Where is the extend tool?

[CoffeeAchiever]

I'm a new user and am trying different tools in X11.  However, for the life of me I cannot find the extend tool (or trim tool for that matter).

 

I thought that if I picked an interior wall for example to extend to an exterior wall, I would select the interior wall and the 

extend (and trim) tool would appear on the bottom of the screen, but it does not.  I checked the Reference Manual and videos, but no go.  I thought maybe it was left off of a toolbar, but I can't find an option to add these tools. 

 

Thanks for your help.

 

 

[CoffeeAchiever]

So, the extend/trim tool doesn't show up when editing walls?  Brilliant, I cannot find this stated anywhere. 

 

Also, I had watched videos and specifically, the "recommended" video on extend and trim and the presenter was using a polyline on rafters, I believe.   I had tried adding a polyline to the exterior wall, just in case I needed this, but "walla", still no extend/trim for the interior wall.   

 

So, "Chief's" solution to extending walls is by dragging only.  Sign me up for X12 then!

[Alaskan_Son]

20 minutes ago, CoffeeAchiever said:

 

So, the extend/trim tool doesn't show up when editing walls?  Brilliant, I cannot find this stated anywhere. 

 

That’s a funny statement.  Did you read somewhere that it SHOULD show up?  And just FYI, you won’t find it stated anywhere that wall’s can’t be converted to elevation lines either, but do we really need Chief to tell us everything that a tool CAN’T do?  
 

By the way, all snarkiness aside, I totally agree with you.  Walls SHOULD have this capability IMO and I’ve suggested the same thing myself in the past...

 

 

In the meantime, the closest thing we have for walls is the Connect Walls tool.  

[Joe_Carrick]

29 minutes ago, CoffeeAchiever said:

So, the extend/trim tool doesn't show up when editing walls?  Brilliant, I cannot find this stated anywhere. 

 

Also, I had watched videos and specifically, the "recommended" video on extend and trim and the presenter was using a polyline on rafters, I believe.   I had tried adding a polyline to the exterior wall, just in case I needed this, but "walla", still no extend/trim for the interior wall.   

 

So, "Chief's" solution to extending walls is by dragging only.  Sign me up for X12 then!

I don't think the extend tool will ever be available for walls - but why would you need it anyway.

IAE, those 2 tools only show up on the "Edit Toolbar" when a line or arc has been selected.  Only other CAD objects can be trimmed or extended.  That includes framing because those are in fact CAD when shown in plan or wall elevation views.

[CoffeeAchiever]

Incredible.  If the tool has limitations for non-interior/interior wall entities, then why shouldn't CA CLARIFY this?  Why should I or anyone else waste time unnecessarily? 

 

It would also most probably be a common question from anyone transitioning from another CAD system as this is a fairly common task.  A simple note in the reference manual would have sufficed.    

 

 

[CoffeeAchiever]

Joe Carrick, the reason for using the extend tool was for my own knowledge of trying out different tools available. 

 

In AutoCad, this is fairly commonly used function and when you extend a line it to another entity or in this case, an exterior wall, the intersection would be "dead-nuts".  However, if dragging the wall to another entity, you're relying on the object snaps to position the end of the extended wall to the framing member of the exterior wall correctly.  

 

[Kbird1]

9 minutes ago, CoffeeAchiever said:

Joe Carrick, the reason for using the extend tool was for my own knowledge of trying out different tools available. 

 

In AutoCad, this is fairly commonly used function and when you extend a line it to another entity or in this case, an exterior wall, the intersection would be "dead-nuts".  However, if dragging the wall to another entity, you're relying on the object snaps to position the end of the extended wall to the framing member of the exterior wall correctly.  

 

 

The big difference in Chief is that you are ALWAYS drawing in 3D, even in Plan view, a Wall is a 3D Object , not a "dumb" CAD line.....though it appears as that, hence those Tools don't work on Walls.

 

Personally I have no trouble with the Connect Walls Tool but find it as quick to just grab the Edit handle (square) on the end of the wall and drag it over if needed , walls snaps are very accurate in my experience, and as long as you are within about 6" of a connection CA will do the rest automatically. ( this sometime has a down side when you want a short say 3" return though.)

 

M.

 

 

[CoffeeAchiever]

THANKS EVERYONE FOR YOUR HELP!!!

[Alaskan_Son]

6 hours ago, Joe_Carrick said:

I don't think the extend tool will ever be available for walls - but why would you need it anyway.

 

Same exact reason we use it for CAD.  For productivity.

[glennw]

Quote

However, if dragging the wall to another entity, you're relying on the object snaps to position the end of the extended wall to the framing member of the exterior wall correctly.

 

Not true.

Chief will always join walls main layer to main layer, no matter what wall layer you try and snap another wall to - unless you use a Partition Wall.

[GeneDavis]

Productivity?  

 

In Chief CAD, one selects the line with a click, selects EXTEND command, then selects the line to be extended to the first, and the line extends.

 

Three mouse moves to select and click.  Two, maybe, if one has a hotkey for EXTEND.

 

Clicking a wall and then dragging its end to extend it to the desired wall intersect seems faster to me, than if we had the means to extend with the command we have in CAD.

 

In what floor-plan-drawing scenario would one have a number of unconnected walls, interior or exterior, needing to extend-connect to a single other wall?  Am I missing something here?  Because extending in CAD (or in framing) using the FENCE tool is quite productive, but I cannot imagine a floor plan-drawing scenario with a bunch of walls needing to be extended.

[Alaskan_Son]

2 hours ago, GeneDavis said:

n what floor-plan-drawing scenario would one have a number of unconnected walls, interior or exterior, needing to extend-connect to a single other wall?  Am I missing something here?  Because extending in CAD (or in framing) using the FENCE tool is quite productive, but I cannot imagine a floor plan-drawing scenario with a bunch of walls needing to be extended.

 

You are correct in that the need for such a tool is much lower with wall than it is with CAD and that's it's tough to come up with a relevant scenario when put on the spot, but I can assure you that I've run into many situations where I wish I had trim and extend for walls.  Here are just a few scenarios and reasons though...

• Reason:  It can be a whole lot easier to Extend a wall with a single click or by dragging out a quick fence than it can be to zero in on and grab the end edit handle. 
• Reason:  It can be much less error prone to click or use fence to extend a wall where multiple potential connection points exist.  This can be particularly true of larger, busier plans, or when working on plans with off angle walls.
• Reason:  It gives us a quick, fluid, and dependable way of working with angle snaps turned off.
• Reason:  In order to use CAD and walls in conjunction with each other for trimming and extending the other.
• Scenario:  Drawing double walls, furring walls, other multi-walls, etc.
• Scenario:  Drawing large grids of rooms.  This is something that's actually come up many times in my own personal experience. 
• Scenario:  Drawing walls for non standard purposes or non living space type reasons.  Various fence, retaining wall, decorative wall, a no room definition wall scenarios come to mind...again especially when working on large busy plans, when working with a lot of angles, or when working with no room def walls that overlap regular walls.
• Scenario:  Group select and change thickness of walls and lose all the connections.  This one I have had had come up many times and its always a huge pain to go back and fix all those connections.  Having the extend tool available could make this a lot easier many times.
• Scenario:  Adding a quick bump-out or multiple bump-outs by simply drawing the bump-out(s) and then using Trim to remove the unwanted wall segment. 
   

I’m sure there are plenty others, but point is, for me, they definitely arise from time to time. 

[GeneDavis]

Well maybe yes, Michael, but select>click>select>click>select>click is what it takes me in my neanderthal setup without hotkeys, to extend a cad line or framing element.  Select>click-hold>drag>release is faster.  And aren't we talking about faster?

 

 

[DzinEye]

99% of the time I'm sure click and drag is faster.  In my usage, the 1% where an extend command would be nice is an off angle wall that doesn't follow a snap angle. It gets touchy to keep it on track.

 

[glennw]

3 hours ago, DzinEye said:

99% of the time I'm sure click and drag is faster.  In my usage, the 1% where an extend command would be nice is an off angle wall that doesn't follow a snap angle. It gets touchy to keep it on track.

 

Strangely, if you toggle on Angle Snaps when dragging an off angle wall, it will help maintain the walls angle - even though it is off angle.