problems controlling the Trace function

soldyne

I having issues controlling the trace function. I want to trace a small section of coast line going from west to east for about 50 miles, but, the function wants to trace the entire continent from east to west all the way around to the point 50 miles to the east, so, instead of creating a small patch of contour, it is trying to cover the entire landmass.

is there anyway I can get the trace function to trace in a different direction?

OldGuy

Try clicking the same two points but switch the order. That always worked for me.

Monsen

The trick with the trace function is that it will always trace trough the point you used when you originally selected the entity to trace, so make sure you select it by clicking on a part that will be included in the trace.

soldyne

I don't think I understand your suggestion. my understanding of the trace function (and all other selection functions) is that it will pick the node nearest to the mouse click on the selected polygon to begin its trace. a node is a dimensionless point and acts as a start or an end, but, there is no "through". the problem I have is that the trace function only seems to trace in a clockwise fashion around the polygon (IIRC). so, if I want to trace a portion of the coastline for about 10 miles counterclockwise, the program instead tries to trace 1000 miles clockwise all the way around the polygon until it reaches the point 10 miles over.

of course I could redo the entire polygon starting from another point 10 miles over, but, its just annoying sometimes. it would be nice if the trace function could be improved to trace in the shortest distance or give us a way to configure the trace direction.

I like to use it sometimes to put farmland on the shores of some of my land masses or to create cliffs that hang next to the coast. for those things I don't want to trace the entire landmass, just a smaller portion or it.

JimP

I use the polygon function and follow the outline of the imported png or bmp. You can go in either direction.

pdj

Soldyne - when you press T for trace it asks you to select the entity to trace. When you've selected it, you are asked for the first point of the trace. If you select your first point to the west of the original selection point then the trace will go west to east, if you select your first point to the east of the original selection point the trace will go east to west.

The trace always goes :-

First point -> through original selection point -> End point.

If you experiment a little you'll soon get the hang of it.

soldyne

ok, now I think i understand. I'll experiment with that. thanks.

Dogtag

Yeah, thank you. That clears up some things for me too. I really just "discovered" the Trace function watching Ralf do some mapping at GenCon, but Ralf makes everything look so easy.

~Dogtag