Create Symbol (CreSym)

Type: Interactive Application

Creates a symbol or line font.

Detailed Description

Create Symbol creates a symbol or line font by identifying existing line entities. These entities will be used to make a symbol or line font. Entities to be used to create a symbol or line font are identified by a user-defined window. Only line entities will be used. All points on the line entities must fall within the window for that entity to be used. Explode Symbol (ExpSym) and Explode Text (ExpTex) may be used to explode an existing symbol or text label into line entitles to include it in a symbol.

The order of the line entities found is not important. Lines will be sorted from the lowest to the highest x when the symbol or line font is created.

The size of the lines to be used is not important. Line fonts use a line font length and are scaled at plot time. Symbols are stored with a radius of one and are scaled at plot time. Since VrOne files contain a target scale, one symbol library may be used for many map scales.

As of VrOne version 1.75, the maximum number of symbols is 1000, the maximum number of line fonts is 1000 and the maximum number of points allowed on a symbol or line font is 1000.

Local Commands

None

Procedure

Before starting Create Symbol the lines to be used for the symbol or line font should be drawn into the current file. Scale is not important. Symbols and Line fonts are scaled at plot time. The lines may be drawn anywhere in the current drawing as long as they can be identified with a window.

Parameters

Create

Defines the symbol type to create. Options are Symbol or Line font.

Symbol or line font number

There may be up to 1000 symbols and up to 1000 line fonts in a symbol file. Range: 1-1000

Symbol or line font name

Defines the symbol or line font name. Range: 15 characters

Symbol scale factor

Defines the symbol scale factor. Normally the symbol scale factor is 1 but a different scale factor may be entered so the symbol can be scaled to a different length than the actual symbol size. See Symbol Scale Factor for more information.

Line font length

Defines the plotting length for one line font segment when plotting the line font. This parameter is used when creating symbols. Range: Inches | Mm

Button Assignment

Create Symbol – Main

Create Symbol – Origin

Digitizes the origin of the symbol or line font. The origin must fall within the symbol or line font range. If a line font is being created, only the Y direction of the origin is used. The X origin of a line font is always the left side of the font. After the origin is digitized the dialog box as shown above appears and parameters may be entered.

Create Symbol – Dig Sf

Digitizes the symbol scale factor. This menu is only active when a symbol (not a line font) is being created. See Symbol Scale Factor for more information.

Symbol Scale Factor

A symbol scale factor is useful in the above example in which the symbol contains a symbol and a text label. The symbol and text label have been exploded into line entities by using Explode Symbol (ExpSym) and Explode Text (ExpText).

In a normal symbol a scale factor of 1 is applied to one half of the longest axis shown above as “Radius”. At plot time this radius would equal the symbol radius (RAD=) as it was inserted. This would make scaling the above symbol difficult. If a symbol scale factor were applied by digitizing two points such as the center of the circle and the edge of the circle, shown above as “Desired radius”, then the circle radius would equal the symbol radius as it was inserted.

The easiest way to define a symbol scale factor is to digitize the two points that define the distance that will be used as the symbol radius. Digitizing these two points will automatically compute the proper scale factor. A symbol scale factor may be digitized after digitizing the symbol origin when using Create Symbol.