How to create a layer with cyan hatch and white shape edges?

[Denis GAILLARD]

Hello everyone, I need a little help.
To control my SHAPER ORGIN (manual CNC - https://www.shapertools.com/fr-fr/) and define milling modes, the manufacturer imposes a color code for the line and the frame (https://support. shapertools.com/hc/en-us/articles/115002721473-Designing-for-Origin).
For example: an interior milling is drawn with a white frame and a black stroke. I know how to manipulate the color of a layer but I haven't found how to manage the line color and a different color for the hatch. In my work I would like to create 5 layers and draw in each of its layers the shapes to be milled.
I look forward to reading you and receiving help.

[andrew]

In CAD, colors are usually controlled by layers, so for a different color, you would create a new layer.

If that does not work for you, you can indeed set the color of each entity individually using the property editor (View > Property Editor, property Color).

Please refer also to:
https://www.qcad.org/en/tutorial-adjusting-colors

[Husky]

Hello,

common praxis in CAD is to control the color within layer. However - you are also able to control individual colors for chosen entities regardless the layer color. In your case it looks like it would make your life easier if you could stick only to those layer colors.

Hatches are working on the same way. If you need a white hatch chose the layer "white" and create the hatch. If you then need a black stroke chose the layer "black" and draw your strokes. If the hatch is on top and your stroke is covered (invisible) by it you can move the hatch into the back.

I would name the layers like "On line cut", "Exterior cut" etc.etc. and equip them with the right attributes - I'm sure you get the idea ...

Husky-2022.01.19-01.png (1.18 KiB) Viewed 4259 times

[Denis GAILLARD]

Hello Husky

Thank you for the quick reply.
Completely agree with the management of colors whether by layers or by objects (elements that I already know).
What is trying to do is to have one layer per type of milling (for the control of the drawing it is simpler) and that in this layer, the lines are of one color and the hatchings of another color .
Thus, when we draw in this layer, we have a unity of colors and therefore no errors or omissions, an error that can occur too easily if we have to redo each object and each hatch individually.
I tried a test with the hierarchy of the layers without success.
I think that in the current state of QCAD it is not possible but it is so convenient to draw with QCAD that I would very much like to keep this software.
I hope someone who knows the software well will show us the way to follow...

[andrew]

Denis,

Again, you can change the color of any entity on any layer to any color using the property editor:
View > Property Editor

Please let us know if / why that does not work for you.

[ryancousins]

What is trying to do is to have one layer per type of milling (for the control of the drawing it is simpler) and that in this layer, the lines are of one color and the hatchings of another color .

Denis,

There is not a built-in way to automatically have objects on the same layer have different colors. You would either need to have the outline and the hatching on separate layers, or you would have to manually change one or the other of the individual outline or hatch objects using the property editor as Andrew mentioned. I often have one layer for outline and another for the hatching and those layers have different colors. Would having two separate layers not work for your purpose? An alternative option could be to use the selection filter once you've finished your drawing to easily select all of your hatches at once and change the color of all of them at once. Perhaps that would be a workable solution?

[CVH]

I tried a test with the hierarchy of the layers without success.

In CAD there is no drawing order by layers.
Whether on hierarchic layers or not.

Each entity has a drawing order.
Your boundary entity/ies can have a higher or lower drawing order than your hatch entity.

Regards,
CVH

[Denis GAILLARD]

Hello everybody,

I am certainly one of those people who have little experience in CAD and I am happy to learn. Thank you so much for your insights and advice.
Certainly layer management is powerful and I make it work as suggested. However, I remain convinced that other approaches can have advantages.
In this case, I recommend (if I can do it...) to add an attribute in the layer parameters in order to be able to choose the color of the hatching as we define the width and the type of the line.
By default this attribute would be "COLOR OF HATCHING SAME AS LINE" in order to keep habits efficient. This "hatching color" attribute could be customizable like the color of the layer. From the point of view of the code, there is a time when the hatch must "fetch" the color of the layer to be displayed. It would suffice to point to the "Hatch color" attribute rather than "Layer color". It would therefore be possible to define a "metal" layer with a line and a color for all the metal parts of a construction and a "wood" layer, for example, with other lines and another color.
This suggestion does not seem insurmountable to me from a programming point of view and could add an interesting and efficient functionality. If by chance this improvement is made, I would like to be informed.
Thanks for reading and responding.
With my regards
Dennis

[andrew]

Yes, you could certainly use the QCAD scripting interface to implement such a feature.

However, this is a highly user specific scenario which might make perfect sense to you for your very specific use case, but not for a generic CAD like QCAD. In short: this is not how CAD works and also not how CAD formats such as DXF or DWG save data.

If you're interested in implementing such a script add-on for your own use, I'm happy to point you in the right direction.

[CVH]

Dennis,
you can always enter a feature request at BugTracker.

But ... I don't think this will ever be implemented.
Why only for line entities and hatch entities? ... Only because that serves your actual needs.
I doubt that the DXF standard has specifications for that.

What about all the other types of entities. Most of my boundaries are Polylines.
What if you want to mill or pocket a circle with your method?

I make perfect closed boundaries by polylines and preserve these on a dedicated layer.
I then create hatches of those boundaries on another dedicated layer.

Advantages:
- I can edit my boundary to newer needs.
- The recreation of new hatches is than straightforward.
- Hatches isolated in layers can be turned off ... Frozen or locked and so on.

And further, I also don't stick to the layer methods as specified.
I can have multiple designs on top of each other grouped in main layers.
There Blocks don't serve my needs.
Each with sub layers as: Outlines, Centerlines, Construction lines, Engraving paths, Cutted surface ... Boundaries & Hatches ...

Regards,
CVH