How to Draw Wipeouts in BricsCAD

Quick answer: A wipeout is a polygonal area that hides underlying entities behind the current background colour, commonly used to mask part of a drawing, for example, clearing space behind text to keep it readable in a busy area.

What a Wipeout Does (and Doesn’t Do)

A wipeout only hides the entities that are currently behind it in the draw order. It won’t automatically hide something added or moved in front of it afterward. To make sure a wipeout hides everything, use the Bring to front option of DRAWORDER on the wipeout itself.

Controlling the Wipeout Frame

The Frame option of WIPEOUT sets WIPEOUTFRAME, which controls whether the wipeout’s outline displays on screen, and whether that outline prints.

Finding the Wipeout Tool

The Draw menu, the Draw toolbar, the Draw ribbon panel, or the Draw tab of the No Selection Quad.

Drawing a Wipeout: General Procedure

1. Launch WIPEOUT. You’re prompted for a start point, or to choose Polyline or Frames.
2. Specify a point. You’re prompted for the next point.
3. Specify a point. You’re prompted for the next, or to choose Undo.
4. Specify a point. You’re prompted for the next, or to choose Undo or Close.
5. Either keep specifying points, or right-click or choose Close to stop.

Creating a Wipeout from a Polyline

1. Launch WIPEOUT. You’re prompted for a start point, or to choose Polyline or Frames.
2. Choose Polyline. You’re prompted to select a closed polyline.
3. Select a closed polyline made up of line segments only (arcs aren’t supported here). You’re asked whether to delete the selected polyline, defaulting to No.
4. Either press Enter to keep the original polyline, or choose Yes to delete it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will a wipeout automatically hide anything drawn on top of it later? No, it only hides what’s currently behind it in the draw order. Use the Bring to front option of DRAWORDER on the wipeout if you need it to hide everything.

Can I turn an existing polyline into a wipeout? Yes, as long as it’s closed and made only of line segments, not arcs. Choose the Polyline option when the WIPEOUT command starts.

Does my original polyline disappear once I convert it into a wipeout? Only if you choose to delete it when prompted; the default is to keep it.

How do I control whether a wipeout’s outline prints? Via WIPEOUTFRAME, set through the Frame option of WIPEOUT, which also controls whether the outline displays on screen at all.