Duplicate and overlapping objects waste ink and mean that your drawing isn’t accurate. However, often, they’re invisible.
The OVERKILL command, part of Express Tools, can help. This command deletes duplicate objects and goes further to combine overlapping lines and arcs. However, it’s not on the menu, toolbar, or ribbon, so you have to type it on the command line. For that reason, many people don’t know about it. (Update: As of AutoCAD 2012, this command is part of core AutoCAD. and is now on the ribbon. Go to the Home tab, Modify panel, and expand it to find the button.)
When you start the command, the next prompt is Select objects: and you can type all and press Enter to apply the command to the entire drawing. Then press Enter again to end object selection.
The Overkill dialog box opens.
To keep the default settings, just click OK. If there are duplicate or overlapping objects, you’ll see a message like this:
1 object(s) deleted.
You can specify lots of settings to control the process. For example, you can check the Ignore LAYERS check box to delete overlapping lines, even if they are on different layers.
The Numberic Fuzz text box determines how exact two objects must be to be considered duplicates. The default, 0.000001, deletes almost exact objects. You can change this to 0, to delete only objects that are exactly on top of each other.
The PLINES check box, on by default, removes duplicate line or arc segments within a polyline, or lines and arcs that overlap a polyline. If you uncheck this, the command only removes duplicates of entire polylines.
The OVERLAP check box, also on by default, combines objects that partially overlap into one object.
The END to END check box combines objects that don’t overlap, but are end to end, such as two colinear lines with one common endpoint.
Click OK to execute the command.
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OMG! Thank you, thank you! This is a wonderful command to know.
Thank u very muchhhhhhh….
how to join two collinear polylines into one that has a gap between them. is the reverse option from break at point…..
thank u!
Thanks for the tip. I have removed over 2K unneeded lines from my veryt first drawing. This has saved me hours of work.
Wow, that’s a lot of lines! Glad it helped.
Ellen,
Really dont have words to say you thanks. i just reduced my file size from 80 mb to just 6 mb by this command, actually file contained duplicated 3d contours which slowed down the speed of autocad.
thanks again:)
I haven’t drawn in CAD in years and I forgot this little command. Now I can execute it and get back to work. Thanks so much Ellen.
SUPERB! THANKS ALOT.
Thankssssssssss a lottttttttttt, its so nice
Thanks for the tip
That one really helps.
HUGE HUGE THANKS!!
Tks
I have used this command for years. However when we updated to version 12 in 64 bit format, when the dialog box displays the computer locks up.
Is there a visual basic problem in this environment?
I have a 32 bit of version 9 that works great.
Yes, I believe that VBA doesn’t work in 64-bit.
How to remove overlapping dimension in auotocad12
I’m not aware of an automatic way. Perhaps an AutoLISP routine could automate the process.
Ellen,
We’re still stuck here in ACAD 2009
We do have the OVERKILL command and find it very useful. Every so often….out of seemingly nowhere….I will open a drawing and see that there are duplicates of EVERYTHING. Seriously, it’s like someone copy/pasted the entire file of linework on top of itself, although that did NOT happen. Have you ever heard of this? I’ve only experienced this in ACAD 2009.
I have tried the delete duplicate objects with no luck, i have a 3d file brought into autocad to edit then to mastercam to program if i can get rid of all the duplicates this will save time in mastecam to program andy help on settings?
thank you
Thanks for the helpful article. I actually forgot the name of the command, but your article was just there at the right time. Thanks once again.
Thanks its really working amazing Thanks alottt…..