Scale linefonts

[Jon Holden]

I've created a drawing using a mapfile to create linefonts and symbols. I now want to edit the drawing and change the linefont scale of a superstring. Is this possible?

[Sam Cech]

Hi Jon,

What is a LineFont?

In 12d there are linsestyles and textfonts…

Linestyles have inbuilt scales, only those linestyles that are paper type do scale with the View Plotting scale.
World type linestyles don’t scale
There are also 2 or 3 point type styles that scale depending on the distance between these points.
It can be little hard to tell if the linestyle is world/paper or point type… Project=>Tree=>linestyle=>style_name
Will pop up the style definition panel and you can see what type it is.


Text Fonts can be 'scaled' by increasing the text height or size…

I may have misunderstood your question a little…

[Jon Holden]

Hi Sam, Thanks for your help, you were exactly correct. I was using AutoCAD terminology with the word linefont, and the linestyle in question was in world units as you suspected. (I’m trying to retrain myself in 12d after years of frustration with AutoCAD limitations). What is the procedure to correct this now. Do I just re-scale and save in paper units? Regards,
Jon.H

[Sam Cech]

Hi,

Welcome to 12d world…

Linestyles live in a definition file called linestyl.4d
This is probably the best place to make any changes and create your own linestyles.

in this file:

Code: Select all

paperstyle "style_name " {

worldstyle "style_name" {

twoptstyle "style_name " {

groupstyle "style_name " { 

if you are making a simple change like world to paper style…
it is probably easiest to find the style name you want to change and replace the word
worldstyle with
paperstyle

Save the file and restart 12d, upon which this new style is loaded in.

I would suggest you keep your custom linestyles separate to 12d standard styles from 12d solutions.
Hence, I would create my own new style and use that so it is not changing the default linestyles… you can also create your own groups of styles

You can use things like
#include –command
to include your custom file into the linestyl.4d file…. This may be bit advance but it is always good to start with a system in place…

You can create new linestyles within 12d Model, you can also change the Paper/world type within 12d model. I just like doing it in the ascii file…

Open
Project=>TREE
Expand the list and click on LINESTYLES

When you double click on any of the line style group or style another panel will pop up…. To Create/Edit/Delete style…

If you use this option don’t forget to click
Process -> Write
And save the file in one of the standard locations.

Hope this helps a little

Other posts talking about linestyles:
http://forums.12dmodel.com/viewtopic.php?t=940
http://forums.12dmodel.com/viewtopic.php?t=928

There are others may be you can search the forum as well.

[Trent Lester]

I recall Noel helping me once with a cluttered detail survey plot where I was able to resize/rescale world linestyles in my job to de-clutter my large scale plot. The only catch was it rescaled all the world linestyles in the entire job not just one string at a time.

Am I better off converting to paper linestyles for all linestyles Sam??
Are there any disadvantages to paper linestyles??

[Sam Cech]

Uhh… ok … my advice … warning log reply …
Disclaimer first: there may be other/better was of doing this…

I have some self imposed rules set for our customisation and it keeps me out of trouble.

1) Never change 12d Solutions supplied Linestyl.4d File
2) all changes of linestyles are done by creating new lines in customlines.4d file
3) #include customlines.4d in the Linestyl.4d file
4) use WORLD style lines to be used on plot preview models (we plot to a model first to make changes to data there we must have world size styles)
5) use PAPER style lines to be used in real coordinate space where view plotting scale us used for prints. This way dashed lines will always have say 2mm line and 2mm gap on the paper print. If you need a 4mm line and 4mm gap you need to create another line type called say ‘dashed double’
6) use TWOPOINT style for gates - gate width will change with distance between points giving good indication of how big a gate is… I can visually see one gate is bigger than another gate. … same can apply to sign posts and so on…

To answer your two specific questions.
NO. I wouldn’t change all linestyles to PAPER type
If you ever need to add data to a plot preview model (eg Longsections or Crosssections or plan plot) you will need WORLD type lines
Some styles are two or three point styles and these should remain as such otherwise any topo processing of gates and signs and manhole lids may be wrong.

YES. There are disadvantages
Changing 12d Solutions linestyles may result in some inbuilt options not to produce results you would like as these use standard linestyles and expect them to be preset type. If you change all styles to paper you may experience problems with adding data to plot preview models.

I suggest over time you may develop custom linestyles that you need by either modifying copies of 12d Solutions files or creating your own.


Example of linestyl.4d file

Code: Select all

#include "networkDrive:\\User\\ customlines.4d"
// ---------------------------------------------------
// 12D SOLUTIONS STANDARD LINESYTLES FILE  2 March 2005
// ---------------------------------------------------
// ----------------------------------------------
// START OF REQUIRED 12D SOLUTIONS LINESTYLES
// ----------------------------------------------
// ----------------------------------------------------
// The following styles (until the end of 4D styles)
// are needed for 12D Solutions supplied options
// and should be included in any user linestyle file
// -----------------------------------------------------
// ------------------------------------
// Null linestyles
// ------------------------------------
worldstyle "0" {
  length 1.0

// Linestyle that plots nothing
// Used for the linestyle of a string which has vertex symbols
// but no linestyle.
}
worldstyle "null" {
// same as linestyle "0" - draws nothing
  length 1.0
}
... and so on to the end of the file... 

Example of "networkDrive:\\User\\ customlines.4d"

Code: Select all

paperstyle "TOB" {

factor   0.5
yorigin  0
  group  " MYStyles001"

  weight 0.2
  move 0 0
  draw 10 0
  move 3.5 -0.5
  draw 3.5 -2.5
  move 4.5 -0.5
  draw 4.5 -5
  move 5.5 -0.5
  draw 5.5 -5
  move 6.5 -0.5
  draw 6.5 -2.5
}

twoptstyle "Rectangle" {

  stretch_mode 2
  cycle_mode   2
yorigin1  0
yorigin2  0.2
  group        " MYStyles002"

  weight 0.2
  move -0 -0
  colour cyan
  draw 2 -0
  draw 2 0.2
  draw -0 0.2
  draw -0 -0
}

The above will generate two new Groups
" MYStyles001"
" MYStyles002"
(note the space in front of the name is to order these at the top of the group list, all 12d std groups will be below these two groups)

Fixed line weights can also set here
And fixed line colours can be set here.

there are also group styles which are awesome for drawing multilines...
I'd say that is advaced in LINESTYLE202 ...