Learn to create a half-hot outlet symbol using various workflows in drafting software. The tutorial explains how to draw objects, modify geometry, and use different inputs for values with detailed examples.
Key Insights
- The article covers the process of creating a half-hot outlet with eSIMS layer color 61. It introduces the method of drawing the line using absolute coordinates, which represents the middle of the symbol. It guides how to use the Line tool and Zoom Extents for accurate drafting.
- After drawing, it explains how to modify the geometry of the drawn objects using object snaps, distance, direction, and relative coordinates. The tutorial describes three separate workflows to position a circle correctly within the symbol, including moving with absolute coordinates, point-to-point move, and distance-and-direction move.
- Finally, the article illustrates how to use the copy tool to duplicate lines and the hatch tool to fill up spaces. It suggests that the use of absolute coordinates while moving objects is a rare instance, and instead, point-to-point and distance-direction moves are more common in drafting.
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In this video, we will work on the half-hot outlet. Let's go File, New, use our template, File, Save.
Let's save this as half-hot-outlet, and I'll save. Let's make our layer. And remember, this is the e-SIMS layer, so we'll go New Layer, e-SIMS, this color is our new color, which is 61.
Hit OK, and I will double-click to make this our active layer. Let's close Layer Properties and CTRL+S to save. In the previous video, we drew our circle first with absolute coordinates.
In this case, let's draw our line using absolute coordinates. And this is the construction line that represents the middle of our symbol. I'll go to the Line tool, 0,0, Enter, and then 0,0.5, which means 0 in the X and 0.5 in the Y. Enter, Enter to say that I'm done, Zoom Extents, and I'll roll out once, CTRL+S to save.
Not only can we draw objects with our object snaps and distance and direction relative coordinates, but we can also modify geometry using the same workflows. In this case, let's look at three separate workflows to put our circle in the right spot. To begin, I'm going to draw the circle at 0,0, and I'm going to make it the right size.
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Circle, our center will be 0,0, Enter, and our radius value is 1 over 8, Enter, CTRL+S to save. Now this circle needs to move either from the endpoint to the midpoint, or from this point up half an inch, or from 0,0 to 0,1 over 4. Those are three different sentences in English, and that represents three different workflows using the Move tool. These different sentences represent different ways to input our values.
So, if I go Move, and choose my circle, and Enter to say I'm done selecting objects, notice it says specify a first point. Now, when we're drawing with absolute coordinates, or in this case, moving with absolute coordinates, this is a fairly simple process. We're moving from 0,0, Enter, and we're moving to 0,0.25, or 1 over 4, Enter.
Now the object has moved from this point to this point. That's because we knew the absolute coordinates. Now I'm going to undo, because that is a very rare instance.
If we already know the absolute coordinates at the second part of our move, we probably should have drawn the geometry there in the first place. In this case, let's do a different sentence. I want to move the circle from this endpoint to this midpoint, and this is a much more common workflow.
So, I can go Move, the circle, Enter, from the Shift + Right-Click endpoint, and notice I've grabbed the circle, it's previewing the move, to the Shift + Right-Click midpoint of the line. That is a point-to-point move, and we use point-to-point moves all the time, especially when we know where we're starting and where we're going. I'll undo so that we can see one more example.
And this last example is a distance-and-direction example. And this is when we don't know exactly where we're going, or, more importantly, it doesn't matter. The circle just has to move up, which is our direction, point-to-five, which is our distance.
So, that's what we mean when we say distance-and-direction. The direction is up, and the distance is point-to-five. I'll move the circle, Enter to say I'm done selecting objects.
Now, it says from where, specify the base point, but I don't care. I'm showing a distance-and-direction. So, I can choose somewhere over here if I'd like, but what's really important is that I specify my direction.
Now, I can do at 0.25, angle 90. That's distance-and-direction, Enter to lock it in. Or, I'll undo, move, choose my circle. Enter to lock it in.
I'll choose over here again, and this time I'll turn on my polar, or, in this case, it would be better to use ortho. Ortho is like polar, except it only locks in positive X, positive y, and negative X and negative y. Ortho is right next to polar. So, I've turned on ortho, and now it will very easily lock in my direction, which you can see is angle 90 degrees.
Now, all I need to do is type in 0.25, Enter, and my circle goes to the right spot. To practice this, let's move the line to the left one-thirty-second of an inch. So, I'll go move, choose my line, Enter, and again, I could go from 0,0 to negative 1 over 32 comma 0, but in this case, I'm going to pick anywhere on the screen, show my direction with ortho, and type 1 over 32, Enter.
I did not need a negative value because I moved in the direction I was showing. Now, we can offset the line back 1 over 16, or, in this case, let's use copy. This line needs to be copied, which works just like move, to the right 1 over 16.
I'll go copy, and just like move, we have to pick our objects, Enter to lock it in, specify space point, this time I'll choose over here, show to the right, this time, 1 over 16, Enter, and unlike move, copy does not automatically end, because it's leaving the original line in place, and it wants to see if we want to add more copies. In this case, we do not, so I'll hit ENTER, zoom extents, CTRL+S to save. To complete our half-hot outlet, all we need is a hatch.
We can go to the hatch tool, pick solid, pick points, and choose this location. Enter to say that we're done, CTRL+S to save.
