What Is Global Width in AutoCAD?

Understanding Global Width in AutoCAD

Global width in AutoCAD refers to the uniform thickness applied to polylines, making them visually distinct in a drawing. This attribute affects the entire polyline object, ensuring consistent line thickness across its length. Understanding how to set and modify global width can significantly enhance your drawing efficiency, giving you better control over the visual representation of your designs.

How to Set Global Width in AutoCAD

To adjust the global width of a polyline, follow these steps:

1. Select the Polyline: Click on the polyline you wish to modify within your drawing.

2. Open the Properties Palette: Right-click on the selected polyline and choose “Properties” from the context menu. The Properties palette should appear on your screen.

3. Locate Global Width Setting: In the Properties palette, find the “Global Width” field.

4. Input Desired Value: Enter the thickness value you wish to apply to the polyline. This value is usually expressed in drawing units (e.g., millimeters, inches).

5. Confirm Changes: Click outside of the Properties palette to apply the changes. The selected polyline will now display the new global width.

Turning Off Global Width in AutoCAD

If you want to revert a polyline to its default thickness or set its global width to zero, follow these simplified steps:

1. Select the Polyline: Click on the polyline you intend to change.

2. Access Properties: Right-click and select “Properties” to open the Properties palette.

3. Change Global Width: Set the “Global Width” to 0. This action will effectively remove any thickness from the polyline.

4. Apply Changes: Click outside the palette to see your changes reflected in the drawing.

Why Polylines Appear Thick

When polylines look excessively thick, it is typically due to the global width setting being set to a higher value than intended. If a polyline’s global width is adjusted, it will naturally become more prominent in your designs. In some cases, if lineweights are set in conjunction with global width, they can lead to confusion in the visual output.

Setting Global Width for an Ellipse

To assign a global width to an ellipse in AutoCAD, you can follow these steps:

1. Draw the Ellipse: Invoke the ELLIPSE command and create an ellipse of your preferred dimensions.

2. Convert to Polyline: Use the PEDIT command to convert the ellipse into a polyline. This transformation allows for further modifications, including setting the global width.

3. Adjust Width: Once converted, access the Properties of the ellipse (now polyline) and set the “Global Width” as needed.

Displaying Line Thickness

To visualize the thickness of your lines in AutoCAD, use the following commands:

1. Activate Lineweight Display: Type LWDISPLAY in the command line and set it to “On” (or “1”).

2. Use Status Bar Features: Alternatively, you can enable the Show/Hide Lineweight button from the status bar to quickly toggle visibility.

Modifying Polyline Thickness

To adjust the thickness of an existing polyline:

1. Select the Polyline: Click on the desired polyline in the drawing.

2. Open Properties: Right-click and select “Properties”.

3. Adjust Thickness: In the Properties palette, locate the thickness setting and input your preferred value.

4. Finalize Changes: Click away from the palette to ensure your new settings are applied.

Changing Default Polyline Thickness

To modify the default thickness setting for new polylines:

1. Navigate to Modify Panel: Click the Home tab, and access the Modify panel.

2. Select Edit Polyline: Choose the “Edit Polyline” option.

3. Choose a Polyline: Select any existing polyline for editing.

4. Edit Vertex: Type e to start editing vertices.

5. Set Width: When prompted, enter w to define the width and specify the starting and ending values.

6. Complete Editing: Press Enter to continue or x to stop.

FAQ

1. Can I set a negative global width in AutoCAD?
   No, global widths must be positive values. A negative setting will not be accepted.

2. What happens if I do not set a global width?
   If no global width is set, AutoCAD uses the default lineweight defined in the drawing settings, which could vary depending on your preferences.

3. How does global width interact with lineweight settings?
   Global width and lineweights serve different purposes; global width affects the thickness of specific objects like polylines, while lineweight refers to the visual weight of layers and can be set globally for all objects within a layer.