Linetype Files
I currently use autocad and the linetype files within that allow for lines with circles through them, for say, a fence, however, a fenceline in Bricscad appears to be a dashed line. So I attempted to open the .lin file from Autocad, it shows up in the available line types, but when I select it I get an error that says : Error Loading FENCELINE1: Undefined Linetype.
Is there a way round this? Do I need to actually copy the files into the bricscad directories? If it can't handle this then I would have to stay with Autocad, I'm only looking to change because of the instability of CAD, it does not like creating PDFs or printing.
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Look at your linetype definition to see what shape file is required then make sure it is in a directory in your support path.
A,.12,-.04,[CIRC1,ltypeshp.shx,x=-.04,s=.04],-.04,.12
Here I have CIRC1 shape loaded from ltypeshp.shx shape file.
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There is something strange with the lin-files supplied with Bricscad. The iso-file (ICADISO.LIN for BC7; iso.lin for BC10) is much shorter than the default-file (ICAD.LIN for BC7; default.lin for BC10). So there are quite a few linetypes missing from the iso-file. The linetype FENCELINE1 is one of them. This is the linetype definition (taken from ICAD.LIN):
*FENCELINE1,Fenceline_circle ----0-----0----0-----0----0-----0--
A,6.35,-5.08,["O",STANDARD,x=-2.54,s=2.54,Y=-1.27],-2.54,25.4
To create the circles the definition uses the letter O in the standard textstyle. As Greg points out: the definition from the Acad-file uses a shape-file to accomplish this.
To use this linetype with imperial drawings (measurement is set to 0) all you need to do is create a textstyle named "STANDARD" (is already present in the default templates), load the linetype and you are good to go. If you are working with iso drawings (measurement is set to 1) you first have to copy the definition into the correct iso-file (there can be more of those on your system, so be sure to check the BC searchpath). The rest is the same as with imperial drawings. If you don't want to use the STANDARD textstyle you can substitute its name with that of your own style.
Of course there is also something strange with the dimensions used in the linetype definition above. They appear to be translated from inches to metric and yet they are not in the iso-file...0 -
Another strange thing about the definition: unlike most other linetypes it ends with a dash instead of a gap. Compare:
*HOT_WATER_SUPPLY,Hot water supply ---- HW ---- HW ---- HW ----
A,12.7,-5.08,["HW",STANDARD,S=2.54,R=0.0,X=-2.54,Y=-1.27],-5.08*GAS_LINE,Gas line ----GAS----GAS----GAS----GAS----GAS----GAS--
A,12.7,-5.08,["GAS",STANDARD,S=2.54,R=0.0,X=-2.54,Y=-1.27],-6.35The Acad version of FENCELINE1 also ends with a dash. Does anybody know the reason for this?
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All seems a bit complex and a pain the backside, I only know how to draw in Autocad, I don't program, I just use many of the standard click functions and a few commands and shortcuts, if Bricscad can't supply the same functionality out of the box then I'm not interested, which is disapointing because the claims of it being more user friendly and some stat of 8 out of 10 (or something like that) CAD users preferring it to Autocad after 1 week, I guess I'm one of the 2 that don't.
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Obviously Bricscad doesn't supply the exact same functionality as AutoCAD. But a minor hitch such as a linetype that doesn't dispay as you would expect shouldn't be a breaking point. Especialy since, as you know by now, there are two very simple solutions to this problem.
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The two very simple solutions are not so simple to me, the help function does not tell me how to create a new textstyle, is that cos I have a demo? though the help file is present and has other solutions so I assume thats not the reason.Aside from that, it is a breaking point, my maps have to have a fence line or artificial line that displays as it does in Autocad, my company has done about 8000 surveys and maps and the lines are all the same, almost an industry standard, if we started doing fencelines without the cirlces or squares through it people would not know what they are looking at.Sorry, don't mean to sound like a prick, I am only trialling Bricscad to see if it is a viable alternative to Autocad, autocad works perfectly fine, and being very expensive we are not keen to replace it without good reason. My only reason for looking is because I do get crashes in ACAD when doing PDFs or printing.
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Ok, here's a quickie for linetypes (as I understand them).
Bricscad has two linetype files:
%APPDATA%\Bricsys\Bricscad\V10\en_US\support\default.lin and
%APPDATA%\Bricsys\Bricscad\V10\en_US\support\iso.lin
Where on my WinXP machine %APPDATA% means C:\Documents and Settings\USERNAME\Application Data\. Actually, the first file found in the support search path is the one used but the above are the default locations. (Vista I know nothing about and USERNAME should be your username).
File default.lin consists of linetypes sized for imperial drawings while iso.lin is for metric drawings. These files are plain text and can be edited with any text editor (not word processor).
Bricscad will use one or the other depending on the value of the MEASUREMENT system variable. In the config settings window see Drawing | Drafting | Drawing Units | Measurement.
Simple text based linetypes for fences just append the following to your default.lin file: (the square posts will actually be rectangular)
*MYFENCE1,Fence circle ----0-----0----0-----0----0-----0--
A,.25,-.1,["o",Simplex,x=-.1,y=-0.1,s=.30],-.1,1
*MYFENCE2,Fence square ----[]-----[]----[]-----[]----[]---
A,.25,-.065,["[",Standard,x=-.065,y=-.1,s=.2],-0.005,["]",Standard,x=-0.003,y=-.1,s=.2],-.065,1
but note you will need to define a text style in your drawing. Menu Settings | Text Styles opens a dialog for managing text styles. Create a new style named Simplex and select the simplex.shx font file. The Standard style should already exist and be set to txt.shx. If the font is different then the position of the characters in the linetype definition need to be adjusted.
Or if you have Autocad and can find the ltypeshp.shx file, put these in your default.lin:
*FENCELINE1,Fenceline circle ----0-----0----0-----0----0-----0--
A,.25,-.1,[CIRC1,ltypeshp.shx,x=-.1,s=.1],-.1,1
*FENCELINE2,Fenceline square ----[]-----[]----[]-----[]----[]---
A,.25,-.1,[BOX,ltypeshp.shx,x=-.1,s=.1],-.1,1
and be sure to put a copy of ltypeshp.shx in your Bricscad support directoy. Using shapefile approach should give the save result as Autocad I think... I can't test that.
For more info on lineetypes do a web search. i.e.:
http://www.afralisp.net/lisp/ltype.htm
http://www.cadtutor.net/michael/mc0301.html
http://www.upfrontezine.com/tailor/tailor15.htmHope it helps...
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Hi there, I too have had this issue. Following Greg's advice I have fixed this problem in a relatively 'no fuss' way.
I have found that copying a few files from your ACAD support folder to the bricsys folder, linteypes can be loaded and used perfectly, including BATTING, which has been driving me crazy as I use it all the time!
The folders (on my machine) are as follows
"C:\Users\Robert\AppData\Roaming\Bricsys\Bricscad\V10\en_US" for Bricsys (I am 'Robert' : substitute for your username)
"C:Program Files\AutoCADLT2000\Support" (I'm guessing at this one, it will be similar, but I loaded the files direct from my installation CD, hence no need to install the program)
The files I copied were: aclt.lin, acltiso.lin, LTYPESHP.shx, GDT.shx and SIMPLEX.shx. I'm not sure what each of the .shx files does, but by putting them in the bricsys folder and restarting Bricscad, I could load any of the linetypes from my original aclt and acltiso .lin files and use them. Also when a linetype comes from another CAD machine, it now works. This is simply a case of making sure the files are there to use the 'ACAD' linetypes.
I'm sure this is very much what Greg has written, but I can confirmt that this is definitely from the perspectivce of a no-fuss user. Hope this helps somebody.
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The FENCE linetype is a complex linetype and depends on ACADISO.lin and LTYPESHP.shx. The LIN file contains the linetype definition, the SHX file defines the shape of the 'symbol' on the linetype. The SHX is a compiled SHP (shape) file. 'Normal' linetypes like hidden, dashed etc don't depend on a SHX file, because they have no 'symbol'.
FENCELINE is not a standard linetype defined in any of the LIN files of Bricscad v10. That's why you get the message. The lines however still have this linetype, but they cannot be represented.
You can solve this easy by copying the ACADISO and LTYPESHP into any of the BricsCAD support folders. Or you could also create a new folder and place these 2 files in this folder and then add this folder to the support search path using "SETTINGS menu, Settings, program options, files, support file search path". Klik the [...] button on the right to add your folder.
We use complex linetypes all the time in our GeOpus application for BricsCAD, it just works fine.
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