2D Drafting Primitives

These are basic geometric shapes that can be ‘drawn’ on a Sheet or a VIEW Layer. The primitives exist in the hierarchy as members of NOTEs, VNOTEs or SYTMs.

Primitives that exist as members of VNOTs may have their dimensions and positions defined in terms of 3D Design values

There are eleven types of geometric primitive element corresponding to the shapes shown in Figure 18:3 below.

Figure 18:3. Drafting Primitives

Note: The ‘°’denotes the shape’s (default) origin and is not part of the shape itself.

Note: The Outline (OUTL) primitive consists of a number of connected straight lines and circular arcs, as defined by the user. The shape shown above is an example only.)

As a primitive element is created, its position is stored separately, with a reference to the position being stored as the primitive’s PTRF (or PTFA) attribute. An important feature of this system is that if a series of primitives is created, each primitive’s position reference (or drafting point) will (initially) be the same, enabling a series of ‘connected’ shapes to be quickly and easily created. For example, the command sequence

NEW CIRCLE DIAM 100 AT @

NEW CIRCLE DIAM 150

NEW CIRCLE DIAM 200

would create a series of concentric circles. In a similar way, a series of connected straight lines could be created. (A line may have two position references, one at either end; the start position reference of one line would be set equal to the end position reference of the previous line - see description of STRA primitive below.) A set of primitives connected in this way may be moved as a ‘group’ by using the DRAG command - see below.

Draft offers you a variety of methods of defining, identifying, sizing, positioning, orienting, moving and querying drafting primitives. Many methods of carrying out these operations are common to all (or most) of the drafting primitives. These methods are described in the next section; methods that apply to particular primitives (and to Symbols) are described in Creating and Manipulating Drafting Primitives - Common Operations.