a better way to draw an arc

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Tomg
Expert
Posts: 2028
Joined: 20 Jun 2015, 07:39

a better way to draw an arc

#1 Post by Tomg » 11 Feb 2022, 05:24

It would be helpful if there was a better way to draw an arc from scratch. The start/end/radius method would eliminate a lot of back-and-forth/trial-and-error/editing for connecting the arc to the end points of other drawing objects...
1) Left-click on the start point.
2) Left-click on the end point.
3) Drag the center of the arc, or manually enter a value, to set the radius. The start and end points established in steps 1 and 2 must not move while adjusting the radius. If a manually-entered radius is incompatible with the start and end point positions it will be automatically rejected by the algorithm.

This would allow the user to anchor the start and end points of the new arc precisely on the end points of two other drawing objects as shown in the example below...
arc1.png
arc1.png (13.91 KiB) Viewed 773 times
Last edited by Tomg on 11 Feb 2022, 22:18, edited 1 time in total.
Tom

mpaalanen
Posts: 47
Joined: 21 Jul 2010, 10:05

Re: a better way to draw an arc

#2 Post by mpaalanen » 11 Feb 2022, 19:55

What would be even better, nay, magical, would be if instead of dragging the arc midpoint, there would be an option to create the arc such that it is tangent to both straight line segments. That way the line would smoothly merge from one line to another along a circular arc.
I know, there are a couple complications with that but it would definitley be doable.

Tomg
Expert
Posts: 2028
Joined: 20 Jun 2015, 07:39

Re: a better way to draw an arc

#3 Post by Tomg » 11 Feb 2022, 23:29

One thing I just noticed is that clicking on the target symbols in the current dialog box allows you to click on the start and end points in the Design Area.
This makes the arc tool a little easier to use if one remembers to form the arc in the correct sequence (clockwise/counter-clockwise). Unfortunately, dragging the
center point moves the start and end points, so a trial-and-error method of manual entry for the radius value is still needed to keep everything else from shifting.

Perhaps if DipTrace provided an arc dialog more like the following...
ad2.png
ad2.png (37.78 KiB) Viewed 759 times
Tom

mpaalanen
Posts: 47
Joined: 21 Jul 2010, 10:05

Re: a better way to draw an arc

#4 Post by mpaalanen » 12 Feb 2022, 23:51

Yep. Something like that, together with an "offset" function found in all CAD programs would do it perfectly.
That way it would be trivial to create an arc or set of connected line segments, then offset them to create a double line with regular spacing and finally connect the ends with semicircles to create a cutout routing path.

Tomg
Expert
Posts: 2028
Joined: 20 Jun 2015, 07:39

Re: a better way to draw an arc

#5 Post by Tomg » 17 Feb 2022, 05:09

Well, after seeing the latest DipTrace "how-to" video in the Feature reviews section showing Serg placing an arc using a 3-point "start/end/middle" method (viewtopic.php?f=26&p=31806#p31806), I became hopeful there must be a default arc setting somewhere in the menu system that would allow me to do it, too. Sure enough, after a short search I found it.

For anyone else that is not aware of the existence of the default arc setting, go to the main menu and click on Objects > Place Shape > Arc Mode > Start - End - Middle Point
This will allow the user to use the 3-point "start/end/middle" arc placement method...
am1.png
am1.png (35.38 KiB) Viewed 741 times
Tom

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