How to Lengthen Entities in BricsCAD

Quick answer: LENGTHEN changes the length of lines, open polylines, and arcs, dynamically, incrementally, or relatively, and can also modify the included angle of arcs.

Worth noting: the initial prompt offers four approaches, DYnamic, Increment, Percent, and Total, but Octave’s documentation only walks through the Dynamic option’s procedure in detail below; the other three are named but not individually documented with their own steps.

Changing the Length Dynamically

Launch LENGTHEN. You’re prompted to select an entity to list its length, or choose DYnamic, Increment, Percent, or Total.
Choose Dynamic. You’re prompted to select an entity to change, or choose edit Mode.
Click the entity near the endpoint you want to lengthen; it lengthens or shortens dynamically as you move the cursor. You’re prompted for a new endpoint.
Specify a point to define the new length. You’re prompted to select another entity, or choose edit Mode or Undo.
Either edit another entity, or press Enter to stop.

An Alternative: Editing via the Properties Panel

The Geometry properties in the Properties panel let you edit the total length of lines and arcs directly, as well as the start and end angle of arcs, without running LENGTHEN at all.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do the Increment, Percent, and Total options actually do? The source names them as alternatives to Dynamic at the initial prompt, but doesn’t document their individual procedures, only Dynamic is walked through in detail.

Can I change an arc’s included angle with LENGTHEN? Yes, that’s one of the things LENGTHEN can modify, alongside the length of lines, open polylines, and arcs.

Is there a way to set an entity’s exact length without using LENGTHEN at all? Yes, edit the Geometry properties directly in the Properties panel, which lets you set a line or arc’s total length, or an arc’s start and end angle, without running the command.

Which entity types can LENGTHEN actually work with? Lines, open polylines, and arcs.