Extending Lines and Members
You can use this feature to adjust the length of a line (or a member) or to extend the line until it reaches another line.
To access the extend function, use the line shortcut menu (see Figure 11.89) or the member shortcut menu shown on the left.
The Extend Line or Extend Member dialog box opens.
The Extend Method dialog section provides three options:
- Extend to L changes the total length of the line or member to a dimension that you specify in the text box.
- Extend by Δ extends one or both member sides by a specified value, or shortens the side(s) if the value in the text box is negative.
- To next member or line extends the object to the nearest line that forms an intersection with the straight line of the line or member. When the Divide target member or line check box is selected, the objects are connected automatically.
Specify the direction of extension in the dialog section below: The On both ends option results in an extension at both ends of the member. With it, you can either relate the total length L to the line/member center, or extend the line on both sides either by the value Δ or until the next two lines are reached. Alternatively, you can use the On member start i or On member end j options to adjust the length of the member on only one end.
The display of line or member orientations can be set in the Display navigator (see Figure 4.26).