Modifying Object: The Extend Command

Toolbar	Modify
Pull-down	ModifyExtend
Keyboard	EXTEND	short-cut	EX

This command extends a line, polyline or arc to meet another drawing object (known as the boundary edge). In the illustration on the right, two lines (red) are extended to meet another line (cyan) which forms the boundary edge. This command works in a similar way to the Trim command, described above. Two selections are made, one for the boundary edge(s) and one for the object(s) to extend.

Lines and other objects can be extended in one of two directions. In the illustration on the right, the red line could be extended either to the right or to the left. You can tell AutoCAD in which direction to extend by picking a point to the right or left of the midpoint respectively. AutoCAD does not intuitively know where the boundary edge lies so you must explicitly indicate the direction of extension by picking either one side or other of the midpoint.

Draw the lines as shown in the illustration and follow the command sequence below.

Command Sequence

Command: EXTEND
Current settings: Projection=UCS Edge=None
Select boundary edges ...
Select objects: (select the boundary edge, P1)
Select objects: (to end boundary edge selection)
Select object to extend or shift-select to trim or [Project/Edge/Undo]: (pick the object which you want to be extended, P2)
Select object to extend or shift-select to trim or [Project/Edge/Undo]: (pick another object which you want to be extended, P3)
Select object to extend or shift-select to trim or [Project/Edge/Undo]: (to end)

Sometimes you may get the message "Object does not intersect an edge" or "No edge in that direction". If this happens it means that you are either picking the wrong end of the object or the object you are trying to extend will not meet the boundary edge. The solution is either to pick near the end you want to extend or to move the boundary edge so that the extended line will intersect with it.

Using Edgemode

If the line you are trying to extend does not intersect with the boundary line, you can use the "Edge" option to toggle Edgemode to "Extend" (the default is "No Extend"). When the Extend command is set to Extend Mode, the objects being extended will extend to an imaginary line through the boundary edge, irrespective of whether the extended object actually intersects with the boundary edge. This is particularly useful and can save lots of time.

The illustration on the left shows the result of extending a line (red) to a boundary edge (cyan) with Edgemode set to "Extend". The same process would have resulted in an error message if Edgemode had been set to "No Extend". To get a better understanding of how this works, draw the two lines as shown in the illustration and try to extend them using the default settings. When you have done that, follow the command sequence below.

Command Sequence (Edgemode)

Command: EXTEND
Select boundary edges: (Projmode = UCS, Edgemode = No extend)
Select objects: (select the boundary edge, P1)
Select objects: (to end boundary edge selection)
Select object to extend or shift-select to trim or [Project/Edge/Undo]: E (to use the Edge option)
Enter an implied edge extension mode [Extend/No extend] : E (to set Edgemode to Extend)
Select object to extend or shift-select to trim or [Project/Edge/Undo]: (pick the object to be extended, P2)
Select object to extend or shift-select to trim or [Project/Edge/Undo]: (to end)

Notice that the current value of Edgemode is always displayed on the command line when you start the Extend command. The Edge option can also be used with the Trim command to enable trimming to cutting edges which do not actually intersect the object to trim. Edgemode is a system variable, so any change to its value will affect both the Trim and Extend commands.

See the Lengthen command for more ways to extend and trim objects.

Shift Selection with Trim & Extend

You may have noticed during the command sequences for the Trim and Extend commands that you have the option to "shift-select". This feature is new to AutoCAD 2000i and it enables you to extend while using the Trim command and to trim while using the Extend command. These two commands are very closely related and you often need to trim and extend objects at the same time. If you are a beginner with AutoCAD it may be a good idea to avoid this feature initially, the Trim and Extend commands can be tricky to get to grips with in any case. However, do remember this feature because it is a great time saver.