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Tips for Using the Wipeout Command
Tip# 4351 By Jessica Confer On 04-Aug-2014
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Categories : Object Properties, Draw Order
Software type : AutoCAD 2015
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Wipeouts can be a bit frustrating, so here are some solid tips to help things work smoothly.

After having had many problems trying to use the Wipeout command in AutoCAD, I have discovered some tips that make it easier. It’s not a comprehensive list by far, but it addresses some of the more frustrating situations I have encountered.

I generally use the Wipeout command only in blocks. That way the draworder, at least for that block, remains consistent.

Keep in mind that Wipeout will also affect lineweights. For example, wipeouts can be made only with polylines containing only line segments, so when I have a circular block that I need things behind not to show around, I draw a polyline all the way around the circle using the nearest Snap command, then offset it inside the circuit slightly so that I know it’s there. In the drawing, the circular block appears and things behind are masked, but when plotted (or previewed to plot) the circle’s lineweight is not consistent. The wipeout is blocking some of the lineweight. To fix this, I simply edit the block and send to back the wipeout using the Draworder command.

The wipeout itself needs to be on a layer that will plot, and that layer needs to be turned on. Within a block, I will put them on layer 0; that way they will be on the layer that they are inserted on and will therefore have all the attributes of that layer. If I am using wipeouts on their own (not in a block), then I create a separate layer (layer needs to be turned on and able to plot) to put them on that will stand out from the rest of my drawing so that I can see them more easily.

Before plotting, I make sure that the wipeouts themselves will not plot by using the Wipeout command, selecting the frames option, and setting it to D, Display Frames but Do Not Plot. Applying this command string to drawings that are received from other people prior to working with them is also a good idea, so you aren’t surprised by them later.

Sometimes the blocks containing wipeouts will not plot as wipeouts if placed on the same layer as information you are covering. In CAD it will appear that the wipeout is working correctly, but when printed it does not. To fix this, I use the Quickselect command to select all those blocks by name or by layer, then apply the draworder’s Bring to Front command.

Notes from Cadalyst tip reviewer R.K. McSwain: Wipeouts can be a little frustrating when you first start working with them. Depending on the situation, they may need to be on top of some entities but under other entities. These are some solid tips from Jessica to help make things work.        
 

 

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User comments
Comment by Shank,Brent
Posted on 2014-08-04 14:20:23
One other issue to add to your list...I have found that when using wipeouts inside of a block, the draw order will get rearranged if the BSAVE command is used. To avoid this, I don't save any blocks that I am working in manually but rather just close the block editor and click YES when asked if I want to save the block. For whatever reason, this seems to work. For this reason, and all of the other reasons you have mentioned, we have abandoned using wipeouts altogether and now use solid hatch. The hatch is placed on a layer designated as wipeout that is set to plot and color 255,255,255. Basically you are plotting solid white hatch over what you want to wipeout. The other advantage to using hatch is that you are not limited to polylines with line segments and can hatch any closed object.
Comment by Kemp,Ian
Posted on 2014-08-05 17:20:27
To draw a polyline around circles a neat quick way is to use the polygon command
Comment by Kemp,Ian
Posted on 2014-08-05 17:21:01
To draw a polyline around circles a neat quick way is to use the polygon command
Comment by Shank,Brent
Posted on 2014-08-06 16:14:06
Another neat, but not so quick, way of getting an actual circle to be a polyline is...1. Draw the required size circle 2. Draw a polyline from the top quadrant of the circle to the bottom quadrant. 3. Trim half of the circle to the polyline so that you are left with an arc and the polyline. 4. Use PEDIT to edit the polyline and add the arc. 5. Use the trim command to trim the polyline away so that you are left with just the arc, which is now a polyline. 5. Mirror the arc so that the result is the original circle. 6. Use PEDIT again on one of the arcs and add the other arc. Voila!...you now have a true circle that is a polyline. Hows that for a Rube Goldberg approach?
Comment by Shehata,Tawfik
Posted on 2014-08-07 19:22:40
Another way to create polyline circle is to draw an arc on part of the existing circle, run the Pedit on the Arc and choose the CLOSE option, however the wipeout accepts closed polylines with line segments only. We normally use the true RGB white hatch method mentioned above, keeping in mind that if the drawing is using named plot styles (STB) then the plot style for this layer must be set to "Normal", or to a named plot style that plots in true white.