User Guide
User Guide
User Guide

Linear Pattern

Use it!

Used to draw or “tile” a pattern along an existing linear element. That is, to replace the linear element with repetitions of the pattern cell. After applying linear patterning to an element, you can turn off Patterns in the View Attributes dialog box (Settings > View Attributes), to display the original linear element.

The pattern cell (top) and the element (bottom) used for the illustrations in the table below

  
Tool SettingEffect
Cycle

Sets the manner in which the active Pattern Cell is placed.

  • Truncated
    • — Place along the element at the Active Pattern Scale. If necessary, the last instance is truncated.
  • Complete
    • — Placed along the element at a scale that is adjusted, if necessary, from the Active Pattern Scale so that only complete instances are placed.
  • Single
    • — Placed with one instance on each segment.
    see footnote 71 If a segment's length is less than 80% of the cycle length, the segment is patterned with the first horizontal line in the pattern cell.
  • Multiple
    • — Place along an element at a scale that is adjusted, if necessary, from the Active Pattern Scale so that every instance is complete along each segment. If a segment's length is less than 80% of the cycle length, the segment is patterned with the first horizontal line in the pattern cell.
Pattern

The cell that is tiled to create the pattern. Can also be set with the Pattern button in the Cell Library dialog box (Element menu > Cells). Click the magnifying glass to open the Cell Library dialog box for purposes of placement of a different active cell.

Scale

The active Pattern Cell is scaled by this factor.
see footnote 72

Tolerance

Maximum distance between a curved element and the approximating line segments.

To pattern a linear element
  1. Select the Linear Pattern tool.

  2. Identify the element.

  3. Enter a data point to indicate the pattern direction.

Key-in: PATTERN LINE [SINGLE | MULTIPLE | ELEMENT | SCALE]

Linear patterning is supported to maintain compatibility with existing applications and for customers who have existing designs with linear patterns. In most cases, however, defining a Custom Line Style and using linear element placement tools is far more efficient, and is recommended for new design work.