How to Copy an Object or Group of Objects

Toolbar Copy Method:

1. Pick the "Copy" icon on the Toolbar (three small white circles with an arrow pointing down and to the right)

2. The command prompt will now ask you to "Select object(s)". This means to pick the lines, arcs, circles, etc. you want to copy, i.e. make an "object selection set." You can pick these objects one at a time, after which each object picked will be highlighted in a different color or a different linetype. Or, like the method described in the Move instruction above, you can pick a blank area to the left of the objects you wish to select, and then stretch a rectangular "window" to the right, enclosing the entire object within the window. All objects that are completely enclosed in the rectangular window will be temporarily highlighted, meaning that they have been selected. Or, pick a blank area of the drawing to the right of the objects you wish to select, and then stretching a rectangular "crossing window" to the left. The outline of the crossing window will be shown in dashed lines. All objects which are either totally enclosed within this crossing window or are partially enclosed will be temporarily highlighted, meaning that they have been selected for copying. You can add objects to the selection set by continuing to pick individual objects, or by continuing to use the window or crossing window selection method.

If you have selected too many objects and want to take some out of the selection set, type the letter "R" (for "Remove") and pick the objects you want to remove from the selection set. You could also hold the <Shift> key down while picking objects which have already been selected to unpick them. These removed objects will return to their non-highlighted appearance.

Conversely, if you have removed too many objects from the object selection set after typing the "R" sub-command to remove, and you want to add more objects to the selection set, type the letter "A" (for "Add") and pick the objects you want to add to the selection set. These objects will become highlighted.
 
 

3. Once you are satisfied with the object selection set for Copying, type <RET> to "confirm" the object selection. At the <RET>, the command prompt will be "Base point or displacement." This is asking you to establish a "base point" from which the group of objects will be copied, or to tell it what the distance and direction of the "displacement" is. The following describe both methods:

a. Base point Copy method: A base point is analogous to a "handle" in a physical object, and it usually is not important where this base point is located.

Pick a location for the base point or type in its coordinates. When the base point is selected, the command prompt will ask for a "Second Point of Displacement." This is the new location for the base point. It can be indicated graphically by simply moving the crosshairs until you are satisfied with the new location's appearance, or it can be precisely located by typing in either an absolute coordinate point, or by typing a relative Cartesian or polar coordinate distance from the base point you want it copied. Wherever the base point moves, a new set of objects you selected to copy will move with it. The old ones will remain where they are. In this sense, it is very similar to the Move command, except a new set of objects is created while keeping the old ones. The three proper methodologies for this technique are as follows:

Absolute coordinate point: type the following: 10'6,25' <RET>

This would mean to move the base point to the location X=10'-6" and Y=25'-0" Relative Cartesian Coordinates: type the following: @ - 0'6,25' <RET> This would mean to move the base point ten feet six inches to the left and twenty-five feet straignt up. Relative Polar Coordinates: type the following: @50'<90<RET> This would mean to move the base point fifty feet straight up b. Multiple Copies:

The Copy Command has an added feature called "Multiple." If you want to make more than one copy of the object selection set, after you pick the Copy icon from the Toolbar, after you make the object selection set and before you select a basepoint, type M<RET> (for "Multiple" copy). Then you will be prompted for a "Basepoint" and a "Second Point of Displacement:" Once you have picked a Second Point of Displacement, you will be prompted to pick another second point of displacement, and another, etc. This is comparable to rubber stamping the objects onto your drawing. When you are finished making multiple copies, just hit a <RET> to end the command.

c. Displacement Copying method:

Type in X and Y (and optionally Z) coordinates of the displacement distance. As and example, if you want to move the selected objects 50 feet straight up, simply type in 0,50'<Ret><Ret>

Note that in this method, two carriage returns <Ret> are required to complete the command.
 
 
Other Methods of Copying

Pull-down menu Copy method:

1. Pick "Construct" header in Pull-down menu

2. Pick "Copy" from Construct Pull-down menu.

3. Follow from step 2 above.
 
 

 On-Screen menu Copy method: 1. Select from the root menu: EDIT This will bring up the EDIT sub-menu.

2. Select from the EDIT sub-menu, the word COPY.

3. Follow from step 2 above.
 
 

 Keyboard Copy method: 1. Type CP<Ret> from the keyboard

2. Follow from step 2 above.

 Grips Copy Methods:

Method 1 -- Copy one object:

1. At the Command: prompt, select the object (line, arc, circle, block, or text) you want to copy by picking it directly with the pickbox which is always present at the crosshairs center. You can also pick the object to copy by using either a regular window (picking in space from left to right) or crossing window (picking in space from right to left). This will highlight the object selected and put "grips" (small blue squares) on the endpoints and midpoints of the line and the quadrants and center point of the circle.

2. Pick one of the grips at the midpoint of the line, at the center of the circle, or the insertion point of the block or text. In the case of an arc or polyline, continually hold the <Shift> key down and pick all grips on the arc or polyline one at a time. This will make the grips selected "hot" (as they say) and the grips picked will turn from blue to red color.

3. Type C <RET>.

4. Move the object to its new location by dragging the crosshairs. In the case of the line, arc, block and text, the grip which was made hot will be the basepoint for copying. In the case of the arc or polyline, you will need to pick one of the grips again to act as a basepoint. You can OSNAP the grip to another point if desired, or you may simply type in relative Cartesian or polar coordinates if the exact distance to copy is known. This method will automatically do a multiple type copy, or rubber stamp of the object. If you do not want to make multiple copies, just hit a <RET> when you are through making the first copy. Hit two <Esc> keys to remove the highlighting and grips from the selected objects.
 
 

 Method 2 -- Copy many objects: 1. At the Command: prompt, select the objects you want to copy by picking them directly with the pickbox which is always present at the crosshairs center. You can also pick the objects to copy by using either a regular window (picking in space from left to right) or crossing window (picking in space from right to left). This will highlight the objects selected and put "grips" (small blue squares) on their endpoints.

2. Pick the Copy icon from the Toolbar (or type CP <RET>). The objects previously selected will remain highlighted, but the grips will disappear. If you want to make several copies of the objects, type M <RET> before picking a basepoint.

3. Pick a basepoint. This can be snapped to.

4. Pick a second point of displacement. This can be snapped to.
 
 

 Method 3 -- Copy many objects with same spacing between objects
  1. At the Command: prompt, click on the object or group of objects. Notice that "Grips" will appear at the endpoints and midpoints of lines.
  2. Click on one of the grips to "make it hot" (it does not matter which grip is selected).
  3. Depress the space bar once.
  4. Type C <RET>
  5. Move the crosshairs (the highlighted objects will move with it) to the first position you want to locate the first copy

    6. Hold the <Shift> key down and move the cursor to the next location you want to make a copy. Notice that the cursor will "snap" to a position exactly the same distance and angle from the last copy as you set in making the first copy. This will work for as many copies as you want to make, as long as you keep the <Shift> key depressed.