CLIP (Command)

Crops selected objects such as blocks, external references, images, viewports, and underlays to a specified boundary.

Find

The clipping boundary determines a portion of an image, underlay, viewport, or external reference to hide. The visibility of the clipping boundary is controlled by the FRAME system variable.

The list of prompts varies depending on whether you are clipping an underlay, image, external reference, or viewport.

Underlay and Image Prompts

The following prompts are displayed.

On

Turns on clipping and displays the underlay cropped to the previously defined boundary.

Off

Turns off clipping and displays the entire PDF underlay and frame.

If you crop the underlay again while clipping is off, clipping automatically turns on. You are prompted to delete the old boundary even when clipping is off and the clipping boundary is not visible.

Delete

Removes a predefined clipping boundary and redisplays the full original underlay.

New Boundary

Defines a rectangular or polygonal clipping boundary, or generates a polygonal clipping boundary from a polyline.

Note: You can only create a new clipping boundary for an underlay when the old boundary is deleted.
Select Polyline

Defines the boundary with the selected polyline. The polyline can be open but must consist of straight line segments and cannot intersect itself.

Polygonal

Defines a polygonal clipping boundary with three or more points that you specify for the vertices of a polygon.

Rectangular

Defines a rectangular boundary with the points that you specify for opposite corners.

Invert Clip

Inverts the mode of the clipping boundary: objects are cropped either outside the boundary or inside the boundary.

External Reference Prompts

The following prompts are displayed.

Select objects: Use an object selection method and press Enter when you finish selecting objects

On

Displays the cropped portion of the external reference or block in the current drawing.

Off

Displays all of the geometry of the external reference or block in the current drawing, ignoring the clipping boundary.

Clipdepth

Sets the front and back clipping planes on an xref or block. Objects outside the volume defined by the boundary and the specified depth are not displayed. Regardless of the current UCS, the clip depth is applied parallel to the clipping boundary.

  • Front Clip Point. Creates a clipping plane passing through and perpendicular to the clipping boundary.
  • Distance. Creates a clipping plane the specified distance from and parallel to the clipping boundary.
  • Remove. Removes both the front and back clipping planes.
Delete

Removes a clipping boundary for the selected xref or block. To temporarily turn off a clipping boundary, use the Off option. Delete erases the clipping boundary and the clipdepth. The ERASE command cannot be used to delete clipping boundaries.

Generate Polyline

Automatically draws a polyline coincident with the clipping boundary. The polyline assumes the current layer, linetype, lineweight, and color settings. Use this option when you want to modify the current clipping boundary using PEDIT and then redefine the clipping boundary with the new polyline. To see the entire xref while redefining the boundary, use the Off option.

New Boundary

Defines a rectangular or polygonal clipping boundary, or generates a polygonal clipping boundary from a polyline.

Note: You can only create a new clipping boundary for a selected XREF underlay when the old boundary is deleted.
  • Select Polyline. Defines the boundary with the selected polyline. The polyline can be open but must consist of straight line segments and cannot intersect itself.
  • Polygonal. Defines a polygonal clipping boundary with three or more points that you specify for the vertices of a polygon.
  • Rectangular. Defines a rectangular boundary with the points that you specify for opposite corners.
  • Invert Clip. Inverts the mode of the clipping boundary: objects are cropped either outside the boundary or inside the boundary.

Viewport Prompts

Note: You cannot crop a viewport in model space. You must be in paper space.
Clipping Object

Select the viewport to crop.

Polygonal

Draws a clipping boundary. You can draw line segments or arc segments by specifying points.

The descriptions of the Next Point, Arc, Close, Length, and Undo options match the descriptions of the corresponding options in the PLINE command.

Delete

Deletes the clipping boundary of a selected viewport. This option is available only if the selected viewport has already been clipped. If you crop a viewport that has been previously clipped, the original clipping boundary is deleted, and the new clipping boundary is applied.