QCad User Reference Manual

# 16 Modification

Modification tools allow the user to modify existing entities. This chapter is a brief overview over the modification tools of QCad (Figure 53).

Figure 53: The modification toolbar.

## Move

CAD Toolbar:

Menu:

Modify - Move

Command:

?

Description:

Moves or copies entities. This tool can create single or multiple copies of existing entities.

Procedure:

1. After starting the move tool, the CAD toolbar shows the selection tools. Use them to select the entities you want to move or copy.
2. Click the right arrow button in the CAD toolbar to continue.
3. Set the reference point with the mouse or enter a co-ordinate in the command line.
4. Set the target point. To move the selected entities by a given amount, e.g. by 50 to the right, enter `@50,0` in the command line.
5. The move dialog is displayed (Figure 54). To move the entities, choose "Delete Original", to copy them choose "Keep Original". Finally you can create a number of copies at once, by choosing "Multiple Copies" and entering the number of copies in the text line below. Note that '9' will create 9 copies and keep the original - so there will be 10 instances of the entities in the end. The copies will have the same attributes and be on the same layer as the original entities. To change that default behavior, you can check "Use current attributes" or "Use current layer".
6. Click OK to move / copy the entities. The selected entities will be deselected automatically.

Figure 54: Move options dialog.

## Rotate

CAD Toolbar:

Menu:

Modify - Rotate

Command:

?

Description:

Rotates entities by a given angle around a given center. This tool can create single or multiple copies of existing entities.

Procedure:

1. After starting the rotate tool, the CAD toolbar shows the selection tools. Use them to select the entities you want to rotate.
2. Click the right arrow button in the CAD toolbar to continue.
3. Set the center of the rotation with the mouse or enter a co-ordinate in the command line.
4. The rotate dialog is displayed (Figure 55). To rotate the entities without keeping the original entities, choose "Delete Original", to copy them choose "Keep Original". Finally you can create a number of rotated copies at once, by choosing "Multiple Copies" and entering the number of copies in the text line below. Note that '9' will create 9 copies and keep the original - so there will be 10 instances of the entities in the end. The copies will have the same attributes and be on the same layer as the original entities. To change that default behavior, you can check "Use current attributes" or "Use current layer".
5. Click OK to rotate the entities. The selected entities will be deselected automatically.

Figure 55: Rotate options dialog.

## Scale

CAD Toolbar:

Menu:

Modify - Scale

Command:

?

Description:

Scales entities by a given factor from a given center. This tool can create single or multiple copies of existing entities.

Procedure:

1. After starting the scale tool, the CAD toolbar shows the selection tools. Use them to select the entities you want to scale.
2. Click the right arrow button in the CAD toolbar to continue.
3. Set the center of the scaling with the mouse or enter a co-ordinate in the command line.
4. The scale dialog is displayed (Figure 56). To scale the entities without keeping the original entities, choose "Delete Original", to copy them choose "Keep Original". Finally you can create a number of scaled copies at once, by choosing "Multiple Copies" and entering the number of copies in the text line below. Note that '9' will create 9 copies and keep the original - so there will be 10 instances of the entities in the end. The copies will have the same attributes and be on the same layer as the original entities. To change that default behavior, you can check "Use current attributes" or "Use current layer".

Figure 56: Scale options dialog.

1. Click OK to scale the entities. The selected entities will be deselected automatically.

## Mirror

CAD Toolbar:

Menu:

Modify - Mirror

Command:

?

Description:

Mirrors entities at a given axe. This tool can create a mirrored copy of existing entities.

Procedure:

1. After starting the mirror tool, the CAD toolbar shows the selection tools. Use them to select the entities you want to mirror.
2. Click the right arrow button in the CAD toolbar to continue.
3. Set the first endpoint of the mirror axes with the mouse or enter a co-ordinate in the command line.
4. Set the second endpoint of the mirror axes.
5. The mirror dialog is displayed (Figure 57). To mirror the entities without keeping the original entities, choose "Delete Original", to copy them choose "Keep Original". The copy will have the same attributes and be on the same layer as the original entities. To change that default behavior, you can check "Use current attributes" or "Use current layer".
6. Click OK to mirror the entities. The selected entities will be deselected automatically.

Figure 57: Mirror options dialog.

## Move and Rotate

CAD Toolbar:

Menu:

Modify - Move and Rotate

Command:

?

Description:

Moves or copies and simultaneously rotates entities. This tool can create single or multiple copies of existing entities.

Procedure:

1. After starting the move and rotate tool, the CAD toolbar shows the selection tools. Use them to select the entities you want to move or copy.
2. Click the right arrow button in the CAD toolbar to continue.
3. Enter the rotation angle in the options toolbar or use the command `angle`, `ang` or `a` in the command line.
4. Set the reference point with the mouse or enter a co-ordinate in the command line.
5. Set the target point. To move the selected entities by a given amount, e.g. by 50 to the right, enter `@50,0` in the command line. In Figure 58, the two reference points are labeled. The rotation angle in the example is 15 degrees and the number of copies four. This results in a total rotation angle of 60 degrees.
6. The move and rotate dialog is displayed (Figure 59). To move the entities, choose "Delete Original", to copy them choose "Keep Original". Finally you can create a number of copies at once, by choosing "Multiple Copies" and entering the number of copies in the text line below. Note that '9' will create 9 copies and keep the original - so there will be 10 instances of the entities in the end. The copies will have the same attributes and be on the same layer as the original entities. To change that default behavior, you can check "Use current attributes" or "Use current layer".
7. Click OK to move and rotate the entities. The selected entities will be deselected automatically.

Figure 58: Move and Rotate reference point (4.) and target point (5.).

Figure 59: Move and Rotate options dialog.

## Rotate and Counter-rotate (Rotate 2)

CAD Toolbar:

Menu:

Modify - Rotate 2

Command:

?

Description:

Rotates and counter-rotates entities. This tool can create single or multiple copies of existing entities. Use it if you want to rotate objects around a center without rotating the objects themselves.

Procedure:

1. After starting the rotate 2 tool, the CAD toolbar shows the selection tools. Use them to select the entities you want to move or copy.
2. Click the right arrow button in the CAD toolbar to continue.
3. Set the center for the main rotation with the mouse or enter a co-ordinate in the command line.
4. Set the center of the rotation for the individual objects. The second center is rotated together with the entities around the first center (Figure 60).
5. The rotate 2 dialog is displayed (Figure 61). To move the entities, choose "Delete Original", to copy them choose "Keep Original". Finally you can create a number of copies at once, by choosing "Multiple Copies" and entering the number of copies in the text line below. Note that '9' will create 9 copies and keep the original - so there will be 10 instances of the entities in the end. The copies will have the same attributes and be on the same layer as the original entities. To change that default behavior, you can check "Use current attributes" or "Use current layer".
6. Click OK to move and rotate the entities. The selected entities will be deselected automatically.

Figure 60: Rotate around two centers, an absolute center (3.) and a relative center (4.).

Figure 61: Rotate 2 options dialog.

## Trim / Extend

CAD Toolbar:

Menu:

Modify - Trim

Command:

?

Description:

Trims or extends a line or arc to meet another entity (Figure 62).

Figure 62: With the trim tool, the line at the left can be easily shortened to meet the arc.

Procedure:

1. Choose the limiting entity to which one or more other entities need to be trimmed.
2. Choose the entities that you want to trim to the limiting entity. Often there are two possibilities for the entity to be trimmed. In Figure 62 you might want the top part of the line to stay and the lower part to disappear. In that case you would have to click the trim entity at the upper part. You always need to pick the part of the entity that you want to stay.
3. Right click twice or press Escape twice to stop the tool.

## Trim Two Entities

CAD Toolbar:

Menu:

Modify - Trim Two

Command:

?

Description:

Trims or extends two line or arc entities at once to meet each other at their intersection point (Figure 63).

Figure 63: With the second trim tool, the line and the arc can both be trimmed to build an edge at once.

Procedure:

1. Choose the first entity to be trimmed to an edge.
2. Choose the second entity to be trimmed to an edge.
3. Right click twice or press Escape twice to stop the tool.

## Lengthen

CAD Toolbar:

Menu:

Modify - Lengthen

Command:

?

Options Toolbar:

Description:

The Lengthen command can be used to either lengthen or shorten Lines or Arcs without the use of boundary edges.

Figure 64: The Lengthen tool lets you trim an entity by a given amount.

Procedure:

1. Enter the distance you want to lengthen an entity by in the options toolbar. A positive value lengthens the entity, while a negative value shortens it. E.g. a value of '5' will lengthen the chosen entity by 5 parts of the drawing unit.
2. Choose the entity to be lengthened or shortened somewhere close to the end you want to modify.
3. Right click twice or press Escape twice to stop the tool.

## Bevel

CAD Toolbar:

Menu:

Modify - Bevel

Command:

?

Options Toolbar:

Description:

Bevels the corner of a contour. Optionally, the edge entities of the corner can be trimmed automatically to fit the new shape.

Figure 65: The bevel tool with trimming enabled.

Procedure:

1. Enter the geometry of the bevel in the options toolbar. 'Distance 1' is the distance the bevel line will have from the (imaginary) intersection of the two edges. 'Distance 2' is the same distance for the second edge.
2. Check 'Trim' if you want to trim the entities automatically. If the option is disabled, the edges will stay untouched.
3. Choose the first edge entity (a line or arc).
4. Choose the second edge.

## Round

CAD Toolbar:

Menu:

Modify - Round

Command:

?

Options Toolbar:

Description:

Rounds the corner of a contour. Optionally, the edge entities of the corner can be trimmed automatically to fit the new shape.

Figure 66: The round tool with trimming enabled.

Procedure:

1. Enter the radius of the rounding in the options toolbar.
2. Check 'Trim' if you want to trim the entities automatically. If the option is disabled, the edges will stay untouched.
3. Choose the first edge entity (a line or arc).
4. Choose the second edge.

## Divide

CAD Toolbar:

Menu:

Modify - Divide

Command:

?

Description:

Divides entities into two separate entities.

Procedure:

1. Choose the entity you want to divide.
2. Set the cutting point using the mouse. The cutting point is usually the intersection point with another entity. Choose the intersection snap mode to automatically snap to intersections.

## Stretch

CAD Toolbar:

Menu:

Modify - Stretch

Command:

?

Description:

Stretches contours.

Figure 67: The stretch tool comes in handy when you need to lengthen or shorten complex constructions.

Procedure:

1. Set the first corner of the stretch area.
2. Set the second corner of the stretch area.
3. Set the reference point for the translation using the mouse or enter a co-ordinate in the command line.
4. Set the target point.

## Properties

CAD Toolbar:

Menu:

Modify - Properties

Command:

?

Description:

Modify the attributes and geometry of entities in a dialog. Depending on the entity type, different dialogs are presented to modify important attributes and properties of the entity.

Procedure:

1. Click the entity to modify.

## Attributes

CAD Toolbar:

Menu:

Modify - Attributes

Command:

?

Description:

Modify the attributes of a selected group of entities.

Procedure:

1. After starting the tool, the CAD toolbar shows the selection tools. Use them to select the entities for which you want to change the attributes.
2. Click the right arrow button in the CAD toolbar to continue.
3. In the dialog shown, change only those attributes that you want to become the same for all selected entities. E.g. if you set the color to blue, all selected entities will become blue but their line width, layer and line style will stay the same.

## Deleting Entities

CAD Toolbar:

Menu:

Modify - Delete

Command:

?

Description:

Deletes entities.

Procedure:

1. After starting the tool, the CAD toolbar shows the selection tools. Use them to select the entities you want to remove from the drawing.
2. Click the right arrow button in the CAD toolbar to continue. The selected entities will be deleted.

## Exploding Groups

CAD Toolbar:

Menu:

Modify - Explode

Command:

?

Description:

Converts blocks, polylines, texts, dimensions and hatches into basic atomic entities. Dimensions are split into lines, arrows and the text as still one entity. Texts are split into lines and arcs.
To split everything into atomic entities, use the command twice for all entities.

Procedure:

1. After starting the tool, the CAD toolbar shows the selection tools. Use them to select the entities you want to explode.
2. Click the right arrow button in the CAD toolbar to continue.