This is one of the newer commands. This command has
been introduced with AutoCAD 14. AutoCAD 2000 still has
it. It's there to stay.
The command is used for drawing construction lines. But
watch out. The drawn construction lines are plotted or
printed. And that's not what we want.
Construction lines are drawn to help with making a
technical drawing in AutoCAD. We don't need them in the
drawing.
This is a suggestion to AutoCAD. Keep the command for
drawing construction lines. But prevent construction
lines from being printed or plotted.
Now let's have a look at the command for drawing
construction lines. These are the prompts:
_xline
Specify a point or [Hor/Ver/Ang/Bisect/Offset]:
Specify through point:
At the first prompt a point is entered. The second
prompt is repeated all the time until the ENTER key or
the right mouse button is pressed.
At the second prompt another point is entered. After
entering a point a construction line is drawn through
the first entered point and the second point.
Construction lines have an indefinite length.
The command has five options. At the second prompt can
be chosen for an option. The five options are:
- Hor
- Ver
- Ang
- Bisect
- Offset
Hor
---
No line is drawn through the point entered at the
second prompt and the point entered at the third
prompt. A horizontal line is drawn through the point
entered at the third prompt.
Ver
---
As above. But now a vertical line is drawn through the
point entered at the third prompt.
Ang
---
Now a construction line under an angle is drawn. These
prompts show up:
Reference/
:
Through point:
At the first prompt an angle can be entered. The second
prompt is repeated all the time. Through the point
entered at the second prompt a construction line under
the entered angle is drawn.
Bisect
------
This option can be used when drawing in 3D. It's a
little bit complicated to explain. But the prompts are:
Angle vertex point:
Angle start point:
Angle end point:
The vertex point and the start point are entered at the
first and the second prompt. A construction line is
drawn through the start point and the end point.
The third prompt is repeated all the time
Offset
------
This option acts as the OFFSET command. A construction
line in offset is drawn. The prompts are the same as
those of the OFFSET command:
Offset distance or Through <10.0000>:
Select a line object:
Side to offset?
At the first prompt an offset distance can be entered.
At the second prompt a line or a construction line be
selected. A point is entered at the second prompt.
A construction line is drawn with an offset from the
selected line or selected at the side given at the
third prompt.
The second and the third prompt is repeated all the
time
The line object that can be selected at the second
prompt can be a construction line, a line, a polyline,
a rectangle or a polygon.
A construction line is drawn in offset of the selected
line. But remember. The construction line has an
indefinite length.
If a polyline, a rectangle of a polygon is selected the
drawn construction line is parallel to the segment that
was picked.
Here's a good tip. Draw construction lines on a
specific layer. You could call that layer Construction
lines.
If you want to print or plot the drawing then switch
that layer off or freeze it. That way the construction
lines will not be printed or plotted.
