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/Halfwidth/Length/Undo/Width]:

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

Specify endpoint of arc or [Angle/CEnter/Direction/Halfwidth/Line/Radius/Second pt/Undo/Width]:

5. Press Enter, Space or Esc to finish.

Options

With straight segments:

• Arc (A): switches to arcs.
• Halfwidth (H) and Width (W): ask for the starting and ending value of the next segment (the half-width is half the width); Enter accepts the value shown and a click gives it as the distance from the last point. Later segments keep the ending value, which becomes the default width (PLINEWID).

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

• Length (L): adds a segment of that length in the direction of the previous one.
• Close (C): joins the last point to the first and finishes.
• Undo (U): removes the last point without leaving the command.

With arcs (the default, tangent to the previous segment):

• Angle (A): included angle and end point. CEnter (CE): center and end point (counterclockwise). Direction (D): tangent direction at the start and end point. Radius (R): radius and end point. Second pt (S): second point of the arc and end point. Line (L): back to straight segments.

Specify endpoint of arc or [Angle/CEnter/Direction/Halfwidth/Line/Radius/Second pt/Undo/Width]:

Notes

• A lightweight polyline (LWPOLYLINE) is created, as in AutoCAD. As there, the last vertex of an open polyline repeats the bulge of the previous segment.
• Pending: the width is not taken from PLINEWID at the start, and the Angle/Length sub-options after CEnter.
• 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