Introduction
The MLINE command, short for Multiline, allows you to draw a set of parallel lines, with pre-defined properties, for a given distance with a single command. This article explains how we can use this command to quickly and easily create 2D walls in Cap Complete.
Drawing Setup
Before you start constructing your walls, consider the units you will be working with. In this example we will be creating our walls using feet and inches. We will want to make sure the units are set to architectural.
- Type units on the command line and press enter on your keyboard.
- Set the type to Architectural and then click OK.
The MLINE Command
- Type mline on the command line and press enter on your keyboard to activate the command.
- The command line will then report the current settings that will be used for the Justification, Scale, and Style.It will then ask you to specify the starting point of your MLINE to begin drawing.
Scale
Before we start clicking to draw our walls, first consider your scale and justification settings. The Standard style which is the default style when starting the MLINE command will be using a +.5 and -.5 offset value which will result in a 1 inch thick wall. The Scale setting is a multiplier applied to the offset distance specified by the active style. Therefore we can increase the scale to set our desired wall thickness:
Example: Setting the scale to create a 6 Inch thick wall.
- With the MLINE command active, type S on the command line and press Enter on your keyboard.
- To the right of Enter mline scale type 6 and press Enter on your keyboard.
- Our Scale will now be set to 6 which will result in 6 Inch walls.
Drawing The Walls
We are now ready to draw some walls:
- With the MLINE command active, left click to choose the starting point of your wall.
- The command line will then ask to specify the next point. Simply move your cursor to start dragging the wall in the direction you wish it to run.
- You can then specify the exact length of the wall by entering the distance on the command line to create your first wall segment.
Tips:
- Activate Ortho mode to ensure your walls are perfectly straight. Use the F8 key to toggle on and off Ortho mode.
- After you have created at least 2 wall segments you can type C (for close) to immediately join your last wall end point to the initial starting wall point.
Justification Settings
There are three Justification settings of Top (Default), Bottom, or Zero. The justification setting you will want to use will be determined by the direction you draw your room (clockwise vs counter-clockwise) and if you are specifying interior or exterior wall dimensions.
Top Justification
Draws the multiline below the cursor, so that the line with the most positive offset is at the specified points. Top justification is sometimes referred to as Left Hand Justification.
Examples: If you are drawing walls in a clockwise fashion and are set to Top justification, the distance you specify will be for the exterior wall dimensions. If you are drawing walls in a counter-clockwise fashion and are set to Top justification, then the distance you specify will be for the interior wall dimensions.
Bottom Justification
Draws the multiline above the cursor, so that the line with the most negative offset is at the specified points. Bottom Justification is sometimes referred to as Right Hand Justification.
Examples: If you are drawing walls in a clockwise fashion and are set to bottom justification, then the distance you specify will be for the interior wall dimensions. If you are drawing walls in a counter-clockwise fashion and are set to bottom justification, then the distance you specify will be the exterior wall dimensions.
Zero Justification
Draws the multiline with its origin centered at the cursor, so that the MLSTYLE Element Properties offset of 0.0 is at the specified points. Zero Justification can also be referred to as Center Justification.
The distance you specify when drawing the wall will be the wall center line, with the interior and exterior being plus/minus the width of the wall offsets.
Editing Your Walls
Type MLEDIT on the command line and press Enter on your keyboard. The Multilines Edit Tools dialog window will appear. Here you can select from various Multiline Editing tools to help perform any clean up on your wall segments that might be needed.
Example: The image below on the left shows two wall segments coming together at an intersection. Using the Merged Tee Edit command we then selected the two segments indicated by the 1. and 2. in the image. This then resulted in the desired Tee intersection seen on the right side of the image.