Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
constrained by being part of a single polyline object. If I draw this shape with lines,
I have to apply individual coincident constraints to each corner.
5. Click an endpoint on the first polyline segment you want to connect and then
click an endpoint on the second segment.
The endpoint of the second polyline segment jumps to the endpoint of the first line,
and a small blue square — the marker for coincident constraints — appears at the
intersection. (If you don't see the little blue square, click Show All in the Geometric
panel.)
Next, I apply some orthographic parameters so my linework starts to look a little
more like a rectangle.
6. Click Horizontal in the Parametric tab's Geometric panel and then click a
line or polyline segment you want to be aligned with the drawing's X-axis.
In this example, I picked the bottom segment of the polyline. The segment realigns
itself horizontally from the endpoint nearest to where you picked the line (unless a
Fix constraint is added first), and a horizontal constraint marker — officially called
a
constraint bar
— appears near the object.
7. Click Vertical to align a line or polyline segment with the drawing's Y-ax-
is.
In this example, I picked the left verticalish polyline segment. The segment realigns
itself at 90 degrees to the horizontal segment, and a constraint bar showing a vertic-
al constraint appears. With one horizontally and one vertically constrained line seg-
ment, you're halfway to a geometrically precise rectangle!
Because rectangles have parallel and perpendicular sides, next I apply those con-
straints to my linework.
8. Click Parallel in the Parametric tab's Geometric panel, click the vertic-
ally constrained line segment, and then click the line segment opposite.
Because there's already a vertical constraint applied to one segment, it doesn't mat-
ter which line you pick first. If neither line had an existing constraint, the second
line you picked would become parallel to the first line.
Always keep your design intent in mind as you think about which con-
straints to apply and when to apply them. As a general rule, it's good to start with
the most important and drill down to the least important. And, as I remind you
