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Controlling Line Format

The Line Format toolbar contains the Layer tool and four additional tools that control lines: Line Color, Line Thickness, Line Style, and Color Display Mode. These settings can be controlled separately from layers; therefore, they can be used in model sketches as well as on drawings. In the model, the line font can only be displayed for inactive sketches. Any sketch that is both closed and shown can be displayed with the Line Format settings.

Cross-Reference

For more information on using line styles in the model, see Chapter 6.

Figure 18.4 shows the Line Format toolbar along with the interfaces for Line Color, Line Thickness, and Line Style.

FIGURE 18.4

The Line Format toolbar and related interface options

Note

The term line font refers to a combination of style, end cap, and thickness. To set line fonts, choose Tools⇒Options⇒Document Properties⇒Line Font and use the document-specific settings.

Using the Line Format settings

You can specify the Line Format settings using two different methods. In the first method, you can set them with nothing selected, in which case they function like System Options (the new setting takes effect for all documents that are opened on the current computer). In the second method, if they are set with sketch entities or edges selected, then the settings apply only to the selected entities.

Caution

If you change these settings with nothing selected, then the Line Format settings for color, thickness, and style function as system options.

Setting the End Cap Style

Another option for the Line Font settings is the End Cap Style. This offers an important option, especially for thick lines. The three options are flat, round, and square. Of these, the square style is usually most appropriate. In the past, flat was the default style. To find this setting, choose Tools⇒Options⇒Document Properties⇒Line Font. You may want to change this setting and update your drawing template files.

Figure 18.5 shows the difference between the three options of End Cap Style.

FIGURE 18.5

The End Cap Style setting options

Notice the small notches at the sharp corners of the style to the left, which is the flat style. These can be very distracting on a drawing, and in my opinion they don't look very professional. This notched effect is most pronounced on thicker lines.

Setting the line thickness

The Line Thickness settings are Default, Custom, and eight width settings. Interestingly, the different thicknesses are named in the interface where you set the actual thicknesses, but not in the interface where you set lines to thicknesses. Figure 18.6 shows the Line Thickness page (Tools⇒Options⇒Document Properties⇒Line Thickness).

FIGURE 18.6

The Line Thickness settings in Tools⇒Options

The way the line thickness is shown in the drawing does not have anything to do with the numerical width that is assigned to it. For example, in Figure 18.6, notice that Thick(2) is set to 0.1 inch, which is much wider than Thick(3), which, in this case, is set to 0.0275 inch. Changing the numbers only affects printed line thickness; it does not affect the display at all.

Caution

The Line Thickness settings are document options, not system options. As a result, two drawings with the same line type assignments may have different numerical widths; thus, the two drawings would print differently on the same computer. This can be a benefit or a trap, so pay attention when you change the settings.

Setting the line style

You can create custom line styles using the syntax shown on the Line Style page (Tools⇒Options⇒Document Properties⇒Line Style). This is a document-specific setting; therefore, if you make a custom line style and want to use it in another document, you have to save it out (as a *.sldlin file) and load it into the other document. Also, if you save your templates with this line style loaded, then you will not have to load the styles for any document made from that template.

Changing