Hi all. I have problem with changing line lenght in Entity Info. I have few lines and i need them to be lets say 25mm. But If I need change first line it works, second line did not.
So I have to change line to something else, then to what I need
It frustrating as hell at sometimes. Please Help
Through âEntity Infoâ you can only change edge lengths to a specific desired length if the edge has at least one free vertex. If an edge is connected on both sides to other geometry youâll change its length by moving one of its end vertices. Create reference geometry and then apply the âMoveâ tool to the vertex.
Yes. Lines connectected only one side.
Move tool as copy/paste not alwase best solution, especially if all lines in place at different angles and you need change lenght of few in a row.
Why there is such limitation?
Could you share a skp file? There may be a better way of doing it if we could see exactly what youâre doing.
How will the program know which connected lines you intended to move when you changed the length of a line? Will one end stay anchored in place and the other end move? Both ends move centred on original centre? Thereâs no end of possibilities.
Because Entity Info is designed primarily to be an information display - not an edit window? And SketchUp has added additional function of changing the geometry from there when it can figure out what you want to do? And when you select an edge and change the length, SketchUp has no clue whether to add/subtract length for one end, the other end, or split the difference?
If, instead of selecting an edge, you selected a face, then tried to change the area, what would you expect SketchUp to do? Guess?
Based on this, the fact that the entity window can be used to change the length of an edge at all is, in my opinion, a bug!
Itâs nice that, in some cases, it is possible to make changes with the entity window. Cases such as:
See a pattern here? You can change things that donât affect the geometry, or where SketchUp doesnât have to guess how you want to change the geometry.
well you can change all lines that are instances of the same component.
There are some rules that SketchUp follows when the length of an edge is changed in Entity Info.
If:
Use the move tool.
Predictable, but relies on your remembering which is the âlastâ end, hence can be the opposite of what you want.
Reasonable
Again, reasonable
However, Iâve a hard time thinking that 3 different possibilities for what happens when you try to change the length of an edge using Entity Info is a feature. I think that if there is ANY uncertainty at all, itâs a bug.
Probably bug
If itâs a bug, then so is being able to set the number of sides for circles, arcs, and polygons as well as their radius.
It work with radius of circle
I consider the bug to be uncertainty. If SketchUp still has the metadata that says âthis is a circleâ or âthis is an arcâ, then there is no uncertainty about what you want to do if you change the radius or the number of edges.
If SketchUp no longer recognizes the geometry as a line or arc, it doesnât even give you a radius or number of edges in the Entity Info window, much less a way to change them.
But with edges, there are 3 cases:
If you created the edge, you should know which end you started at.
Do you want it to move the attached end and distort other geometry? That would make no sense.
Itâs very clear in Entity Info that the Length field isnât available to be edited exactly as when other selected entities canât be edited in Entity Info or in the Measurements window.
Do you? Perhaps if you always follow perfect recommended workflows, so that isolated edges are created and nearly immediately connected to other newly created geometry in that brief period of time before you group together the recently created ungrouped geometry.
But even in this case, do you always draw free edges in the same direction? Do you really remember if youâve drawn one or two other things before you decide the length of the free edge needs changing?
And what happens if your intention in changing the length of an edge is to extend it in the direction opposite the direction you used to create it? You canât do that with Entity Info.
Of course not! If that were possible, it would make MORE uncertainty, not to mention weird side effects!
In the case of edges, another tool (Scale) exists that is well suited to changing the length of an unconnected edge. Moreover, you can choose whether the length changes from one end, the other end, or on both ends. Nothing uncertain if you know how to use the Scale tool.
Scale doesnât work on a single edge.
As I said above, use the move tool.
Thatâs for single stray edges along one of the axes.
Otherwise it scales to input length using the diagonal grip(s)
something else to remember then, which way did i draw it, is it on axis, how shall I resize itâŚuse the move tool.
Yes. My memory isnât that short. It doesnât take very long to connect that edge to other edges to make something useful out of it.
No. But it isnât a problem. See above.
Youâre right. You canât do that but since I know which end would get moved if I were to try changing its length in Entity Info, I can deal with it without creating problems for myself.
I use a methodical workflow and Iâve learned how to use the tools the way they are meant to be used. I can see that this sort of thing could be a problem for people who donât have a methodical practice or wonât follow ârecommended workflows.â Reminds me of the old idom, âa poor craftsman blames his tools.â
Itâs just that you can scale a single edge. Iâm not with @sjdorst in his âbugâ theory.
@sjdorst, I donât consider having the option to resize an edge via âEntity Infoâ a bug.
If both sides are attached to other geometry the field in âEntity Infoâ is colored differently. It wonât allow changing the field value. SketchUpâs geometry is sticky.
The fact that you can resize a stray edge without knowing how it will stretch is a minor issue. Restricting this resize option altogether would have been more inconsistent, the way SketchUp handles sticky geometry.