AutoCAD Directional Stretch LISP: Left, Right, Up, Down

Stretches a crossing-window selection left, right, up or down by a set distance.

This AutoCAD directional stretch LISP adds four commands that tie AutoCAD's STRETCH to a fixed direction: STRETCHL stretches left, STRETCHR right, STRETCHU up and STRETCHD down. Run one, enter the distance, and pick a crossing window around the part to stretch.

With plain STRETCH you select objects and then give a base point and a second point or displacement. Here the direction comes from the command name, and the distance is entered once and remembered for the session. Widening a room by 2 feet or shifting part of a sheet down becomes a few clicks.

It behaves exactly like STRETCH: objects entirely inside the window move, and lines and polylines that cross the window have only their vertices inside the window moved. Directions follow the X and Y axes of the current UCS.

How to use it

1. Load stretchdir.lsp with APPLOAD.
2. Type STRETCHL, STRETCHR, STRETCHU or STRETCHD depending on the direction.
3. Enter the distance, or press Enter to accept the last value shown in brackets.
4. Pick the first corner of the crossing window.
5. Pick the opposite corner; the part inside the window is stretched in that direction.

Notes and tips

• Selection is always a crossing window; you can't pick individual objects.
• As with STRETCH, blocks, text and circles don't stretch; they move if their insertion or center point is inside the window.
• The distance is shared by all four commands; the default is 10.
• In a rotated UCS, directions follow the UCS axes.

Frequently asked questions