Expert: Bill DeShawn - 12/12/2008

Question
I am currently doing some pipeline design using acad 2005. I have received a survey drawing that i use to make my drawings with. In this drawing the surveyors give me the route of the pipeline. There are about 50 miles of pipeline. On my detailed drawings I need to show a tick mark every one hundred feet, I do this in my survey and xref it (survey dwg) into the individual drawings and use view ports to divide my xref into multiple smaller detailed drawings. I have found the most accurate way to add ticks marks is by using the "measure" command to insure quick and equal spacing. Keep in mind that my pipeline is a poly line and made up of several different angles. When i use the "measure" command i usually set my point style to the regular line (in the upper right hand corner). To make my life easier is it possible to just specify my nodes (at a specified length)to come in perpendicular to my various segments? I usually just go in and set the angle of my tick mark manually then copy it with base point to the other nodes i had set up using "measure" command and go down the rest of the segment until it eventually changes angle. Then i just repeat. I am not good at explaining stuff sorry, english was never my strong subject. I am a beginner user compared to most people at my work. But probably have an average knowledge of the software.

Answer
William.  If you are making blocks of these tick marks, then you can tell AutoCAD to align them along the path of the polyline.  That means they will be automatically rotated to the angle of the segment upon which they are placed.  There should be no need to go in and rotate them after you place them, and there should be no need to copy from node to node.  When you run the measure command it askes you if you want to use a block.  So, choose that option.  Then choose to align it with the object (or path).  

If you still need help with this, let me know.  Keep the conversation going until you understand the process or resolve the problem.

Bill DeShawn
http://my.sterling.net/~bdeshawn