Line Sketch Line SketchThe Line Sketch function is used to create lines by clicking in the graphics area to define the line start and clicking another location to define the line end. You can also create lines using Data Entry.
Line Sketch supports Dynamic Drawing which allows you to use data entry and/or sketching to create line entities. After sketching a line, it becomes the active entity. The active entity displays in the current Entity color, but displays with a greater line thickness to make it easier to identify. The active entity can then be modified using data entry. The benefit of Dynamic Drawing is that you can quickly sketch a line to get the approximate result and then use data entry to update the line to exact coordinate values as needed.
Active Entity
Line Sketch supports the use of the snap increment when selecting the start and end points of the line. The snap increment allows you to get precise results when using mouse selection and helps to reduce data entry modifications.
To learn more, view Snap Increment.
To open Line Sketch, do one of the following:
In the Lines menu, click Sketch.
On the CAD toolbar,
click the down arrow and click the icon.
Right-click anywhere in the Workspace, point to CAD, Lines, and click Sketch.
The parameters display in the 
Data Entry tab
of the Data-CAM Tree Manager.
Select the check box to sketch only horizontal and/or vertical lines.
After selecting the line start, you can move the mouse pointer horizontally
or vertically in either direction and the line only follows the pointer
movement that is parallel to that direction.
Clear the check box to allow free sketching meaning the line always follows
the screen position of the mouse pointer.
The Data Entry parameters are used to create lines or modify the coordinate values of the active line that is sketched in the Workspace. When the mouse pointer is in the Workspace, these values update to the current screen position.
TIP: When you move the mouse pointer into the Workspace, the Data Entry values are updated to the current screen position. When using the data entry method, you should keep the mouse pointer in the Data Entry Manager, until you click OK, to avoid changing the values you have entered.
You can type values to create the line start point, or you can modify the start point of the active entity in reference to the active UCS. When creating or modifying a start point, you can either click OK or start sketching the next line to finish the current point.
X - sets the X-axis location of the line start point.
Y - sets the Y-axis location of the line start point.
Z - sets the Z-axis location of the line start point.
You can type values to create the line end point, or you can modify the end point of the active entity. When creating or modifying an end point, you can either click OK or start sketching the next line to finish the current point. This group provides two sets of coordinate values: Absolute and Incremental.
Absolute
The Absolute group allows you to define the end point as an absolute value in reference to the active UCS.
X - sets the X-axis location of the line end point.
Y - sets the Y-axis location of the line end point.
Z - sets the Z-axis location of the line end point.
Incremental
The Incremental group allows you to define the end point as an incremental value from the current Start Point.
X - sets the amount of change in the X-axis from the current start point.
Y - sets the amount of change in the Y-axis from the current start point.
Z - sets the amount of change in the Z-axis from the current start point.
1 Open the function and click anywhere in the Workspace to set the start point of the line.
You can modify the snap increment value or turn it off while selecting start and end points.
2 Click anywhere in the Workspace to set the end point of the line. This is now the active entity, which means that it is not fully defined.
IMPORTANT: After clicking to set the end point of a line, the line changes from the Preview color to the current Entity color, but displays with a greater line thickness (than existing entities) to show that it is the Active entity. You can then modify the Data Entry parameters to update the active entity.
3 Dynamic Drawing allows you to update the Data Entry parameters to modify the active line.
After updating the Data Entry parameters, to finish the active entity, you can click OK or start sketching the next line.
When you don't need to update the Data Entry parameters, you can just click to start the next line.
NOTE: There are many ways to finish the active entity: click OK, press Spacebar, or click in the Workspace to start the next line.
4 Repeat this process for all lines that you want to create.
5 To close the function, click Cancel.
You can also create lines using only data entry. With this method you are creating points for each line: the start point and the end point, so you click OK once for each point that you create.
1 Open the function and define all Data Entry parameters needed for the first line.
2 Click OK to set the line start point and create the CAD preview.
TIP: When you move the mouse pointer into the Workspace, the Data Entry values are updated to the current screen position. When using the data entry method, you should keep the mouse pointer in the Data Entry Manager, until you click OK, to avoid changing the values you have entered.
3 You can update the end point if needed, and click OK again to create the end point and finish the first line.
4 Update the Data Entry parameters for the next start point, and click OK.
5 Confirm or update the End Point values and click OK to finish the line.
6 Repeat this process for as many lines as needed.
7 To close the function, click Cancel.
1 Open the function and click anywhere in the Workspace to set the line start.
You can modify the snap increment value or turn it off while selecting start and end points.
2 Click anywhere in the Workspace to set the line end.
3 Repeat this process for all lines that you want to create.
4 To close the function, click Cancel.