- Status Assigned
- Percent Complete
- Task Type Feature Request
- Category QCAD (main)
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Assigned To
Andrew - Operating System All
- Severity Low
- Priority Very Low
- Reported Version 3.29.4
- Due in Version Undecided
-
Due Date
Undecided
- Votes
- Private
Opened by WraithGlade - 20.02.2024
Last edited by WraithGlade - 20.02.2024
FS#2535 - New tool idea: Scale polyline objects separately, each around a different relative origin.
In my current QCAD file I’m working on, I have a circular hub with a hole in it which I am also trying to place an alternating sequence of rectangular spokes of a certain relative size around.
I had 4 spokes that I had copied and rotated 45 degrees to create 8 spokes in total around the circle. I tried scaling the the non-cardinal spokes relative to the center of the circular ring, but that causes them to also move towards the center of the ring as they shrink, thereby putting them out of place as they scale.
I therefore had to activate the scale tool once per each object and set an origin (focus) point around the area where each spoke is “attached” to the ring in order to stop each from shifting inward to the circle as it scales.
It occurred to me though that there could be a simple tool or option to do this without that.
Each of my rectangles are polyline objects and thus are coherent continuous objects.
A new scaling tool could be designed such that it is based on simply clicking on each scaling origin on each object (using snapping tools if needed) and then clicking a check button (or enter) when done and then causing the scaling GUI to appear so the user can specify the desired scaling. Each scaling would then be applied to where the polylines were clicked instead of to all the objects as one.
This would be a much faster way to rescale a bunch of objects around individually varying relative scaling origins!
Granted, I could have deleted the objects and then rotated them again, but some uses cases may not be that easy (may no longer be uniform, for example), and so the idea as value in other contexts too.
WraithGlade,
This is probably better addressed when first opening a topic under:
QCAD 'How Do I' Questions
https://www.qcad.org/rsforum/viewforum.php?f=32 or
QCAD Troubleshooting and Problems
https://www.qcad.org/rsforum/viewforum.php?f=33
And that including an example file.
Most probably there is a functional method.
Setting the size of rectangles is in relation with their center.
If not and it can be conceived then it may still be entered as feature request.
Regards,
CVH
Ok, thanks for the info.
In any case, I later on converted the objects to Blocks and set their origins points to be easy to use for my purpose. That is working fine currently for many uses cases.
It still seems plausible that a "scale each object individually around (potentially different) axes" tool could be lacking. Sometimes it is easy to overlook tool features or workflows though.
It may seems plausible that ... for you.
The difficulty is that:
A) Selections are usually lists of entity ID's in a less defined order unrelated to the order in which they were selected.
B) There is no associative nature for items made up of multiple entities as you see them.
Or, there is no AI engine that sees the interrelationships of things the way we humans do.
C) It is not straight forward to link focus points to arbitrary sets of selections.
Your spokes are polylines ... Simple line-art, strings of lines and arcs, that can resemble any shape what is only meaningful for you. All is but a collection of unrelated entities.
You will end up defining/selecting groups of things and the related focus points.
That is about the same work as scaling each set apart.
One can turn off using the scale dialog and use the Options Toolbar instead.
Regards,
CVH
Hmmm, maybe then a simpler tool to "scale all selected block references individually" would be more pragmatic for QCAD then. Block references are explicitly marked as coherent objects after all, unlike the other things as you have said.
Oh wait, that's actually already in the program in the form of simply editing the scale of each Block object itself... The problem is already largely solved then.
Maybe then my suggestion here is indeed a moot point then. Oh well.
I've read the whole QCAD book now, but still working on fully realizing the implications of the tools and how the fit together, heh! :)