Converting lines to polylines

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Spanish Step by step CAD instructions. December 17, 2003

Question
Is there an easy way to covert multiple lines into a single polyline? They may be arcs and lines together.

Forum Responses
(CAD Forum)
From contributor A:
Type PEDIT. It will ask if you want to change it into a polyline - type Y (yes), then enter, type J (join) and click on all of the lines you want connected.


From contributor B:
How about pljoin?

From contributor C:
Use MPEDIT if you have Express Tool installed.

From the original questioner:
Thanks! The Express tool works great.

From contributor D:
Be aware, one problem with using the pljoin command is that it creates somewhat of a node in the corner. This is listed as a lwpolyline with 0 width and 0 length. This has been a problem with trying to create toolpaths, as the cam software can do strange things with this blip. Try making a simple rectangle out of lines, then use the pljoin command to make it a polyline (by the way, this command makes lwpolylines). Now explode the lwpolyline, then erase the lines one by one, not by windowing. You will see the blip left over in one of the corners.

I have worked around this by making a short lisp where I type PJ to invoke the pedit and the join command together. I don't get the blip, and it is a true polyline.

Correction. PEDIT also creates those blips. And it only does it when you are selecting multiple closed contours. My mistake.


From contributor C:
Use overkill command in express menu to delete all duplicate object before you create tool path. It is very easy.

From contributor D:
What is the overkill command? What version of AutoCAD has it? I can't find it in A2K. Sounds interesting.

From contributor E:
If you have ACAD 2000 or later you can use PEDIT, then when prompted, type "M" at the command line. This will allow you to join multiple objects at one time. It will also allow you to enter a "FUZZ" distance. This is great if you get a drawing that has lines that don't join or intersect. This is a great feature to the PEDIT, but you need to play with it to see what it does in different situations.

From contributor C:
Overkill is in express tool and does not come with standard AutoCAD. You can buy from Autodesk. This tool is very good for everything. I think you know the Bonus Tools in AutoCad 14. The express tool is much better than that.

The following is from AutoCAD express tool help:

The AutoCAD Express Tools are a library of productivity tools designed to help you extend the power of AutoCAD. They are easy to use, easily integrated into your menus and toolbars, and cover a wide range of AutoCAD functions, including layer management, dimensioning, drawing, object selection, object modification, and much more.

Most of the Bonus Tools that shipped with AutoCAD Release 14 are included in the AutoCAD 2000 Express Tools Sampler that is included with AutoCAD 2000. We have removed some tools, improved a few, and included some of the most popular R14 Express Tools.

Removed R14 Bonus Tools
ASCPOINT No longer maintained by the AutoCAD Express Tools team. *
BLK_LST.LSP No longer maintained by the AutoCAD Express Tools team. *
BONUS POPUP Discontinued.
CHT No longer maintained by the AutoCAD Express Tools team. *
CONVERTPLINES Intended for Release 14 only.
CROSSREF No longer maintained by the AutoCAD Express Tools team. *
DBTRANS Discontinued.
EXCHPROP Replaced by the Properties command.
FIND Replaced by the AutoCAD FIND command.
PQCHECK Replaced by the Visual Lisp IDE's built in parenthesis matching.
QLEADER Moved to the core product.


XPLODE Moved to the core product.

* If you want a copy of this tool, you can download it from the AUGI Web site.

Improved R14 Bonus Tools
ALIASEDIT
Create, modify, and delete AutoCAD command aliases on-the-fly. Aliases can be created for AutoCAD commands or DOS executable commands.
CLIPIT
This all-purpose clipping tool now supports the following additional object types as clipping boundaries: ellipses, text, mtext, and attribute definitions. CLIPIT has been enhanced to better handle clipping to geometry that extends beyond the bounds of a selected image.
COUNT
This command has been renamed BCOUNT.
EXTRIM
This cookie-cutter trimming routine allows selection of four additional object types to serve as cutting-edge objects: ellipses, text, mtext, and attribute definitions.
LMAN
The Layer Manager is one of the most popular R14 Bonus Tools. It has become more powerful with this new version. Layer Manger now accepts input from the command line. A Rename button has been added to allow quick layer state renaming. A new Options button lets you to set options for layer state restore operations; you now can specify the specific layer properties to be restored. The Layer Manager dialog box now has a Help button.
PACK
The Pack and Go program now has a command line interface that makes it suitable for use in scripts. It has also been updated to include new file dependencies required by AutoCAD 2000.
REVCLOUD
This cloud drawing program now stores the last used arc length as a multiple of the DIMSCALE. This provides for more consistency when the program is used with drawings that have different scale factors. Two styles of cloud arc segments are now supported: normal and calligraphy. This functionality is accessible through a new Options dialog box. Also, the cloud drawing process can now be halted by pressing ENTER or the space bar, or by clicking the right mouse button.
SYSVDLG
SYSVDLG now allows filtering of the system variable list. SYSVDLG now saves to SVF as well as AutoCAD script file formats and allows saving of selected variables in addition to saving the whole variable list.
TEXTMASK
TEXTMASK now has two additional masking types: a colored solid fill and 3Dface. The prompt sequence and syntax have also been changed to a more logical order. A companion command, TEXTUNMASK, has been added to remove masking from masked text.
WIPEOUT
Wipeout has a new way of creating Wipeout objects. In addition to using an existing Polyline, you can now can create Wipeout objects by specifying points.
Express Tools Included Free with AutoCAD 2000
FULLSCREEN
Use FULLSCREEN if you need squeeze-out the maximum amount of screen for your AutoCAD drawing window. FULLSCREEN re-sizes the AutoCAD window to fill the entire screen by hiding the Windows title bar and AutoCAD’s menu bar. The FULLSCREEN command acts as a toggle between full screen mode and normal screen mode.
LAYDEL
LAYDEL allows you to delete any layer (except for DEFPOINTS, 0 and the current layer) just by selecting an object on that layer or by typing in the layer name.
LAYMRG


Use LAYMRG if you do not want to delete the contents of a layer but would like to delete the layer name. This program can move all the objects on one layer to another and remove the layer from the drawing.
MKLTYPE
This new Linetype Maker allows you to select a pattern of lines and polylines and easily turn them into a linetype. It even lets you include shape or text objects to create a complex linetype.
MKSHAPE
This new shape maker tool allows you to create shapes simply by selecting objects in your drawing. If you want to create custom complex linetypes, you can use this tool to create the needed shape objects.
PLJOIN
PLJOIN joins two or more polylines whose ends do not meet exactly. PLJOIN prompts for a selection set of polylines and a fuzz distance. The fuzz distance is the maximum distance two endpoints of individual polylines can be separated but still be joined. Depending on the setting of the new PJOINMODE command, the individual polylines are joined by either inserting a new segment or by trimming or extending the two segments to their common or extended intersection point, respectively.
REDIR
With REDIR, the new Path Substitute Tool, you can easily substitute any or all hard coded path names for xrefs, styles, shapes, images, and Rtext. You can specify a new path or even remove path references entirely. This command will even allow you to substitute a portion of a path.
RTEDIT
Use this command to make changes to Rtext objects.
RTEXT
Using OLE is a fast and easy way to embed a text document into an AutoCAD file, but it does have its limitations. Rtext, a new object, allows you to embed text from an ASCII file into AutoCAD and it looks just like standard AutoCAD text. As with OLE, the source of the text itself is maintained in the external file. You can also display the value of a DIESEL expression as text in your drawing. For example, you can display the current drawing name in your title block, and be sure that it will always be correctly updated if the drawing name changes.
SHOWURLS
If you have embedded URLs in your drawing, this program will help you find them quickly.
SSTOOLS
“Exclusionary” or “anti” selection sets are now possible by prefixing the standard selection set methods (W, C, P, F, WP, CP, etc.) with an "EX". For example, “EXC” prompts for a Crossing Window that selects everything in the drawing except objects that are either partially or wholly within the confines of the window.
SUPERHATCH
SUPERHATCH uses images, blocks, xrefs, and even Wipeouts as hatch patterns. You can ”render” your elevation without having to use the rendering commands, control your hatch pattern with layers, use the block option to create hatch patterns on the fly, and more.
TFRAMES
With TFRAMES you can toggle image and Wipeout frames on and off.
TXT2MTXT
TXT2MTXT will convert text objects created with the dtext or text commands to mtext objects. Just select the pieces of text you would like to group together.
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