?]:
Enter a group description:

3. Select the objects and press Enter: the group is created. If the objects were already selected before starting the command, the group is created at once, unnamed.

Options

• Name (N): name of the group; it cannot repeat another one. ? lists the groups in the drawing. Without a name, the group is anonymous (like AutoCAD's *A1, *A2...).
• Description (D): free text saved with the group.

Notes

• While group selection is on, selecting a member selects the whole group. Ctrl+Shift+A turns it on or off; it is stored in the PICKSTYLE variable.
• Groups are saved in DWG and DXF like AutoCAD's (ACAD_GROUP dictionary).
• An erased object stops being a member; an anonymous group that becomes empty disappears.
• To change the members or the name use GROUPEDIT; to undo the group, UNGROUP. Unlike a block, a group creates no definition.

See also

GROUPEDIT · UNGROUP · BLOCK · Selecting objects

GROUPEDIT — Edit Group

Adds or removes objects from a group, or renames it.

• Command: GROUPEDIT · Global name: _GROUPEDIT
• Ribbon: Home › Groups
• Menu: Modify

Changes an existing group: adds objects to it or removes them, or renames it.

Usage

1. Enter GROUPEDIT.
2. Select a member of the group, or choose Name and type the name of the group (? lists them). If objects of a single group were already selected before starting the command, that group is edited without asking.

Select group or [Name]:

3. Choose what to do.

Enter an option [Add objects/Remove objects/REName]:

4. Select the objects to add or remove and press Enter, or type the new name.

Select objects to add to group:
Select objects to remove from group:
Enter new name for group or [?]:

Options

• Add (A): adds the objects you select to the group.
• Remove (R): takes the objects you select out of the group; they stay in the drawing.
• REName (REN): gives the group another name (also to an anonymous one, which becomes named).

Notes

• To select just some members of a group, first turn group selection off with Ctrl+Shift+A (PICKSTYLE).
• Changes can be undone and the drawing is marked as modified.

See also

GROUP · UNGROUP · Selecting objects

JOIN — Join

Joins touching objects into one.

• Command: JOIN · Global name: _JOIN · Alias: J
• Ribbon: Home › Modify
• Menu: Modify
• Toolbar: Modify

Joins into a single object several objects that touch at their ends: aligned lines into one line, and consecutive lines, arcs and polylines into a polyline.

Usage

1. Enter JOIN (or J) or click Join on the ribbon.
2. Select the objects to join and press Enter. If they were already selected before starting the command, they are joined without asking.

Select objects:

Notes

• If everything selected is lines on the same straight line, the result is one line from end to end, even if there are gaps between them.
• Otherwise, each chain of lines, arcs and open polylines that touch at their ends becomes a polyline; if the chain closes, the polyline is closed. More than one polyline can result.
• The result keeps the properties (layer, color...) of the first object of each chain.
• It does not join arcs of the same circle into one arc nor closed polylines, and if there is nothing to join a message says so.
• To add objects to an existing polyline, even with gaps, use the Join option of PEDIT.

See also

PEDIT · EXPLODE · BREAK · PLINE · Selecting objects

LENGTHEN — Lengthen

Lengthens or shortens lines, arcs and open polylines.

• Command: LENGTHEN · Global name: _LENGTHEN · Alias: LEN
• Ribbon: Home › Modify
• Menu: Modify

Measures or changes the length of lines, arcs and open polylines: it lengthens or shortens the end nearest to the point where you select, along the curve itself.

Usage

1. Enter LENGTHEN (or LEN).
2. Select an object to see its length (and the included angle, for an arc), or choose how to change it. Enter repeats the previous mode and value.

Select an object to measure or [DElta/Percent/Total/DYnamic] <…>:

3. Enter the value of the chosen mode.
4. Select each object near the end you want to change. The prompt repeats; Enter finishes.

Select an object to change or [Undo]:

Options

• DElta (DE): adds that length (negative shortens). With Angle (A), an angle in degrees is added to an arc.

Enter delta length or [Angle] <…>:

• Percent (P): the new length is that percentage of the current one (50 halves it).

Enter percentage length <…>:

• Total (T): leaves the object with that total length (or, with Angle, an arc with that total angle).

Specify total length or [Angle] <…>:

• DYnamic (DY): after you select the object, its end follows the cursor up to the point you specify.

Specify new end point:

• Undo (U): undoes the last change without leaving the command.

Notes

• A line is lengthened in its direction and an arc, along its circle; in a polyline the end segment is lengthened or the polyline is trimmed along itself.
• Ellipses and splines cannot be changed. Preselection is not used.

See also

EXTEND · TRIM · BREAK · LIST · Editing

MIRROR — Mirror

Creates a mirrored copy about an axis.

• Command: MIRROR · Global name: _MIRROR · Alias: MI
• Ribbon: Home › Modify
• Menu: Modify
• Toolbar: Modify

Creates a mirrored copy of the selected objects about an axis defined by two points and, if you ask for it, erases the originals.

Usage

1. Enter MIRROR (or MI) or click Mirror on the ribbon.
2. Select the objects and press Enter. If they were already selected before starting the command, they are used without asking.

Select objects:

3. Specify the two points of the mirror line. While you specify the second one the result is previewed.

Specify first point of mirror line:
Specify second point of mirror line:

4. Choose whether the originals are kept (Enter: they are kept).

Erase source objects? [Yes/No] <No>:

Options

• Yes (Y): erases the source objects; only the mirrored copy remains.
• No (N): keeps the originals next to the copy.

Notes

• With Ortho (F8) the mirror line is horizontal or vertical, the most common case.
• Texts are mirrored or not depending on the MIRRTEXT variable: with 0 (the usual value) they still read correctly; with 1 they look as in a mirror. Dimensions are regenerated readable.
• Grips also have a mirror mode (press Space until you reach it); the grip is the first point of the mirror line.

Specify second point or [Base point/Copy/eXit]:

See also

COPY · ROTATE · ARRAY · Selecting objects

MLEDIT — Edit Multiline

Crosses, tees, corners, vertices, cuts and welds of multilines.

• Command: MLEDIT · Global name: _MLEDIT
• Ribbon: Home › Modify
• Menu: Modify

Edits multilines: resolves their crossings, tee junctions and corners, adds or deletes vertices and cuts or welds their elements. Each tool is chosen by its two-letter code, the same ones as in AutoCAD.

Usage

1. Enter MLEDIT.
2. Type the code of the tool (table below).

Enter mline editing option [CC/OC/MC/CT/OT/MT/CJ/AV/DV/CS/CA/WA]:

3. For crosses, tees and corners, select the first multiline and the second one. For the other tools, select the multiline at the point where the tool acts and, if asked, specify the second point.

Select first mline or [Undo]:
Select second mline:
Select mline or [Undo]:
Select second point:

4. The prompt repeats with the same tool to keep editing; Enter finishes.

Options

• Undo (U): undoes the last edit without leaving the command.

Notes

• It does not use preselection. If the selected object is not a multiline, a message says so.
• In a tee, the piece left after the junction loses its cuts; deleting a vertex recalculates the miters of the whole multiline.
• -MLEDIT does the same; in Lince2D neither of them opens a dialog box.

See also

MLINE · -MLEDIT · EXPLODE · Editing

MOVE — Move

Moves objects from a base point to another point.

• Command: MOVE · Global name: _MOVE · Alias: M
• Ribbon: Home › Modify
• Menu: Modify
• Toolbar: Modify

Moves the selected objects a distance and direction given by two points: the base point and the destination point. The objects keep their shape, size and orientation.

Usage

1. Enter MOVE (or M) or click Move on the ribbon.
2. Select the objects and press Enter. If they were already selected before starting the command, they are used without asking.

Select objects:

3. Specify the base point: the point of the objects you want to take somewhere else.

Specify base point:

4. Specify the destination point. While you move the cursor you see where the objects will go.

Specify second point:

Notes

• The second point can be typed as relative (@100,0) or polar (@50<45) coordinates from the base point, or as a single distance, applied in the direction of the cursor (handy with Ortho, F8).
• With no command running you can also move with grips: select the objects, click a grip and press Space until the move mode.

Specify move point or [Base point/Copy/eXit]:

• Moving a dimension also moves its block; texts and blocks keep their rotation.
• There is no Displacement option as in AutoCAD: use a base point at 0,0 and type the displacement as destination.

See also

COPY · ROTATE · ALIGN · STRETCH · Selecting objects · Editing

OFFSET — Offset

Creates a parallel copy at a distance.

• Command: OFFSET · Global name: _OFFSET · Alias: O
• Ribbon: Home › Modify
• Menu: Modify
• Toolbar: Modify

Creates a parallel copy of an object at a given distance, on the side you indicate: parallel lines, concentric circles and arcs or equidistant polylines.

Usage

1. Enter OFFSET (or O) or click Offset on the ribbon.
2. Type the offset distance (greater than 0).

Specify offset distance:

3. Click the object you want to offset.

Select object to offset or <exit>:

4. Specify a point on the side where the copy is created.

Specify point on side to offset:

5. The prompt of step 3 repeats with the same distance to offset other objects (or the new one). Press Enter or Esc to finish.

Notes

• Offsets lines, circles, arcs and polylines. In polylines the straight segments are joined with a miter and arcs keep their curvature with another radius.
• A circle or arc offset inwards beyond its radius cannot be created and a message says so.
• It does not use preselection: objects are picked one at a time during the command.
• Only offset by distance exists: the Through, Erase, Layer and Multiple options of AutoCAD are not available, and the distance is asked again each time.

See also

COPY · ARRAY · PLINE · Editing

OVERKILL — Delete Duplicate Objects

Deletes duplicate objects and combines overlapping lines and arcs.

• Command: OVERKILL · Global name: _OVERKILL
• Ribbon: Home › Modify
• Menu: Modify

Cleans a drawing of repeated objects: it erases exact duplicates and combines overlapping lines and arcs into a single one. It is useful with imported drawings or with objects drawn several times on top of each other.

Usage

1. Enter OVERKILL.
2. Select the objects to check and press Enter. If they were already selected before starting the command, they are used without asking.

Select objects:

3. The prompt shows the current settings. Change the ones you want and press Enter (or choose Done) to clean up.

Current settings: Tolerance=…, Ignore=…, Optimize polylines=…, Combine partial overlap=…, Combine end-to-end=…. Enter an option to change [Done/Ignore/tOlerance/optimize Polylines/combine parTial overlap/combine End-to-end] <done>:

4. When it finishes, the command line reports how many duplicates and how many overlapping objects or segments were deleted.

Options

• tOlerance (O): distance below which two points are considered equal.

Specify Tolerance <…>:

• Ignore (I): properties that do not count when comparing, separated by commas, or All or None. With none ignored, two objects on different layers are not duplicates.

Specify properties to ignore (…) or [All/None] <…>:

• Polylines (P): also looks for repeated segments within polylines.
• parTial (T): combines into one the aligned objects that partially overlap.
• End-to-end (E): combines aligned objects that only touch at their ends.
• Done (D): cleans up with the settings shown.

Notes

• The options start each time with their default values. Deleted objects come back with UNDO.
• There is no dialog box: OVERKILL and -OVERKILL ask the same on the command line.
• Only lines, arcs, circles, points and polylines are compared with tolerance; other types must be identical. A block with attributes is not recognized as a duplicate, and lines are not combined with polyline segments.

See also

-OVERKILL · ERASE · JOIN · PURGE · Selecting objects

PEDIT — Edit Polyline

Edits polylines: close, join, width, vertices, fit and spline.

• Command: PEDIT · Global name: _PEDIT · Alias: PE
• Ribbon: Home › Modify
• Menu: Modify

Edits polylines: closes or opens them, joins other objects to them, changes their width, edits their vertices and turns them into curves. It also converts lines and arcs into polylines.

Usage

1. Enter PEDIT (or PE).
2. Select a polyline, or choose Multiple to select several. If you select a line or an arc, you are offered to turn it into a polyline. With preselection: one object is edited directly and several go into Multiple.

Select polyline or [Multiple]:
Object selected is not a polyline. Do you want to turn it into one? [Yes/No] <Y>:

3. Choose options; the prompt repeats until you press Enter.

Enter an option [Close/Join/Width/Edit vertex/Fit/Spline/Decurve/Ltype gen/Reverse/Undo]:

Options

• Close (C) / Open (O): closes the polyline with a last segment or opens it.
• Join (J): adds lines, arcs and open polylines that touch its ends. In Multiple it also asks for a fuzz distance and the join type (Extend, Add or Both) to fill the gaps.
• Width (W): the same width for every segment.
• Edit vertex (E): walks the vertices with a cross (Next, Previous) and lets you Break, Insert, Move, Straighten, set the Tangent or the Width of the segment; eXit goes back. Only with one polyline.

Enter a vertex editing option [Next/Previous/Break/Insert/Move/Regen/Straighten/Tangent/Width/eXit] <N>:

• Fit (F): curve of tangent arcs through the vertices.
• Spline (S): curve that uses the vertices as its frame (SPLINETYPE, SPLINESEGS).
• Decurve (D): removes the fit or the curve and leaves straight segments.
• Ltype gen (L): continuous linetype generation (ON/OFF).
• Reverse (R): reverses the direction. Undo (U): undoes the last option.

Notes

• Decurve recovers the original frame only within the same PEDIT; afterwards it straightens the segments.
• Only lightweight polylines (LWPOLYLINE), the ones PLINE creates, can be edited.

See also

PLINE · JOIN · EXPLODE · SPLINEDIT · Editing

ROTATE — Rotate

Rotates objects around a base point.

• Command: ROTATE · Global name: _ROTATE · Alias: RO
• Ribbon: Home › Modify
• Menu: Modify
• Toolbar: Modify

Rotates the selected objects around a base point. The angle is given with a point or typed in degrees.

Usage

1. Enter ROTATE (or RO) or click Rotate on the ribbon.
2. Select the objects and press Enter. If they were already selected before starting the command, they are used without asking.

Select objects:

3. Specify the base point: the center of rotation.

Specify base point:

4. Specify the angle. Typed, in degrees (positive is counterclockwise); with a click, the angle is that of the direction from the base point to the point. The preview follows the cursor.

Specify rotation angle:

Notes

• With Ortho (F8) or polar tracking (F10) the rotation with the cursor snaps to 90° or to the polar angles.
• With no command running you can rotate with grips: select the objects, click a grip (it becomes the base point) and press Space until the rotate mode.

Specify rotation angle or [Base point/Copy/eXit]:

• Texts, blocks and arcs update their angle; dimensions are regenerated and their text stays readable.
• There are no Reference or Copy options as in AutoCAD. To rotate a copy use grips with Copy (C).

See also

MOVE · SCALE · ALIGN · MIRROR · Selecting objects

SCALE — Scale

Enlarges or reduces objects from a base point.

• Command: SCALE · Global name: _SCALE · Alias: SC
• Ribbon: Home › Modify
• Menu: Modify
• Toolbar: Modify

Enlarges or reduces the selected objects from a base point, the only point that does not move.

Usage

1. Enter SCALE (or SC) or click Scale on the ribbon.
2. Select the objects and press Enter. If they were already selected before starting the command, they are used without asking.

Select objects:

3. Specify the base point.

Specify base point:

4. Specify the scale factor: typed (greater than 0; 2 doubles, 0.5 halves) or with a click, and then the factor is the distance from the base point to the point.

Specify scale factor:

Notes

• The factor is the same in X and Y: circles stay circles and blocks change their scale.
• With no command running you can scale with grips: select the objects, click a grip (it becomes the base point) and press Space until the scale mode.

Specify scale factor or [Base point/Copy/eXit]:

• Scaling a table enlarges its rows and columns, but the height of its texts comes from its style and does not change.
• There are no Reference or Copy options as in AutoCAD; to scale a copy use grips with Copy (C).

See also

ROTATE · ALIGN · STRETCH · LENGTHEN · Selecting objects

SPLINEDIT — Edit Spline

Edits splines: fit points, control vertices, close, reverse and convert to polyline.

• Command: SPLINEDIT · Global name: _SPLINEDIT · Alias: SPE
• Ribbon: Home › Modify
• Menu: Modify

Edits a spline: closes or opens it, changes its fit points or its control vertices, reverses its direction or converts it into a polyline.

Usage

1. Enter SPLINEDIT (or SPE).
2. Select the spline. If it was selected (on its own) before starting the command, it is used without asking.

Select spline:

3. Choose options; the prompt repeats until you choose eXit or press Enter.

Enter an option […/…Edit vertex/convert to Polyline/Reverse/Undo/eXit] <eXit>:

Options

• Close (C) / Open (O): closes or opens the spline (the prompt offers the one that applies).
• Fit data (F): only if the spline has fit points. Lets you Add, Delete and Move fit points, change the end Tangents, the toLerance or Purge the fit data (only the control vertices remain). The curve is recalculated.

Enter a fit data option [Add/…/Delete/Move/Purge/Tangents/toLerance/eXit] <eXit>:

• Edit vertex (E): Add a control vertex without changing the shape, Delete or Move vertices and change their Weight. Editing the vertices removes the fit data.

Enter a vertex editing option [Add/Delete/Move/Weight/eXit] <eXit>:

• Polyline (P): replaces the spline with a polyline that approximates it.

Specify a precision <10>:

• Reverse (R): reverses the direction of the curve.
• Undo (U): undoes the last option. eXit (X): ends.

Notes

• When moving points you walk them with Next and Previous, or pick one with Select point.
• There are no Join, Kink or Elevate order options as in AutoCAD; the tolerance is saved, but the curve still goes through the fit points.
• With no command running, the spline grips can also be dragged.

See also

SPLINE · PEDIT · PLINE · Editing

STRETCH — Stretch

Stretches objects by moving the vertices inside a crossing window.

• Command: STRETCH · Global name: _STRETCH · Alias: S
• Ribbon: Home › Modify
• Menu: Modify
• Toolbar: Modify

Stretches objects by moving only the vertices and endpoints that lie inside a crossing window; the rest of each object stays where it was. Use it, for example, to lengthen a part or move a door without redrawing the walls.

Usage

1. Enter STRETCH (or S) or click Stretch on the ribbon.
2. Select the objects with a crossing window (dragged from right to left) that encloses the points to move. You can make several crossing windows. Press Enter.

Select objects to stretch by crossing-window:

3. Specify the base point and the second point, as in MOVE. The preview moves only the captured points.

Specify base point:
Specify second point:

Notes

• The endpoints of lines, arcs (which keep their angle) and the vertices of polylines that fall inside a crossing window are moved. An object that lies completely inside a crossing window is moved as a whole.
• Ellipses, splines, dimensions and other types are not stretched by their points: they only move if they lie completely inside the window.
• At least one crossing window is needed: if you only select with clicks, a message says so. Preselection is not used.
• With no command running, grips stretch point by point: select the object, click a grip (it turns red) and take the point to its new place. It is the first mode; Space switches to move, rotate, scale and mirror.

Specify stretch point or [Base point/Copy/eXit]:

See also

MOVE · LENGTHEN · SCALE · Selecting objects · Editing

TRIM — Trim

Trims objects at their intersections.

• Command: TRIM · Global name: _TRIM · Alias: TR
• Ribbon: Home › Modify
• Menu: Modify
• Toolbar: Modify

Trims the part of an object that lies between its intersections with other objects (the cutting edges) or between an intersection and its end.

Usage

1. Enter TRIM (or TR) or click Trim on the ribbon.
2. Select the cutting edges and press Enter, or press Enter straight away so that every object in the drawing acts as an edge.

Select cutting edges or <select all>:

3. Click the unwanted part of each object: the selected piece is removed up to the nearest intersections. The prompt repeats to trim more.

Select object to trim:

4. Press Enter or Esc to finish.

Notes

• Lines, arcs, circles and polylines can be trimmed and act as edges. Trimming a circle leaves an arc; trimming the middle of a line or polyline splits it into two objects.
• It also trims hatches: the piece of the hatch you pick between the edges is removed, and the rest is still a single hatch, which is no longer associative.
• Objects to trim are picked one at a time with a click, on the point you want to remove; windows do not work in that step. Preselection is not used.
• There is no quick mode as in AutoCAD and no Edge, Crossing or Project options, and ellipses and splines cannot be trimmed. To extend with the same edges use EXTEND.

See also

EXTEND · BREAK · LENGTHEN · FILLET · Editing

UNGROUP — Ungroup

Removes a group; its objects stay in the drawing.

• Command: UNGROUP · Global name: _UNGROUP
• Ribbon: Home › Groups
• Menu: Modify

Removes a group. Its objects stay in the drawing, but they are no longer selected together.

Usage

1. Enter UNGROUP.
2. Select a member of the group, or choose Name and type the name of the group (? lists them). The group is removed at once.

Select group or [Name]:
Enter a group name or [?]:

Preselection is quicker: click a member (the whole group is selected) and start UNGROUP. If the selection belongs to several groups, all of them are removed.

Options

• Name (N): picks the group by its name instead of selecting it.

Notes

• If the selected object belongs to no group, a message says so.
• It can be undone with UNDO.

See also

GROUP · GROUPEDIT · EXPLODE

-SCALELISTEDIT — Scale List (command line)

Edits the scale list from the command line.

• Command: -SCALELISTEDIT · Global name: _-SCALELISTEDIT

Command-line version of SCALELISTEDIT: edits the list of annotation scales of the drawing. It is the one used in scripts.

Usage

1. Enter -SCALELISTEDIT.
2. Choose an option (Enter: Add).

Enter option [?/Add/Delete/Reset/Exit] <Add>:

Options

• ?: lists the scales.
• Add (A): asks for the name and the paper:drawing ratio (1:50).

Enter scale ratio (paper:drawing):

• Delete (D): deletes a scale by its name.
• Reset (R): goes back to the default list.

Reset scale list to default entries? [Yes/No] <No>:

• Exit (E): ends the command.

Notes

• It does the same as SCALELISTEDIT, which in Lince2D has no dialog box either.
• The scales in the list are the ones accepted by CANNOSCALE and by annotative objects.

See also

SCALELISTEDIT · OBJECTSCALE

DIMALIGNED — Aligned

Creates a dimension parallel to the points.

• Command: DIMALIGNED · Global name: _DIMALIGNED · Alias: DAL
• Ribbon: Annotate › Dimensions
• Menu: Dimension

Dimensions the true distance between two points, with the dimension line parallel to the segment that joins them, also when it is diagonal.

Usage

1. Enter DIMALIGNED (or DAL) or click Aligned on the ribbon.
2. Specify the first extension line origin, or press Enter to select a line.

Specify first extension line origin or <select object>:

3. Specify the second extension line origin.

Specify second extension line origin:

4. Specify how far from the points the dimension line goes.

Specify dimension line location:

Selecting an object

With Enter at the first step you select a line; its endpoints are the origins.

Select object to dimension:

Notes

• The dimension uses the current dimension style (DIMSTYLE); change it with DIMSTYLE.
• To change the dimension text use DIMEDIT.
• DIMCONTINUE and DIMBASELINE can start from an aligned dimension.
• If its points lie on the geometry (endpoint, midpoint, center...), the dimension is associated with it and follows it when it is moved, stretched or scaled (DIMASSOC). With an annotative dimension style, the dimension is annotative.

See also

DIMLINEAR · DIMEDIT · DIMSTYLE · Dimensions

DIMANGULAR — Angular

Dimensions the angle between two lines.

• Command: DIMANGULAR · Global name: _DIMANGULAR · Alias: DAN
• Ribbon: Annotate › Dimensions
• Menu: Dimension

Dimensions the angle between two non-parallel lines, or the angle defined by a vertex and two points, with a dimension arc. The text is in degrees, with the angular precision of the dimension style.

Usage

1. Enter DIMANGULAR (or DAN) or click Angular on the ribbon.
2. Select the first line, or press Enter to specify the angle with three points.

Select first line or <specify vertex>:

3. Select the second line. If it is parallel to the first one, a message is shown and another line is requested.

Select second line:

4. Move the cursor to choose which angle is dimensioned (depending on the quadrant it is in) and how far from the vertex the arc goes, and specify the point.

Specify dimension arc line location:

Three points

With Enter at the first step, the vertex and a point on each side of the angle are requested, then the location of the arc:

Specify angle vertex:
Specify first angle endpoint:
Specify second angle endpoint:

Notes

• The AutoCAD variants that dimension an arc or a circle directly are not available; for the length of an arc use DIMARC.
• The dimension uses the current dimension style (DIMSTYLE); angular precision and zero suppression are on the Primary Units tab of DIMSTYLE.
• The dimension is associated with the lines or points it measures and follows them when they change (DIMASSOC).

See also

DIMLINEAR · DIMRADIUS · DIMSTYLE · Dimensions

DIMARC — Arc Length

Dimensions the length of an arc.

• Command: DIMARC · Global name: _DIMARC · Alias: DAR
• Ribbon: Annotate › Dimensions

Dimensions the length of an arc, measured along the curve. The dimension arc is concentric with the dimensioned arc and the text carries the arc length symbol (⌒).

Usage

1. Enter DIMARC (or DAR).
2. Select the arc with a click. Circles are not accepted.

Select arc:

3. Move the cursor to preview the dimension and specify where the dimension arc goes.

Specify arc length dimension location:

Notes

• The position of the symbol is set by the DIMARCSYM dimension variable, on the Primary Units tab of DIMSTYLE: before the text, above it or none.
• The dimension uses the current dimension style (DIMSTYLE) and is associated with the arc: if the arc changes, the measurement is updated.
• The Partial and Leader options of AutoCAD are not available: the whole arc is always dimensioned.

See also

DIMANGULAR · DIMSTYLE · Dimensions

DIMBASELINE — Baseline

Creates linear dimensions from the same baseline.

• Command: DIMBASELINE · Global name: _DIMBASELINE · Alias: DBA
• Ribbon: Annotate › Dimensions

Creates several dimensions measured from the same origin. Each dimension line is offset from the previous one by the DIMDLI distance of the dimension style, so that they do not overlap.

Usage

1. Enter DIMBASELINE (or DBA).
2. The command starts from the last linear or aligned dimension in the drawing, from its first extension line. If there is none, select the base dimension.

Select base dimension:

3. Specify the second extension line origin. A dimension is created from the common origin to that point and the prompt repeats.

Specify a second extension line origin or [Undo/Select] <Select>:

4. Press Enter to finish.

Options

• Undo (U): removes the last dimension created.
• Select (S): selects another base dimension. The common origin is the extension line closest to the point you click.

Notes

• Only linear and aligned dimensions are accepted as the base.
• New dimensions use the current dimension style (DIMSTYLE).
• If its points lie on the geometry (endpoint, midpoint, center...), the dimension is associated with it and follows it when it is moved, stretched or scaled (DIMASSOC). With an annotative dimension style, the dimension is annotative.

See also

DIMCONTINUE · DIMLINEAR · DIMSTYLE · Dimensions

DIMBREAK — Dimension Break

Breaks dimension and extension lines where other objects cross them.

• Command: DIMBREAK · Global name: _DIMBREAK · Alias: DBR
• Ribbon: Annotate › Dimensions

Breaks the dimension and extension lines where other objects cross them, so the drawing reads better, or removes the breaks.

Usage

1. Enter DIMBREAK (or DBR).
2. Select the dimension, or choose Multiple to select several (Enter ends the selection).

Select dimension to add/remove break or [Multiple]:

3. Select the object that breaks the dimension (only that one will break it), press Enter (or choose Auto) to break it with everything that crosses it, or choose Remove to remove the breaks.

Select object to break dimension or [Auto/Remove] <Auto>:

4. The number of changed dimensions is reported.

Options

• Multiple (M): selects several dimensions at once.

Select dimensions:

• Auto (A): breaks the dimension at every crossing with other objects.
• Remove (R): removes the breaks from the selected dimensions.

Notes

• The breaks are redone every time the dimension is regenerated (when it is moved, stretched or its style changes), with the crossings found at that moment.
• Only lines and straight polyline segments break; arcs, circles and splines do not.
• With an object selected, the dimension only breaks where that object crosses it (remembered even if it moves). Manual breaks (by two points) are not available.
• The break mark is specific to Lince2D: AutoCAD shows the dimension broken, but does not recognize it as a dimension break and the break disappears if it edits the dimension.

See also

DIMSPACE · DIMEDIT · Dimensions

DIMCONTINUE — Continue

Creates a chain of linear dimensions from the previous one.

• Command: DIMCONTINUE · Global name: _DIMCONTINUE · Alias: DCO
• Ribbon: Annotate › Dimensions

Chains linear dimensions: each new dimension starts where the previous one ends, on the same dimension line. It is used for consecutive spans (openings in a façade, spacing of columns…).

Usage

1. Enter DIMCONTINUE (or DCO).
2. The command starts from the last linear or aligned dimension in the drawing. If there is none, select the dimension to continue.

Select continued dimension:

3. Specify the second extension line origin. A dimension is created from the previous one to that point and the prompt repeats from the new dimension.

Specify a second extension line origin or [Undo/Select] <Select>:

4. Press Enter to finish. If no dimension has been created yet, Enter asks you to select another starting dimension.

Options

• Undo (U): removes the last dimension created and goes back to the previous one.
• Select (S): selects another starting dimension. It continues from the extension line closest to the point you click.

Notes

• Only linear and aligned dimensions can be continued.
• New dimensions use the current dimension style (DIMSTYLE).
• The continuation of an aligned dimension is created as a rotated linear dimension, with the same geometry.
• If its points lie on the geometry (endpoint, midpoint, center...), the dimension is associated with it and follows it when it is moved, stretched or scaled (DIMASSOC). With an annotative dimension style, the dimension is annotative.

See also

DIMBASELINE · DIMLINEAR · DIMALIGNED · Dimensions

DIMDIAMETER — Diameter

Dimensions the diameter of a circle or arc.

• Command: DIMDIAMETER · Global name: _DIMDIAMETER · Alias: DDI
• Ribbon: Annotate › Dimensions
• Menu: Dimension

Dimensions the diameter of a circle or an arc. The text is prefixed with the diameter symbol (Ø50).

Usage

1. Enter DIMDIAMETER (or DDI) or click Diameter on the ribbon.
2. Select the circle or the arc with a click.

Select arc or circle:

3. Move the cursor and specify where the dimension goes. The dimension line crosses the center in the direction of the cursor.

Specify dimension line location:

Notes

• Only circles and arcs can be dimensioned; for the radius use DIMRADIUS.
• The dimension uses the current dimension style (DIMSTYLE); change it with DIMSTYLE.
• The Text and Angle options of AutoCAD are not available; change the text afterwards with DIMEDIT.
• If its points lie on the geometry (endpoint, midpoint, center...), the dimension is associated with it and follows it when it is moved, stretched or scaled (DIMASSOC). With an annotative dimension style, the dimension is annotative.

See also

DIMRADIUS · DIMANGULAR · DIMSTYLE · Dimensions

DIMDISASSOCIATE — Disassociate Dimensions

Removes associativity from the selected dimensions.

• Command: DIMDISASSOCIATE · Global name: _DIMDISASSOCIATE · Alias: DDA
• Ribbon: Annotate › Dimensions

Removes associativity from the selected dimensions: they stop following the geometry they measure and stay where they are.

Usage

1. Enter DIMDISASSOCIATE (or DDA).
2. Select the dimensions and press Enter. Anything that is not a dimension is discarded.

Select dimensions to disassociate:

3. The number of disassociated dimensions is reported.

Notes

• An associative dimension is also disassociated when it is moved without its geometry or when the object it is associated with is erased.
• To associate it again, use DIMREASSOCIATE.
• When DIMASSOC is not 2, new dimensions are not associated.

See also

DIMREASSOCIATE · DIMASSOC · Dimensions

DIMEDIT — Edit Dimension

Changes the text of dimensions or moves it back to its default position.

• Command: DIMEDIT · Global name: _DIMEDIT · Alias: DED
• Ribbon: Annotate › Dimensions
• Menu: Dimension

Changes the text of one or more dimensions, or moves the text back to the position given by the style.

Usage

1. Enter DIMEDIT (or DED).
2. Choose the type of editing (Enter: Home).

Enter type of dimension editing [Home/New] <Home>:

3. With New, type the new text.

Enter dimension text <<>>:

4. Select the dimensions and press Enter. They are redrawn with the change.

Select objects:

Options

• Home (H): the text goes back to its default position if it had been moved (for example, with grips).
• New (N): replaces the text of the dimensions. <> stands for the measurement: <> mm writes the measurement followed by "mm", and <> alone (or Enter) shows the plain measurement again.

Notes

• Selected objects that are not dimensions are ignored.
• The Rotate and Oblique options of AutoCAD are not available.
• The text of a dimension can also be changed in the PROPERTIES palette.

See also

DIMLINEAR · DIMSTYLE · PROPERTIES · Dimensions

DIMJOGGED — Jogged

Creates jogged radius dimensions for large arcs and circles.

• Command: DIMJOGGED · Global name: _DIMJOGGED · Alias: DJO, JOG
• Ribbon: Annotate › Dimensions

Dimensions the radius of a large arc or circle whose center lies outside the drawing or far from the visible area. The dimension line does not start at the real center but at an override center you choose, and it has a jog (a zigzag break) showing that it is not to scale.

Usage

1. Enter DIMJOGGED (or DJO, JOG).
2. Select the arc or the circle with a click.

Select arc or circle:

3. Specify the override center: the point the dimension line starts from.

Specify center location override:

4. Specify where the dimension line goes (and the arrow on the curve).

Specify dimension line location:

5. Specify where the jog goes, between the override center and the arrow.

Specify jog location:

Notes

• The jog angle is the DIMJOGANG dimension variable of the style (45° if it has no value).
• The text is prefixed with the letter R, like that of a normal radius dimension, and measures the real radius.
• The dimension uses the current dimension style (DIMSTYLE) and is associated with the center of the arc or circle.
• The Text and Angle options of AutoCAD are not available; change the text afterwards with DIMEDIT.

See also

DIMRADIUS · DIMJOGLINE · DIMSTYLE · Dimensions

DIMJOGLINE — Dimension, Jogged Linear

Adds or removes a jog line on a linear or aligned dimension.

• Command: DIMJOGLINE · Global name: _DIMJOGLINE · Alias: DJL
• Ribbon: Annotate › Dimensions

Adds a jog (a zigzag break) to the line of a linear or aligned dimension, to show that the measurement does not match the drawn length, or removes it.

Usage

1. Enter DIMJOGLINE (or DJL).
2. Select the linear or aligned dimension, or choose Remove.

Select dimension to add jog or [Remove]:

3. Specify where the jog goes on the dimension line, or press Enter to place it between the text and the first arrow.

Specify jog location (or press ENTER):

Options

• Remove (R): select the dimensions whose jog you want to remove and press Enter.

Select jogs to remove:

Notes

• A dimension has only one jog: if it already had one, the new one replaces it.
• The jog is saved in the dimension the way AutoCAD saves it (ACAD_DSTYLE_DIMJAG_POSITION extended data), so AutoCAD sees it and keeps it.
• Only linear and aligned dimensions are accepted.

See also

DIMJOGGED · DIMLINEAR · DIMALIGNED · Dimensions

DIMLINEAR — Linear

Creates a horizontal or vertical dimension.

• Command: DIMLINEAR · Global name: _DIMLINEAR · Alias: DLI
• Ribbon: Home › Annotation
• Ribbon: Annotate › Dimensions
• Menu: Dimension

Dimensions the horizontal or vertical distance between two points. The dimension is horizontal or vertical depending on where you drag the dimension line: above or below the points it measures the X distance; to one side, the Y distance.

Usage

1. Enter DIMLINEAR (or DLI) or click Linear on the ribbon.
2. Specify the first extension line origin, or press Enter to select a line.

Specify first extension line origin or <select object>:

3. Specify the second extension line origin.

Specify second extension line origin:

4. Move the cursor to preview the dimension and specify where the dimension line goes.

Specify dimension line location:

Selecting an object

With Enter at the first step the object is requested: the endpoints of the selected line are the two origins.

Select object to dimension:

Notes

• Use object snaps (endpoint, intersection…) so that the origins fall exactly on the geometry.
• The dimension uses the current dimension style (DIMSTYLE): arrows, text height and placement, precision and units. Change it with DIMSTYLE.
• The measurement is written automatically; to show another text use DIMEDIT or the PROPERTIES palette.
• The Text, Angle, Horizontal, Vertical and Rotated options of AutoCAD are not available: the orientation comes from the position of the dimension line. For a dimension parallel to two diagonal points, use DIMALIGNED.
• When selecting an object, only lines are accepted.
• If its points lie on the geometry (endpoint, midpoint, center...), the dimension is associated with it and follows it when it is moved, stretched or scaled (DIMASSOC). With an annotative dimension style, the dimension is annotative.

See also

DIMALIGNED · DIMCONTINUE · DIMBASELINE · DIMSTYLE · Dimensions

DIMORDINATE — Ordinate

Creates an ordinate dimension.

• Command: DIMORDINATE · Global name: _DIMORDINATE · Alias: DOR
• Ribbon: Annotate › Dimensions

Dimensions the X or Y coordinate of a point relative to the drawing origin, with a leader from the point to the text. It is the usual dimension in machining or setting-out drawings.

Usage

1. Enter DIMORDINATE (or DOR).
2. Specify the point to dimension (the feature).

Specify feature location:

3. Specify the leader endpoint. If the leader runs mostly vertically, the X is dimensioned; if it runs horizontally, the Y.

Specify leader endpoint or [Xdatum/Ydatum]:

Options

• Xdatum (X): dimensions the X of the point even if the leader runs horizontally.
• Ydatum (Y): dimensions the Y of the point.

Notes

• The measurement is the coordinate in the world coordinate system.
• If the endpoint is not aligned with the point, the leader has a diagonal jog, as in AutoCAD.
• The dimension uses the current dimension style (DIMSTYLE).
• If its points lie on the geometry (endpoint, midpoint, center...), the dimension is associated with it and follows it when it is moved, stretched or scaled (DIMASSOC). With an annotative dimension style, the dimension is annotative.

See also

DIMLINEAR · DIMSTYLE · Coordinates · Dimensions

DIMRADIUS — Radius

Dimensions the radius of a circle or arc.

• Command: DIMRADIUS · Global name: _DIMRADIUS · Alias: DRA
• Ribbon: Annotate › Dimensions
• Menu: Dimension

Dimensions the radius of a circle or an arc. The text is prefixed with the letter R (R25).

Usage

1. Enter DIMRADIUS (or DRA) or click Radius on the ribbon.
2. Select the circle or the arc with a click.

Select arc or circle:

3. Move the cursor around the circle and specify where the dimension goes. The dimension line starts at the center, in the direction of the cursor.

Specify dimension line location:

Notes

• Only circles and arcs can be dimensioned; for the diameter use DIMDIAMETER.
• The dimension uses the current dimension style (DIMSTYLE); change it with DIMSTYLE.
• The Text and Angle options of AutoCAD are not available; change the text afterwards with DIMEDIT.
• If its points lie on the geometry (endpoint, midpoint, center...), the dimension is associated with it and follows it when it is moved, stretched or scaled (DIMASSOC). With an annotative dimension style, the dimension is annotative.

See also

DIMDIAMETER · DIMANGULAR · DIMSTYLE · Dimensions

DIMREASSOCIATE — Reassociate Dimensions

Associates the selected dimensions to geometry.

• Command: DIMREASSOCIATE · Global name: _DIMREASSOCIATE · Alias: DRE
• Ribbon: Annotate › Dimensions

Associates dimensions with the geometry again: for each selected dimension you specify its definition points once more and the dimension becomes linked to the objects found there. From then on the dimension follows those objects when they are moved, stretched, scaled or edited with grips.

Usage

1. Enter DIMREASSOCIATE (or DRE).
2. Select the dimensions and press Enter. Anything that is not a dimension is discarded.

Select dimensions to reassociate:

3. The points of each dimension are requested one by one. Specify the point with an object snap (endpoint, midpoint, center, quadrant or node) or press Enter to keep the current one.

Specify definition point … or press Enter to skip:

4. At the end, the number of dimensions that became associative is reported.

Points requested

Notes

• The dimension is associated only if DIMASSOC is 2.
• The association is recognized because the point coincides with a key point of the object (endpoint, midpoint, center, quadrant, node or polyline vertex). A point at an intersection or a nearest point does not associate it.
• New dimensions are already associated when their points lie on the geometry; this command is for dimensions that were disassociated (moved on their own, their object erased) or for those of older drawings.
• Associations are saved as in AutoCAD (DIMASSOC object), and AutoCAD keeps them.

See also

DIMDISASSOCIATE · DIMASSOC · Dimensions

DIMSPACE — Adjust Space

Adjusts the spacing between parallel linear dimensions.

• Command: DIMSPACE · Global name: _DIMSPACE · Alias: DSP
• Ribbon: Annotate › Dimensions

Makes the spacing between parallel linear dimensions equal: it places them at the same distance from one another starting from a base dimension, or aligns them all on the same line.

Usage

1. Enter DIMSPACE (or DSP).
2. Select the base dimension, the one that does not move.

Select base dimension:

3. Select the dimensions to space and press Enter.

Select dimensions to space:

4. Enter the spacing, or press Enter for the automatic one.

Enter value or [Auto] <Auto>:

Options

• Auto (A): the spacing is twice the text height of the base dimension's style.
• A number: the distance between consecutive dimension lines. With 0 the dimensions are aligned with the base.

Notes

• Only linear and aligned dimensions parallel to the base are moved; the others are discarded.
• They are sorted by their distance to the base and placed, in that order, towards the side of the base's dimension line.
• The text of the moved dimensions returns to its default position.

See also

DIMBASELINE · DIMBREAK · Dimensions

DIMSTYLE — Dimension Style

Creates and modifies dimension styles.

• Command: DIMSTYLE · Global name: _DIMSTYLE · Alias: D, DST
• Ribbon: Annotate › Dimensions
• Menu: Format
• Menu: Dimension

Manages dimension styles: creates, modifies, renames and deletes styles, and sets the current one. The style sets the look of dimensions: extension lines, arrows, text, scale and number format.

Usage

1. Enter DIMSTYLE (or D, DST) or click Dimension Style on the ribbon. The Dimension Style Manager opens.
2. Choose a style in the Styles: list (styles used by dimensions show "(in use)"). Double-click makes it current.
3. Click one of the buttons.

Buttons

• Set Current: new dimensions will use the selected style.
• New...: opens Create New Dimension Style; type the name in New Style Name:, choose in Start With: the style to copy and click Continue.
• Modify...: opens Modify Dimension Style, with the tabs below.
• Rename: changes the name, also in the dimensions that use it. Standard cannot be renamed.
• Delete: deletes the style unless it is Standard, current or used by a dimension.

Modify Dimension Style

• Lines: Extend beyond dim lines, Offset from origin and Dimension line extension with ticks (DIMDLE).
• Symbols and Arrows: Arrow size, Tick size instead of arrowheads (DIMTSZ; 0: arrowheads), A different arrowhead at each end (DIMSAH) and the arrowheads: Arrowheads (or First and Second with DIMSAH) and Leader. They are AutoCAD's 20 (Closed filled, Closed blank, Closed, Dot, Architectural tick, Oblique, Open, Origin indicator, Origin indicator 2, Right angle, Open 30, Dot small, Dot blank, Small, Box blank, Box filled, Datum triangle, Datum triangle filled, Integral and None), drawn the way AutoCAD draws them: _ArchTick, _Dot… blocks added to the drawing (DIMBLK, DIMBLK1, DIMBLK2 and DIMLDRBLK). Dimensions from AutoCAD DWG files keep their arrowheads when edited.
• Text: Text height, Offset from dim line, text placement (Centered or Above) and Text style.
• Fit: what moves out when the text and the arrowheads do not fit between the extension lines (If text and arrows don't fit, move out (DIMATFIT): Both text and arrows, Arrows first, Text first or Either text or arrows (best fit)), Text always between extension lines (DIMTIX), Suppress arrowheads that don't fit (DIMSOXD), Dimension line between extension lines (DIMTOFL) and When the text is moved (DIMTMOVE) (Beside the dimension line, Over dimension line, with leader or Over dimension line, without leader). As in AutoCAD, the text width is measured with its font; what moves out goes beyond the second extension line, with the dimension line extended. Also Overall scale, which multiplies all sizes, and Annotative: new dimensions with the style are annotative and, instead of the overall scale, take the current annotation scale (CANNOSCALE): at 1:50 the sizes are multiplied by 50.
• Primary Units: precision, decimal separator, linear scale factor, round off, zero suppression (Leading and Trailing), angular precision and Prefix and suffix (<> = measurement). Also the measurement tolerances: Tolerances (DIMTOL, 0/1), Limits (DIMLIM, 0/1), Upper value (DIMTP) and Lower value (DIMTM). And, for arc length dimensions, Arc length symbol (0: preceding, 1: above, 2: none).
• Alternate Units: Display alternate units (DIMALT) adds the measurement in other units in brackets (40 [1.575]), with Alternate units multiplier (DIMALTF) (25.4 from inches to millimetres; 0.03937 the other way), Alternate units decimal places (DIMALTD), Alternate units round-off (DIMALTRND), Alternate units zero suppression (DIMALTZ), Alternate tolerance decimal places (DIMALTTD) and Alternate prefix and suffix ([] is the value) (DIMAPOST).

Click OK: the dimensions that use the style are redrawn.

Notes

• The current style is stored in DIMSTYLE, and the overall scale in DIMSCALE.
• Hovering over each label shows the name of its variable (DIMTXT, DIMASZ…).
• There is no style preview. Alternate units are only written in decimal (DIMALTU), and the text and arrowhead fit is that of linear and aligned dimensions (angular and radius dimensions keep their own placement).
• Measurement tolerances (± or limits) are not geometric tolerances: the feature control frame is created with TOLERANCE.

See also

DIMLINEAR · STYLE · DIMEDIT · Dimensions

FIELD — Field

Inserts an updatable field: date, file name, drawing properties or an object property.

• Command: FIELD · Global name: _FIELD · Alias: FLD
• Ribbon: Annotate › Text

Inserts a field: a text whose value is computed and updated automatically, such as the date, the file name, the drawing author or a property of an object (the length of a line, the area of a boundary...). The field can go in a new text or replace the contents of an existing text.

Usage

1. Enter FIELD (or FLD).
2. Choose the field (Enter: Date).

Enter field [Date/Filename/Author/Title/Subject/Login/Object] <Date>:

3. With Object, select the object and choose the property (Enter: Length).

Enter property [Length/Area/Radius/Diameter/anGle/laYer] <Length>:

4. Specify where the new text starts, or choose Select text and select a text or a multiline text.

Specify text start point or [Select text]:
Select the text to hold the field:

Fields

Notes

• The new text is a multiline text with the current text style and height.
• Fields are shown on a gray background, which is not plotted; FIELDDISPLAY turns it off.
• They are updated when the drawing is opened and saved and with UPDATEFIELD; the date, only with the latter.
• They are saved as in AutoCAD, which recognizes and updates them.
• FIELD does not yet put fields in attributes or inside the MTEXT editor. A field that cannot be evaluated is shown as ####.

See also

UPDATEFIELD · MTEXT · Text and styles

FIND — Find and Replace

Finds text in texts, attributes, dimensions, leaders and tables and replaces it.

• Command: FIND · Global name: _FIND · Alias: FND
• Ribbon: Annotate › Text

Finds a text in the drawing and replaces it with another. It searches texts, multiline texts, attributes, dimension override texts, multileaders and table cells.

Usage

1. Enter FIND (or FND). The Find and Replace dialog box opens.
2. Type what you are looking for in Find what:. Below it you see how many times it appears, updated as you type.
3. Type the new text in Replace with: and click Replace All. Close finishes without changing anything.

The dialog box

• Match case: when cleared, "wall" also finds "Wall" and "WALL".
• Find whole words only: "wall" does not find "walls" or "drywall".
• If objects were selected when the command started, only they are searched and the dialog box says so.

Command line

While the dialog box is open you can also type:

Find what:
Replace with (Enter: find only):

If you press Enter at the second prompt, the matches are only counted. The typed search uses the boxes of the dialog.

Notes

• Texts with fields are skipped, because their contents come from the field; in tables, formulas are not searched.
• In multiline texts, a word split by a formatting change (one letter in bold, for example) is not found.
• There is no step-by-step search or zoom to each match: all of them are replaced at once. The change is undone with UNDO.

See also

SPELL · TEXTEDIT · Text and styles

MLEADER — Multileader

Creates a multileader: arrowhead, landing and text or block content.

• Command: MLEADER · Global name: _MLEADER · Alias: MLD
• Ribbon: Home › Annotation
• Ribbon: Annotate › Leaders
• Menu: Dimension

Creates a multileader: an arrow pointing at a point, a landing and some content (multiline text, a block or nothing). Its look is set by the current multileader style.

Usage

1. Enter MLEADER (or MLD) or click Multileader on the ribbon.
2. Specify the arrowhead location, or choose what to specify first.

Specify leader arrowhead location or [leader Landing first/Content first/Options] <Options>:

3. Specify the next point. When the maximum number of points is reached (2 by default: the arrowhead and the landing), that point is the landing; with more points, Enter ends the leader at the last one.

Specify leader landing location:

4. If the content is text, the MTEXT editor opens: type the text and click OK.

Options

• leader Landing first (L): specify the landing first and then the arrowhead.
• Content first (C): draw the text box first (two corners), type the text and specify the arrowhead last.
• leader arrowHead first (H): starts again with the arrowhead.
• Options (O, or Enter):

Enter an option [Content type/Maxpoints/eXit options] <eXit options>:

• Content type (C): Block, Mtext or None. With a block, type its name.
• Maxpoints (M): maximum number of leader points, from 2 to 100.
• eXit options (X): goes back to the first prompt.

Notes

• The chosen order (arrowhead, landing or content first) is remembered for the next MLEADER, as in AutoCAD.
• The arrowhead, landing, text style and text height are changed in MLEADERSTYLE.
• Grips move the arrowhead, the vertices, or the content together with the landing.
• If the style is annotative (those that come in AutoCAD drawings), the multileader is created annotative at the current annotation scale (CANNOSCALE). When the scale changes its content is scaled, but the leader is not rebuilt.

See also

MLEADEREDIT · MLEADERALIGN · MLEADERSTYLE · Text and styles

MLEADERALIGN — Align Multileaders

Aligns the content of several multileaders.

• Command: MLEADERALIGN · Global name: _MLEADERALIGN · Alias: MLA
• Ribbon: Annotate › Leaders

Aligns the content of several multileaders: their landings move onto the same line, the one that starts at the reference multileader in the direction you specify. The arrowheads do not move.

Usage

1. Enter MLEADERALIGN (or MLA) or click Align Multileaders on the ribbon.
2. Select the multileaders to align and press Enter.

Select multileaders:

3. Select the multileader used as the reference (it does not move).

Select multileader to align to:

4. Specify the direction of the line (for example, vertical with Ortho to stack the texts in a column).

Specify direction:

Notes

• Each multileader is moved onto the line by the shortest path, together with its content.
• The AutoCAD options to distribute the multileaders or to change their spacing are not available.

See also

MLEADER · MLEADEREDIT · MLEADERSTYLE

MLEADEREDIT — Add or Remove Leaders

Adds leaders to a multileader or removes leaders from it.

• Command: MLEADEREDIT · Global name: _MLEADEREDIT · Alias: MLE
• Ribbon: Annotate › Leaders

Adds leaders to a multileader or removes some. All the leaders reach the same landing and the same content.

Usage

1. Enter MLEADEREDIT (or MLE) or click Add or Remove Leaders on the ribbon.
2. Select the multileader.

Select a multileader:

3. Specify the arrowhead of each new leader; the prompt repeats. Press Enter to finish.

Specify leader arrowhead location or [Remove leaders]:

Options

• Remove leaders (R): pick near the leaders you do not want; the one closest to each point is removed.

Specify leaders to remove or [Add leader]:

• Add leader (A): goes back to adding leaders.

Notes

• At least one leader always remains.
• New leaders are straight, from the arrowhead to the landing.

See also

MLEADER · MLEADERALIGN · MLEADERSTYLE

MLEADERSTYLE — Multileader Style

Creates, modifies and sets the current multileader style.

• Command: MLEADERSTYLE · Global name: _MLEADERSTYLE · Alias: MLS
• Ribbon: Annotate › Leaders
• Menu: Format

Manages multileader styles: creates and modifies styles and sets the current one. When a style is modified, the multileaders that use it are updated.

Usage

1. Enter MLEADERSTYLE (or MLS) or click Multileader Style on the ribbon. The Multileader Style Manager opens.
2. Choose a style in the Styles: list.
3. Set Current makes it current; to create one, type the name in the field and click New (a copy of the selected style); Modify... shows its values.
4. Change the values, click OK and, when done, Close.

Modifying the style

• Arrowhead symbol: Closed filled or None; Arrowhead size.
• Automatically include landing, Set landing distance (length of the landing) and Landing gap (gap between the landing and the text).
• Multileader type: Mtext, Block (choose the Source block) or None.
• Text style and Text height.
• Left attachment and Right attachment: where the landing meets the text when the leader comes from the left or from the right (Top of top line, Middle of multi-line text, Underline all text…).

Command line

While the dialog box is open you can type:

Multileader Style Manager (or ?, Current name, New name, Text height value):

• ?: lists the styles.
• Current name (C): makes the style current.
• New name (N): creates a copy of the current style and makes it current.
• Text height value (T): changes the text height of the current style.

Notes

• The current style is stored in CMLEADERSTYLE. There are only two arrowheads: closed filled and none.
• The Annotative property of the style is not changed here; annotative styles from AutoCAD drawings are honored and their multileaders are created annotative.

See also

MLEADER · STYLE · Text and styles

MTEXT — Multiline Text

Creates a formatted paragraph of text.

• Command: MTEXT · Global name: _MTEXT · Alias: T, MT
• Ribbon: Home › Annotation
• Ribbon: Annotate › Text
• Menu: Draw
• Toolbar: Draw

Creates multiline text (MTEXT): a paragraph inside a box, with line breaks and formatting (bold, italic, underline, color, height) within the same object. For one-line notes, TEXT is quicker.

Usage

1. Enter MTEXT (or T, MT) or click Multiline Text on the ribbon.
2. Specify the first corner of the box.

Specify first corner:

3. Specify the opposite corner or choose an option. The box width is the paragraph width: long lines wrap at the edge.

Specify opposite corner or [Height/Justify/Style/Rotation/Width]:

4. The Text Editor opens. Type the text and click OK. You can also type the lines on the command line; Enter on an empty line finishes.

Enter text (Enter on an empty line ends):

Options

• Height (H): text height (it offers the last one used, TEXTSIZE).
• Justify (J): attachment point of the box (TL, TC, TR, ML, MC, MR, BL, BC, BR).

Enter justification [TL/TC/TR/ML/MC/MR/BL/BC/BR] <…>:

• Style (S): text style; ? lists the ones in the drawing.
• Rotate (R): angle of the box and the text.
• Width (W): types the box width instead of the opposite corner (0, no limit).

Text Editor

• Style, Height, Justification and Width: the values for the whole paragraph.
• B, I and U: bold, italic and underline for the selection (or for all the text if nothing is selected).
• Color list and Color: applies the chosen color to the selection.
• × factor and Height button: changes the height of the selection relative to the paragraph.
• Each line in the box is a paragraph. Formats are stored as MTEXT codes, which can also be typed by hand.

Notes

• With a fixed-height style, the style height replaces the typed one.
• With an annotative style, the text is created annotative and its height is the paper height at the current annotation scale (CANNOSCALE); OBJECTSCALE adds more scales to it.
• Fields are inserted with FIELD (not yet from the editor), and spelling is checked with SPELL.
• To change the text later, double-click it or use TEXTEDIT.

See also

TEXT · TEXTEDIT · STYLE · Text and styles

OBJECTSCALE — Object Scale

Adds or deletes annotation scales of annotative objects.

• Command: OBJECTSCALE · Global name: _OBJECTSCALE · Alias: OBJSC
• Ribbon: Annotate › Annotation Scaling

Adds or deletes annotation scales of the selected annotative objects. An annotative object keeps one representation for each scale it supports and is shown with the one of the current annotation scale (CANNOSCALE) or of the viewport; if it does not support that scale, it is shown with its default scale.

Usage

1. Enter OBJECTSCALE (or OBJSC).
2. Select the objects and press Enter. Objects that are not annotative are discarded.

Select annotative objects:

3. Choose whether to add or delete a scale (Enter: Add).

Enter an option [Add/Delete/?] <Add>:

4. Enter the scale name as it appears in the drawing's scale list (1:50). When adding, Enter takes the current annotation scale.

Enter named scale to add or [?] <…>:
Enter named scale to delete or [?]:

Options

• Add (A): the objects start supporting the scale. The new representation is computed from the one shown: texts and dimensions keep their size on paper.
• Delete (D): the objects stop supporting the scale. An object never loses its last scale.
• ?: lists the scales supported by the selected objects.

Notes

• The scale must be in the drawing's scale list; add it with SCALELISTEDIT. If the drawing has no list, the AutoCAD metric list is created.
• The scales supported by an object are shown in the PROPERTIES palette (Annotative scales), where it can also be made annotative with Annotative.
• There is no dialog box: everything is done on the command line.
• With ANNOAUTOSCALE, changing the annotation scale adds it automatically to the objects that supported the previous one.

See also

SCALELISTEDIT · CANNOSCALE · Annotation scales

QDIM — Quick Dimension

Quickly creates a series of dimensions from the selected geometry.

• Command: QDIM · Global name: _QDIM · Alias: QD
• Ribbon: Annotate › Dimensions

Creates a series of dimensions of the selected geometry in one go: chained dimensions, baseline dimensions, staggered dimensions, ordinate dimensions, or radius or diameter dimensions of all arcs and circles. It is the quick way to dimension a part or a façade.

Usage

1. Enter QDIM (or QD).
2. Select the geometry you want to dimension and press Enter.

Select geometry to dimension:

3. Move the cursor to preview the dimensions and specify where the dimension line goes, or choose another type of dimension first. Enter finishes without dimensioning.

Specify dimension line position or [Continuous/Staggered/Baseline/Ordinate/Radius/Diameter] <…>:

Options

• Continuous (C): chained dimensions between consecutive points. This is the initial option.
• Staggered (S): nested symmetric dimensions, from the outer pair of points to the inner one.
• Baseline (B): all from the first point, each one offset from the previous one by the baseline spacing of the style (DIMDLI).
• Ordinate (O): one ordinate dimension per point.
• Radius (R) and Diameter (D): one dimension per arc and circle, in the direction of the cursor.

Which points are dimensioned

• Lines: their two endpoints. Polylines: their vertices. Points: their location.
• Arcs: their endpoints and, with Radius or Diameter, the arc itself. Circles: only with Radius or Diameter.
• Points that coincide in the measured direction are dimensioned only once.

Notes

• As in DIMLINEAR, the orientation comes from the position: above or below the geometry the dimensions are horizontal; to one side, vertical.
• The dimensions use the current dimension style (DIMSTYLE) and are associated with the geometry.
• The datumPoint, Edit and seTtings options of AutoCAD are not available.

See also

DIMCONTINUE · DIMBASELINE · DIMORDINATE · Dimensions

SCALELISTEDIT — Scale List

Edits the drawing's list of annotation scales.

• Command: SCALELISTEDIT · Global name: _SCALELISTEDIT
• Ribbon: Annotate › Annotation Scaling
• Menu: Format

Edits the list of annotation scales of the drawing: adds scales, deletes the ones not needed or goes back to the default list. The list is saved in the drawing, as in AutoCAD (ACAD_SCALELIST dictionary).

Usage

1. Enter SCALELISTEDIT.
2. Choose an option (Enter: Add).

Enter option [?/Add/Delete/Reset/Exit] <Add>:

3. To add a scale, type its name and its paper:drawing ratio.

Enter name for new scale:
Enter scale ratio (paper:drawing):

Options

• ?: lists the scales of the drawing with their paper and drawing units.
• Add (A): adds a scale. The ratio is typed 1:50 or 1=50.
• Delete (D): deletes the scale with the given name. The last scale cannot be deleted.
• Reset (R): after confirmation, replaces the list with the default metric one (1:1 to 1:100, and 2:1 to 100:1).
• Exit (E): ends the command (Esc also does).

Notes

• Everything is done on the command line: there is no dialog box, and SCALELISTEDIT does the same as -SCALELISTEDIT.
• The scales in the list are the ones that can be chosen as annotation scale (CANNOSCALE, also with the selector on the status bar) and the ones added to annotative objects with OBJECTSCALE.
• Lince2D does not check whether a scale is in use before deleting it: neither the current annotation scale nor those supported by annotative objects.
• The changes can be undone.

See also

-SCALELISTEDIT · OBJECTSCALE · Annotation scales · Layouts

SPELL — Check Spelling

Checks the spelling of texts with the language dictionary.

• Command: SPELL · Global name: _SPELL · Alias: SP
• Ribbon: Annotate › Text

Checks the spelling of the texts in the drawing with the dictionary of the interface language (Spanish or English) and suggests corrections for every word it does not recognize.

Usage

1. Enter SPELL (or SP).
2. Select the objects you want to check and press Enter, or press Enter without selecting anything to check the whole drawing.

Select objects (Enter: entire drawing):

3. For each word not in the dictionary, the Check Spelling dialog box opens with the suggestions. Pick one (or type the right one in Change to:) and click a button.
4. At the end you are told: Spelling check complete.

Buttons

• Change: corrects this occurrence of the word.
• Change All: also corrects all the other identical occurrences.
• Ignore: leaves the word as it is and goes to the next one.
• All: leaves this word and all identical ones during this check.
• Add: adds it to the user dictionary; it will not be flagged again.
• Close: ends the check; what was already corrected stays.

Command line

The same prompt can be answered by typing:

"…" is not in the dictionary. Suggestions: …. Type the correction or [Ignore/All/Add] <Ignore>:

Type the correction (ending with *, for all identical occurrences) or one of the options; Enter ignores the word.

Notes

• Texts, multiline texts, attributes, dimension texts, multileaders and table cells are checked. Texts with fields are skipped.
• Single-letter words and words containing digits are not checked.
• The user dictionary is the file ortografia_usuario.txt in the Lince2D configuration folder (%APPDATA%\lince on Windows): one word per line.
• The dictionaries come with the program (RLA-ES for Spanish and SCOWL for English). Some compound or heavily derived forms may be flagged as unknown: use Add.

See also

FIND · TEXTEDIT · Text and styles

STYLE — Text Style

Creates and modifies text styles.

• Command: STYLE · Global name: _STYLE · Alias: ST
• Ribbon: Annotate › Text
• Menu: Format

Creates, modifies and deletes text styles, and sets the current one. A text style holds the font, an optional fixed height, the width factor and the oblique angle; it is used by TEXT, MTEXT, dimensions and tables.

Usage

1. Enter STYLE (or ST) or click Text Style on the ribbon. The Text Style dialog box opens.
2. Choose a style in the Styles: list. Its values are shown on the right.
3. Change the values and click Apply to save them in the style.

Controls

• Font Name: the font, chosen from the list (the Windows TrueType and OpenType fonts, and the AutoCAD SHX fonts if AutoCAD is installed).
• or type the font: the font file name, typed (txt.shx, arial.ttf).
• Height: fixed height of the style. With 0, TEXT and MTEXT ask for the height of each text.
• Width Factor: 1 is the normal width; less than 1 narrows the characters and more than 1 widens them.
• Oblique Angle: slant of the characters, between -85° and 85°.
• Annotative: new texts with this style are created annotative: the height is the paper height and they are shown at the current annotation scale (CANNOSCALE). Existing texts do not change.
• Set Current: new texts will use the selected style.
• New...: creates a copy of the selected style; type the name in Style Name: and click OK.
• Delete: deletes the selected style. Standard, the current style and styles used by texts, attributes or dimension styles cannot be deleted.
• Apply: saves the changes to font, height, width and angle (enabled only when there are changes).