Xfig questions

[David J Patrick]

Howard Gibson wrote:
> On Tue, 29 Dec 2009 16:49:47 -0500
> David J Patrick <djp-tnsZcVQxgqO2dHQpreyxbg at public.gmane.org> wrote:
>> and how does -35 work for you ?
> 
>    Xfig ignores the minus sign.  Note though that there are two rotate icons, CW and CCW.
but you CAN apply a non-90deg rotation using the dialog ?
It works just great CW and CCW, dancing center-point and all, but at 
anything other than 90, for me, objects cannot be selected for rotation.
>    If I were doing this, I would use QCAD.  You can draw accurately to draw to scale and apply dimensions.
Well I have most of this building in QCad now, and all I really want is 
a simple floorplan outline where I can push objects around and print out 
the results. For me, working in QCad is fairly dog-slow, because after a 
year or so, I have to completely relearn CAD. I can do it, but was 
fishing for something lighter and with fewer steps to print.
My experiences with including various image formats within postscript or 
tex, is that the process is often brutal on the images.

   You can create blocks that accurately represent the objects that will 
be deployed in your retail display.  Consider modeling everything that 
will go into your display, possibly including someone's hands.

I could do that in QCad, Inkscape, Dia or Xfig, too, but less is more. 
I'd rather have a pad of printed outlines and pencil-in the working 
diagram. For this incarnation, my design time (at the computer) had 
better be minimized.. did I mention I was slow ? I can't afford the time 
and the end result would be weak AND overkill.
> 
>    I am a mechanical designer, and I go all the way back to drafting boards.  I even have one in my computer room here.
Heck, I've done loads of work on a drafting table for designing 
machines, furniture, lighting rigs and and lighting plots.
If I had been using one today, I could have knocked out everything in 
about the time it has take to compose these emails, but they'd still be 
some distance from .eps, and the drafting table is buried in the basement.
   There is a reason designers design stuff using scale drawings.
Yes, because anything else is a wild guess. Scale is the way to go, but 
my my need for precision is very low in this case.

so can ya tell me please how to make an Xfig canvas a hypothetical 60ft 
wide x 30ft tall ? canya huh ?

thanks,
djp
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