AutoCAD – Enhanced Stretch Express Tool

By Dennis Collin

Editing complex drawings can be a tedious process especially when multiple elements need to be moved along with connecting geometry e.g. electrical components and their connecting wires. Although the move and trim commands can be utilised for the editing task, commands like stretch are more efficient as they do several operations in one task i.e. move an object and have neighbouring objects shorten and lengthen by the same amount.

The conventional stretch command is located on the home tab of AutoCAD’s ribbon interface.

Typically, the stretch command is utilised to alter the arrangement of line boundaries or reposition objects like doors within walls, without having to use unnecessary commands like move and trim.

Whilst stretch is very useful for many tasks, there is an improved version! Multiple stretch is located under the AutoCAD express tools tab. The command does effectively the same operation as the regular stretch command, but allows multiple selection areas which is essential in busy drawings. The Express tools are installed as standard with the full AutoCAD in a standard deployment and are usually located to the right-hand side of the ribbon menu. If the express tools are not present, modify the install and ensure the express tools are selected.

Unfortunately, AutoCAD LT lacks API exposure which means that it doesn’t have the express tools. However, LT does have the standard stretch command which means users may have to perform edits in a series of individual steps rather all in one go.