How to Move an Object or Group of Objects

Toolbar Move Method:

1. Pick the "Move" icon on the Toolbar (a crossed arrow which points up and down, and right and left).

2. The command prompt will now ask you to "Select object(s)". This means to pick the lines, arcs, and circles you want to move, 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. Like the method described in the Erase 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. 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 moving, 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 moved, or to tell it what the distance and direction of the "displacement" is. The following describe both methods:

a. Base point moving 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 moved. Wherever the base point moves, the objects you selected will move with it. 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. Displacement moving 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 Moving

Pull-down menu Move method:

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

2. Pick "Move" from Modify Pull-down menu.

3. Follow from step 2 above.

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

2. Select the word next at the bottom of the first page of the Edit sub-menu.

3. Select from the second page of the EDIT sub-menu, the word MOVE.

4. Follow from step 2 above.

Keyboard Move method: 1. Type M<Ret> from the keyboard

2. Follow from step 2 above.

Grips Move Method: 1. At the Command: prompt, select the items you want to move by picking them directly with the pickbox which is always present at the crosshairs center. You can also pick objects to move 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 one of the grips. This will "make it hot" (as they say) and the grip picked will turn from blue to red color. It will automatically become the base point for the move process.

3. Type the spacebar. This will toggle the grip editing menu from STRETCH to MOVE.

4. Move the objects to their new location by dragging the crosshairs. 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 move is known.

A neat trick to use with grips is to highlight both the object you want to move and the object you want to move it to. Grips will appear at the end points of both objects. Grips are like snap points and can easily be snapped to with the crosshairs. Now type <Esc> (Cancel) only once. The highlighting will disappear but the grips will remain. (Another option at this point would be to hold the <shift> key down and pick the objects you do not want to move, but want to keep the grips on them -- this process un-highlights the selected objects.) Now select a basepoint grip by picking on it with the pickbox at the center of the crosshairs. It will turn red (get hot) and will highlight the object to which the grip is connected. Now hit the space bar toggling on the grip MOVE command. You can move the hot grip along with its connected object to another grip point.

To make more than one grip hot prior to the move, hold the <shift> key down and pick on several grips one at a time. They will all turn red and be made hot.

To remove the grips from all objects, type <Esc> (Cancel) twice in succession.