Point (POINT / PO)
A point is an object that leaves a position itself on the drawing.
It is neither a line nor a circle but a mark meaning “here”; in civil engineering and surveying the points themselves are the deliverable.
Type PO (or POINT) into the Command Line → Enter. After that:
- click to place one
- type 1000,500 = an absolute coordinate (from the origin)
- type @100,50 = a relative coordinate (from the point you placed last)
Placing one does not end the command. You can go on placing as many as you like.
To finish: Esc (right-click and Enter do the same).
Base point (FROM / FRO) = measure from here, then place
“Three metres east of this stake” — surveying and civil work almost always measure from some existing point. This is the move that declares that reference.
While the point command is running, press the 基点 (Base point) button on the ribbon, or type FRO in the Command Line.
1. Click the reference point (it snaps to endpoints and intersections). ⚠️ No point is placed there. It only becomes the reference.
2. A green square appears = the base point is here now.
3. Type 100,50 and press Enter = a point 100 right and 50 up from the base point. A single number (3000, say) = that distance from the base point in the direction of the cursor.
⚠️ How you write it depends on where you type it (this is the same convention as the original).
- In the field beside the cursor = 100,50 means “from the base point” (@100,50 does the same).
- In the Command Line below = 100,50 is an absolute coordinate “from the origin”. To measure from the base point, write @100,50, with the @.
⚠️ The base point stays until you press Esc = you can go on placing any number of points from the same stake. The first Esc lets go of the base point only (the point command carries on).
The points you place can be caught
Point snap works on points (the marker is a circle with a cross).
Drawing a line from one, or measuring a dimension to one, is perfectly ordinary.
※ Points exist to be caught. A point you cannot catch is mere decoration.
Division points (DIVIDE / DIV)
Places points at the positions that divide a line, circle, arc or polyline into equal parts.
Type DIV into the Command Line → Enter → click the object to divide → type the number of divisions.
The object you chose lights up blue = you can see which one you are about to divide.
- Lines and arcs: 4 divisions gives 3 points, 100 divisions gives 99 (the two ends are already catchable as endpoints, so no points are placed there).
- Circles: 4 divisions gives 4 points (3, 12, 9 and 6 o'clock). A circle is closed and has no “two ends”, so you get exactly as many points as divisions. They start at 3 o'clock (0°) = divide the same circle twice and the points line up.
The points you placed can be taken back whole with a single press of U.
The look and size of points
- PDMODE 3 = the shape (0 = a dot / 1 = draw nothing / 2 = + / 3 = ✕ / 34 = ⊕)
- PDSIZE -3 = the size. A negative number means “a percentage of the screen height”. The default is -3 (3% of the screen). Built this way, the marks stay the same size however far you zoom out = 100 divisions never clot into a lump. Give a positive number and the size becomes full size on the drawing instead (PDSIZE 500, say).
Both are settings of the drawing itself, and they are saved in the DXF.
Points that came from another CAD
Points from someone else's DXF are taken in as they are.
The elevation (Z) that a point carries is not used here, but we hold it for you and give it back untouched when you save.