Zero

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debenriver
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Zero

Post by debenriver »

Hi Eric

Just a thought .... probably a silly one ...

I use the ability to drag the rulers to a zero point (x=0, y=0) on the drawing a lot. On a boat, the zero point is often the intersection of the forward perpendicular and the datum waterline (in a profile view) or the centreline (in a plan view). And pretty much everything that I draw is relevant to the zero point and the structures of the boat.

When it comes to detail drawings, specially on larger boats, the zero point is way outside the extent of the drawing. This isn't a huge problem, but what I have to do is extend the drawing to enough pages to accommodate the zero point, then create it, then get rid of the lines and the extra pages, so I'm back to a single page (usually A3) and the various items on the page are in their correct location with respect to zero.

So, if I'm working on say a 19m sailboat that is 5.5m beam and I'm drawing an item of interior furniture at 1:10 scale – near the aft end of the boat for example – the zero point is a many pages away from my drawing. And if I have to move what I am drawing on the page, then I have to go through the whole process again!

So, I'm just wondering if it is possible as well as simply dragging the zero point somewhere, it would be possible to click on a line and designate its x or y location – so on my 19m boat, working in say the aft cabin, I might want to designate a vertical line as Position -17000mm (x=-17000), because the structure that that line represented was at 17000mm aft of the zero point. So what I would be doing in fact would be the same as creating a zero point way off the drawing.

It's only a thought – and not important at all – and might be difficult to do – and I don't know how many users would actually use it. And of course I could simply make my -17000 line zero and calculate everything from that. But it's really nice to be able to click on a line and know its real position without having to engage brain too much :mrgreen:

Cheers -- George
Eric Pousse
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Location: Tours - France

Re: Zero

Post by Eric Pousse »

Bonjour George,

I'm not sure I fully understand what you want.
Is this a new way to change the origin of the drawing?

Cordialement.
Eric Pousse
debenriver
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Re: Zero

Post by debenriver »

Sorry Eric for not being clearer. It's a bit complicated to explain.

Yes it is an additional way to specify the origin.

What I wanted to be able to do was to click on a line and designate the x or the y location of that line.

In other words, I could set the x=0, y=0 axes outside of the drawing by designating specific lines within the drawing a certain distance away from x=0, y=0.

By convention, boats are drawn with the bow to the right of a drawing and the stern to the left. In the profile view, the Datum Waterline (DWL - roughly where the boat will float) is the y=0 axis. A vertical line – called the Forward perpendicular (FP) – drawn through where the front of the stem crosses the DWL is the x=0 axis. Where the FP crosses the DWL is termed the zero point x=0, y=0. In the plan view the Centreline (CL) of the boat is the y=0 axis so the zero point is where the FP crosses the CL.

Most everything on the drawings is labelled and located relative to the zero point, using Position (distance from the FP), Height (distance from the DWL) and Offset (distance from the CL). Imported lines from the naval architecture program are located in the same way. And the builder installs items in the boat using the same location data.

So, for example, I am working on an A3 drawing at 1:10 scale, and if a line on my drawing represented the aft face of a frame at x = -17000 (Position -17000), I would click on that line and designate it as being at x = -17000. So I would be setting the x=0 axis 17000mm to the right of the line. Without having to extend the drawing by about 5 pages and create an x-axis 17000mm away from my frame line, drag the ruler to that etc. and then delete it and reduce the drawing to a single page again.

Then everything I draw on that drawing can be positioned in its actual location. And when I click on an item its actual location in the boat shows in the Edit window.

As I said it's not that important and I don't know if it would have general use other than for me!! And it might be complicated to do, which is probably not worth it.

Cheers -- George
Eric Pousse
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Location: Tours - France

Re: Zero

Post by Eric Pousse »

George,

Which way will be the best to do that for you?

Thanks.
Eric Pousse
debenriver
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Re: Zero

Post by debenriver »

Hi Eric

Well I suppose the easiest (for the user) in some ways would be when you drag the ┼ at the top left of the rulers.

Perhaps it could have a little dialogue come up:

x =
y =

With default values of 0, but you would be able to enter values as well.

And then when you dragged over to the intersection of the horizontal and vertical lines with Snap on (like you do now to set the intersection of the lines to x=0, y=0) it would set the x and y origins with relative to the values entered.

E.g. If you entered

x = -3000
y = 0

It would set the x=0 axis 3000 units to the right of the vertical line and the y=0 axis to the horizontal line.


I suppose another way would be to have a new "Window >> Set x,y axes" menu item, which when you clicked a vertical line gave you the opportunity to set its x position – thus moving the x=0 axis the entered value away from it. Similarly with a horizontal line for the y value.


And another way would be to do much the same via two extra fields in the Edit window.

What is the easiest to code??

Cheers -- George
Eric Pousse
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Location: Tours - France

Re: Zero

Post by Eric Pousse »

Bonjour George,

Can you try v5.02b1, please?

Thanks!
Eric Pousse
debenriver
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Re: Zero

Post by debenriver »

Gosh Eric - I can't make it work – perhaps I'm doing something wrong.

If I click the ┼ and leave the default x=0, y=0 I get this, quite correctly. Clicking on XX, shows x = 579.4375 in the Edit panel. And the Rulers agree
Screenshot 2020-08-10 at 13.39.30.png
Screenshot 2020-08-10 at 13.39.30.png (53.52 KiB) Viewed 5119 times
If I click the ┼ and drag it to the intersection of the XX, YY lines, I get this
Screenshot 2020-08-10 at 13.39.57.png
Screenshot 2020-08-10 at 13.39.57.png (54.76 KiB) Viewed 5119 times
So it has correctly set my XX, YY lines to be the new x=0, y=0 – and if I click on XX it shows x=0 in the Edit panel. But the rulers don't agree.

What I actually want to be able to do is to – for example – make my XX line say, x = -3700 and my YY line say, y = +150.

So after I've done it, when I click on XX it shows it at being x = -3700 and similarly, clicking on YY would show it at +150. And the rulers would agree. So I've moved x=0 3700 units to the right of XX – and similarly y= 0 150 units above YY

Sorry if I'm being stupid :mrgreen:

Cheers -- George
Eric Pousse
Posts: 1064
Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2011 12:31 pm
Location: Tours - France

Re: Zero

Post by Eric Pousse »

Bonjour George,

I made some tests and it was good.
In which unit and scale is your drawing?

Thanks.
Eric Pousse
Eric Pousse
Posts: 1064
Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2011 12:31 pm
Location: Tours - France

Re: Zero

Post by Eric Pousse »

George,

When the zoom is not at 100%, the problem occurs.
And it is an old bug...

I will fix it, thanks.
Eric Pousse
Eric Pousse
Posts: 1064
Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2011 12:31 pm
Location: Tours - France

Re: Zero

Post by Eric Pousse »

It is a bug introduced in v5.00, I think.
Eric Pousse
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