Is there really no way to do this?

[FoothillFurniture]

I have many 1.5" x .72" rectangles on 3 different sheets that I need to resize. Is there no way to select all of them and change them all at once? Or at least one sheet at a time? I assume there has to be, but I can't figure it out?

[Adrian]

You can do it one sheet at a time. There's no operation that will work on multiple sheets at a time.

You can either use the resize tool (shortcut T) and enter the percentage you want to change the size (that's generally how I do it) and that will resize each rectangle in the selection individually or you can use the offset tool to offset them the required amount to the new size.

[Tex_Lawrence]

On both Offset and Resize, different things happen when you select more than one object.

Resize does apply a change by the percent increase (etc.) to the rectangle, but it treats the multiple selection like a group and resizes the whole group. This means that the centers of each object move.

Offset resizes, too, but does some kind of welding in the process.

I've not found a way to resize multiple objects, and leave them where they are, except one-by-one.

[mezalick]

Here's a way to change the size of groups of rectangles.
This also works with other shapes as well.
For the sake of argument let's say we have several rectangles on several layers. ( see "Box 1")
All rectangles are in the same "direction" 1.5" x .72" ( see "Box 1")
I now want to change all the rectangles to 2" x .72
I first draw a rectangle 10X ( 0r 100X's or 1000X's ) the size of the dimension I want to change ( 1.5")
The new rectangle would be 15" x what ever measurement, making sure all the original rectangles fit within this new rectangle.( see "Box 3")
I then select all vectors and change the size to the new dimension required
The 15" overall size would be changed to 20". ( see "Box 4")
Click apply and the new horizontal dimension of each of the small rectangles is now 2". ( see "Box 5")

Michael

Box 1

Box 2

Box 3

Box 4

Box 5

[Tex_Lawrence]

Here's a way to change the size of groups of rectangles.
...
Click apply and the new horizontal dimension of each of the small rectangles is now 2". ( see "Box 5")

... and some (if not all) of the rectangle's centers have moved around, too.

So, there doesn't seem to be a way to resize multiple selected objects and resize them in the same way the one would resize a single selected object.

[mezalick]

Here's a way to change the size of groups of rectangles.
...
Click apply and the new horizontal dimension of each of the small rectangles is now 2". ( see "Box 5")

... and some (if not all) of the rectangle's centers have moved around, too.

So, there doesn't seem to be a way to resize multiple selected objects and resize them in the same way the one would resize a single selected object.

I don't think so Tex,
~M

[Adrian]

That wasn't the question though to be pedantic. The OP asked if there was a way to resize multiple items on nested sheets.

To be honest, unless the change in size is very, very small, the nest would need to be redone anyway which makes doing it on multiples a moot point.

[FoothillFurniture]

Thanks for the help everyone. I am going through and just resizing each one. What a PITA. I'm surprised that this isn't a feature, seems like it would be easy to implement? You can select more than one item and the backend code knows exactly what you have selected and exactly what size they are and where they are, it would be very easy to add code to allow changes.

[Adrian]

Reading between the lines I'm guessing that you only wanted to increase the size of these rectangles in one dimension or it wasn't the same amount in both?

[TReischl]

seems like it would be easy to implement? ........ the backend code knows exactly what you have selected and exactly what size they are and where they are, it would be very easy to add code to allow changes.

Maybe you missed your calling? Since all of this is so easy you should take the market by storm.

Depends on the how the software is modeled/structured. If it is set up to do clones then things work the way you describe. But, there are issues using software based on that model too.

BTW, software does not "know" anything. It does not think like we do.

[litzluth]

I doubt that the OP was intending to make a point about epistemology. But, to the extent the software implements algorithms written by humans, it does, in a way, "think" like us. All that may change as AI advances and machine learning algorithms begin to write their own code that isn't mostly based on human input and logic.

[TReischl]

I doubt that the OP was intending to make a point about epistemology. But, to the extent the software implements algorithms written by humans, it does, in a way, "think" like us. All that may change as AI advances and machine learning algorithms begin to write their own code that isn't mostly based on human input and logic.

AI is overhyped these days. As you pointed out there is really no "intelligence" behind it other than that supplied by a faulty human being. Intelligence also means the ability to be creative. I have yet to see a computer than has any innate creative abilities. What I think has happened is the marketing types have seized on the buzz word as usual. And as usual they are full of beans. Remember back in the '50's? According to them we were all going to be flying our personal aircraft to work. They sold a few airplane kits, LOL.

[adze_cnc]

I'm surprised that this isn't a feature, seems like it would be easy to implement?

I'm not surprised. VCarve is not, at its core, a CAD program. It has CAD-like features but just enough for the intended user base.

Perhaps someone might be spurred into writing a gadget for this need.

[Tex_Lawrence]

AI is overhyped these days.... I have yet to see a computer than has any innate creative abilities. ... marketing types ... are full of beans.

TReischl, you're just going to have to read more. I guess you missed this type of AI? https://www.bostondynamics.com/spot

And, Spot costs less than most good CNC machines! There's plenty more going on, too.

Now, if we could just get Spot to watch the machine while we eat dinner ...

[FoothillFurniture]

@TReischl I wrote code for 17 years before becoming a furniture maker, so yes, I do KNOW that it can be done, And since the writers of this code have written it to where you can select more than on component at a time, then they could write code to allow changes to all of the components at one time. They could write code to let you change the first and last one, or the 3rd one from the left. Since they wrote code to capture all of the components, then they have control of them and can write code to let you do basically, anything to them.

So, that is why I'm surprised that this isn't a feature as it seems like it would be very useful to users.