Polyline

Alias: P L

Creates a connected sequence of line segments as a single object.

Polyline icon

Description

The Polyline command draws a series of connected straight segments that are treated as a single entity. Unlike the Line command, all segments belong to one object and can be selected, moved, or edited together.

Workflow

  1. Type P L and press Space or Enter.

  2. Specify start point: Click a point on the canvas or type coordinates.

  3. Specify next point: Click the next point or type a distance.

  4. Continue specifying points to add further segments.

  5. Press Enter or Escape to end the command, or type Close to join back to the start.

Options available at the Specify next point prompt:

  • Arc — Switches to arc segment mode. Subsequent points are connected with arcs rather than straight lines. Available after the first segment.

  • Line — Switches back to straight line segment mode when in arc mode. Available after the first segment.

  • Close — Closes the polyline by connecting the last point back to the first, creating a closed shape. Available after two or more segments have been drawn.

  • Undo — Removes the last point and returns to the previous step. Available after the first segment.

Tips

  • Use Ortho mode (F8) to constrain segments to horizontal or vertical.

  • A polyline can be exploded into individual line segments.

  • Closing a polyline by snapping back to the start point creates a filled, closed shape compatible with Hatch.

DXF Representation

A polyline is stored as an LWPOLYLINE (lightweight polyline) entity in the DXF ../dxf BLOCKS section. Each vertex is stored as a pair of group codes 10 / 20.

0
LWPOLYLINE
8          ← layer name
0
90         ← number of vertices
3
70         ← flags: 0 = open, 1 = closed
0
10         ← vertex 1 X
0.0
20         ← vertex 1 Y
0.0
10         ← vertex 2 X
50.0
20         ← vertex 2 Y
0.0
10         ← vertex 3 X
50.0
20         ← vertex 3 Y
30.0

A closed polyline has flag 1 set in group code 70, causing the last vertex to connect back to the first.

See Also

Line | Rectangle | explode | ../dxf