Editing Objects Using Ordinary Grips

Editing commands can be applied to objects previously selected and marked with grips. Available parameters can be changed on the Properties panel. Sometimes, editing with grips without using commands from the Edit menu is the quickest and most effective method to change the shape and location of objects because actions with grips are performed with the cursor, so you do not need to use menus and toolbars.

There are two ways to edit objects using grips in nanoCAD: using ordinary grips, using multifunctional grips. The work with multifunctional grips is described in the Editing objects using multi-functional grips section.

You can use ordinary grips to move, copy, stretch or scale objects.

The number and location of grips depends on the selected object’s type; for example, a line segment has 3 grips. Two of them located at the endpoints and one in the middle, 5 grips are displayed for circle, four of them are located in the quadrants and one in the center etc.:

Attention

Grips are not displayed for objects on locked layers.

The grip parameters are changed in the Grips section of the OPTIONS dialog.

Additional information on working with grips depending on the object type is provided in the following sections:

• Polyline Editing polyline segments;
• Block Block editor;
• Single-line and multiline text Editing text, Arc Text;
• Size Editing the size using grips;
• Leader, table smart grips of design elements;
• Region Region;
• Raster image Inserting raster images;
• Underlay Underlays;
• Display boundary Setting the display boundary.

Stretching

By default the “Stretch” (GRIP_STRETCH) mode is set to edit objects with grips.

To switch to the editing mode with ordinary grips, click on any grip after an object is selected. The selected grip becomes active and changes its color to red. This grip is used to perform editing operations and is called the base.

You can also make a grip active by placing the cursor next to it and pressing the CTRL key twice (this method is controlled by the 0NCEXPERIMENTAL system variable: value 1 – the method is enabled, 0 – disabled).

According to grip selected as the base, the object can be stretched or moved, by moving the cursor (for example, if a middle grip of object is selected, the object is moved, if any of end grips of object is selected, the object is stretched). The selected base grip is snapped to the cursor’s crosshair and moved with it until you click to specify a new grip position.

Any grip in the drawing can be specified as the base if you select the Base option in the command line after the base point is selected:

Specify stretch point or [Base/Copy/Undo/eXit]:

Options available in the command line for editing with grips:

Base Specifies a point as the base.

Copy Switches to copying mode.

Undo Cancels the last operation.

eXit Exits from the editing with grips mode. The display mode of the selected objects is not

cancelled.

You can make several grips of object active if the SHIFT button is pressed during grips selection. Shape of object between active (selected) grips does not change. Editing mode is switched on after one of these grips is selected as the base (select it without SHIFT button).

When several objects are selected, shape and position of objects with no active grips do not change.

To stretch several objects using grips:

1. Select objects.

• 2. With the SHIFT button pressed select the required grips on the objects (highlighted with red).
• 3. Release the SHIFT button.
• 4. Select a base grip.
• 5. Specify a new position of base point.

Movement, Rotation, Scale, Mirror

Besides the “Stretch” mode, there are additional modes to work with grips: “Movement” (GRIP_MOVE), “Rotation” (GRIP_ROTATE), “Scale” (GRIP_SCALE) and “Mirror” (GRIP_MIRROR). You have to press the ENTER button or the SPACE for round robin of additional modes.

In “Rotation” and “Scale” modes there is a Reference option in the command line prompt:

Specify scale factor or [Base point/Copy/Undo/Reference/eXit]:
Specify rotation angle or [Base point/Copy/Undo/Reference/eXit]:

The option allows specifying a reference angle when rotating or referencing segment when scaling.

To edit several objects using grips:

• 1. Select objects.
• 2. Select a base grip.
• 3. You have to press ENTER or SPACE for round robin of additional modes (movement, rotation, scale, mirror, stretching).
• 4. Move the cursor to dynamically display changes of the object.
• 5. Click to finish changes.

Copying

It is possible to copy and create modified copies of an object by specifying a new location of grips with CTRL button pressed.

To do this:

• 1. Select one or more grips.
• 2. If you need not to stretch, but move, rotate, scale, mirror, switch to the desired editing mode by pressing SPACE or ENTER.

3. Press CTRL and without releasing it, indicate the new positions/modifications of the object by clicking the mouse on the screen. Each time you click the mouse while holding CTRL down, modified copies of the edited object will be created.

This mode of creating modified copies using CTRL is also available for multifunctional grips with their edit modes.

Editing Objects Using Multifunctional Grips

Grips that can change editing mode by round robin in rotation are called multifunctional. Rotation of editing modes is carried out for the active (selected) grip using the CTRL button.

Multifunctional are grips that have an ability to change edit modes by Cycling or by calling a Dynamic menu.

Cycling through the edit modes is carried out for the active (selected) grip by pressing the CTRL key.

A dynamic menu of the edit modes appears when you hover the cursor over the grip.

The dynamic menu items can be selected both by the mouse cursor, and by ARROW UP / ARROW DOWN keys on the keyboard.

The method of access to commands to edit objects using multifunctional grips (GRIPMULTIFUNCTIONAL system variable) is selected in the section Grips > Multifunctional grips of the Options dialog box.

Objects which have multifunctional grips:

• line segment,
• arc,
• spline,
• polyline,
• hatch,
• dimensions
• viewport.

To edit objects with multifunctional grips:

• 1. Select an object.
• 2. Activate the multifunctional grip.
• 3. Press CTRL to select the editing variant.
• 4. Move the cursor for dynamic display of an object’s properties.
• 5. Click to confirm the change.

Segment Editing

A line segment has multifunctional grips at the endpoint. Two editing modes are available:

• Normal mode: the length of the segment changes when you move the grip. In general, not only the segment length is changed, but also its orientation.
• Change of length: only the length of the segment changes when you move the grip. A new position for the endpoint is provided by the projection of the specified point along the segment’s imaginary extension. Segment orientation is not changed.

Normal mode Change of length

Arc Editing

Multifunctional grips are at the endpoints and in the middle of the arc. Three editing modes are available:

• Normal mode: when you hold and move a grip on the end or middle point, the length and radius are changed:

• Change of arc length: when you hold and move a grip on the end point, only the length is changed:

• Change of arc radius and length, when you hold and move the grip on the middle point, an arc is created similar to the source arc:

Polyline Editing

Polyline has multifunctional grips at the end of the segments and in the middle of the segments. Rotational editing modes, accessed with the CTRL button, depend on the location of the grips (end point or middle point) and segment type (linear or arc).

For improved functionality, additional symbols are displayed beside the polyline shape and near the cursor. Which symbols are shown depends on the editing mode selected:

• Adds a vertex
• Deletes a vertex.
• Transforms a linear segment to an arc.
• Transforms an arc segment to linear.

Absence of a symbol means that the normal editing mode is current - stretching by moving a segment or stretching a vertex (depends on selected grip).

Variants of polyline editing with grips in vertexes are presented in the table.

Variants of polyline editing with grips in the middle of a linear segment are presented in the table.

Variants of polyline editing with grips in the middle of an arc segment are presented in the table

A multifunctional mode for editing polylines can be applied to several grips located in vertexes. Two editing variants are available: normal stretching of the polyline and deleting of selected vertexes. Instead of deleted vertexes, a linear segment is drawn, even if arc segments are between the deleted vertexes.

Stretch vertexes Delete vertexes

To edit several vertices of a polyline using multifunctional grips:

• 1. Press SHIFT.
• 2. Select the required grips with SHIFT pressed.
• 3. When you finish selecting grips, release SHIFT.
• 4. Select a base grip.
• 5. Select an editing mode with CTRL.
• 6. Move the cursor for dynamic display of the polyline shape.
• 7. Click to fix changes.

Spline Editing

Spline has two edit modes using grips:

• Editing fit points (rectangular grips) that allows you to change the shape of a small part of a spline.
• Editing control vertices (round grips) that allows you to change the entire spline shape.

To switch between modes, click by a left mouse button on the round grip located near the spline and having a bigger diameter than the grips of control vertices.

Grips of fir points Grips of control vertices

In the mode of editing fit points, multifunctional grips are available with iteration by CTRL key.

Next to the cursor, conventional icons are additionally highlighted, their appearance depends on the selected edit mode:

Adds a vertex.

Deletes a vertex.

The absence of a conventional icon indicates that the current mode is a common mode of grips editing – stretching by moving a segment or stretching with a vertex (depending on the selected grip).

Options for spline editing using a grip located in the vertex are presented in the table.

Editing 3D-Polyline

To edit 3D-polylines, use multifunctional grips located in vertices.

The edit modes proposed when cycling though by CTRL key depend on the place handles are located (top or middle of a segment).

Next to the cursor, conventional icons are additionally highlighted, their appearance depends on the selected edit mode:

Adds a vertex.

Deletes a vertex.

The absence of a conventional icon indicates that the current mode is a common mode of grips editing – stretching by moving a segment or stretching with a vertex (depending on the selected grip).

Options for editing 3D-polyline using a grip located in the vertex are presented in the table.

For 3D polylines multifunctional edit mode can be used for several grips located in vertices. Two editing options are available: common stretching a polyline or deleting selected vertices. A line segment is always drawn instead of deleted vertices.

To edit several vertices of 3D polyline using multifunctional grips:

• 1. Press the SHIFT key.
• 2. Select the required grips holding down the SHIFT key.
• 3. After the grip selection is completed, release the SHIFT key.
• 4. Select the base grip.
• 5. Select the edit mode by the CTRL key.
• 6. Move the cursor for dynamic display of the change of polyline change.
• 7. Left-click to fix the changes.

Editing Viewports in Paper Space

You can edit any viewports in paper space using multifunctional grips where closed polylines and splines are used as boundaries. The process of editing the boundaries of the viewport is the same as editing of a spline or polyline with multifunctional grips.

As viewports consist of two objects (viewport and display border), to edit them in the Selection dialog box select a polyline or spline, not a viewport:

If display of the Selection dialog box is switched off, select a polyline or spline in the Properties panel in the Object type field:

Select a viewport with a window or crossing window, if you select with the pickbox in the Object type field in the Properties panel, Viewport is displayed by default.

Editing Hatch and Fill

In nanoCAD, using multifunctional grips you can edit the shape of:

• associative hatches, which use closed polylines and splines as linked contours;
• non-associative hatches.

Changing the shape of an associative hatch using multifunctional grips and a linked contour does not differ from the editing of a polyline or spline using multifunctional grips.

If you select non-associative hatch, the same multifunctional grips are displayed as in a polyline, except the round grips are used to move the hatch:

The process of editing a non-associative hatch shape is the same as editing of a polyline with multifunctional grips.

Variants of non-associative hatch shape editing with grips in a boundary vertex:

Variants of non-associative hatch shape editing with a grip in the middle of a boundary linear segment:

Variants of non-associative hatch shape editing with a grip in the middle of a boundary arc segment:

For non-associative hatch, a multifunctional editing mode can be applied to several grips located in the boundary vertexes. Two variants of editing are available: normal stretching of boundary and deleting of selected vertexes. Instead of deleted vertexes a linear segment is drawn, even if arc segments were between deleted vertexes.

Stretch boundary vertexes Delet boundary vertexes

To edit several vertexes of non-associative hatch area using multifunctional grips:

• 1. Press SHIFT.
• 2. Select the required grips with SHIFT pressed.
• 3. When you have selected the grips, release SHIFT.
• 4. Select a base grip.
• 5. Select an editing mode with CTRL.
• 6. Move the cursor for dynamic display of the hatch shape.
• 7. Click to fix changes.

Editing Polyline Segments

You can select individual segments of the Polyline object by holding down the CTRL key (or SHIFT+CTRL depending on the selection mode). Selected segments have functional grips that can be used to edit them.

The selected segments can be moved, rotated and scaled with standard Move (MOVE), Rotate (ROTATE) and Scale (SCALE) editing commands.

You can delete such segments, including internal ones, with the formation of remaining polyline objects.