[SOLVED] Using relative positions

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MetalworkerMike
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Joined: Thu Jul 22, 2021 10:18 pm

[SOLVED] Using relative positions

Post by MetalworkerMike » Fri Jul 23, 2021 9:32 pm

I haven't purchased yet, but I am planning on running the current version of QCAD on Linux at home and Windows 10 at work.

I'm a refugee from AutoCAD LT. I don't want to pay that much for a package I use for maybe a few hours per month on average.

I do primarily drafting of weldments made out of square tube and angle. Pretty straight-forward stuff, really.

I am used to starting a rectangle at a point, then I can just type "@50,2" and I get a 50 unit long by 2 unit high rectangle. I find this to be very easy and it makes sense to me.
Every tutorial video I have seen so far seems to use the grid. I don't use the grid. At all.

I have searched for an answer to this question, but I am probably not searching for the correct terms. I just want to be able to type values in (like circle radii, etc.) without having to move the mouse up to the top to enter them in the boxes. Maybe that's not feasible.... I don't know, but I'm hoping somebody here knows for sure. It very well may be a very simple thing that I'm missing.

Mike
Last edited by MetalworkerMike on Sat Jul 24, 2021 3:51 am, edited 1 time in total.

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andrew
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Joined: Fri Mar 30, 2007 6:07 am

Re: Using relative positions

Post by andrew » Fri Jul 23, 2021 9:52 pm

To draw a rectangle with size 50x2, you can indeed:
- Draw > Shape > Rectangle (or simply press the R key, then the E key to enter the shortcut 'RE')
- Click the first corner
- Hit space to move the focus to the command line and enter
@50,2

Most tools only require one value input (radius, distance, etc.). You can simply start typing a value to enter the value.

For example:
- Draw > Circle > Center, Radius (or CR)
- Enter 12.5 (note: no clicking involved)

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