progeCAD Professional manual The low-cost alternative to AutoCAD

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Creating complex entities - Creating boundary polylines

Using islands and island detection

Islands are closed loops that reside inside other closed loops. progeCAD provides island-detection options so that you can specify which islands, if any, should be considered in the area selection for a boundary.

The following figure shows a rectangular polyline with two islands. The circle is referred to as the outer island, and the octagon is referred to as a nested island.

 

Rectangular polyline ( A ) with outer island ( B ), with point ( C ) specifying the area selection, and nested island ( D ).

You can choose from two island-detection methods.

Nested Islands The outer entity and all its islands are considered for the polyline.

Ignore Islands Only the outer entity is considered for the polyline.
 
 

Nested islands ( A ) and with ignore islands ( B ).

To draw a boundary polyline
  1. Advanced experience level
  2. Do one of the following:
  3. Choose Draw > Boundary.
  4. On the Draw toolbar, click the Boundary Polyline tool (
    5. ).
  • Type boundary and then press Enter.
  • Specify the entities that you want made available for the boundary polyline by doing one of the following:
  • Current viewport Select All Visible Entities to have all entities in the drawing considered when creating the boundary polyline.
  • Existing set Define only specific areas to be considered when creating the boundary polyline, which can improve system performance if you are working with a complex drawing. Click Select Boundary Set. In the drawing, select the entities individually or by choosing a selection method from the prompt box, and then press Enter. The Current Selection Set option becomes selected automatically, which indicates that the entities you selected with the Select Boundary Set button will be considered when creating the boundary polyline.

NOTE You can alternate between All Visible Entities and Current Selection Set without having to select entities again using the Boundary Set button. The Current Selection Set option uses the last set of entities you selected with the Select Boundary Set button.

  1. Choose an island-detection option.
  2. Click Add: Pick points.
  3. In the drawing, click inside the area whose closed perimeter forms the boundary, not on the polyline itself. If desired, continue clicking inside additional closed perimeters.
  4. To complete the selection, press Enter.
  5. In the Boundary dialog box, click OK.
    6.  
    1. Opens the drawing area for selection of the enclosed areas used to create new boundary polylines.
    2. Choose to consider all visible entities when creating the boundary polyline.
    1. Choose to use the entities you selected for the boundary set. (Becomes available after you click the Select Boundary Set button.)
    2. Opens the drawing area for selection of entities to be considered when creating the boundary polyline.