8

Using Grid Objects 5
Using the home grid to position houses
Changing Home Gr id Settings
The home grid is a single system; its three planes
use the same settings for grid spacing and major
line divisions. You change these settings from a
single panel of the Grid and Snap Settings dialog.
ToaccesstheHomeGridpanel,dooneofthe
following:
•ChooseCustomizemenu>GridAndSnap
Settings, then click the Home Grid tab.
•Right-clickany
snap button (page 2–34) ,then
click the Home Grid tab.
Setting Grid Spacing
Grid spacing is the size, in current units, of the
gr id’s smallest square. The basic idea is to choose
a g rid spacing that corresponds to your unit of
measurement, then choose a larger spacing for
multiple units.
For example, if you have units set to centimeters,
you might make one g rid space equal to 1.000 (one
unit, or one centimeter in this case).
Setting Major Grid D ivisions
The home grid displays heavier or "major" lines to
mark groups of grid squares. You can use these to
represent larger un its of measurement.
Forexample,ifyouuseagridspacingofone
cent imeter, you might use a value of 10 so the
major grid divisions represent one decimeter.
Setting Color and Intensity
To improve grid visibility, you can change the
intensity or color of the home grid. Choose
Customize menu > Customize User Interface >
Colors panel (page 3–843) .
Usi ng G r id Obj ects
Above: Inactive grid object in a scene
Below:Activatedgridobject
Gridobjectsletyoubypassthehomegridand
work on separately defined grids to create and
position objects. You can use as m any grid objects
as you like, each serving as a custom construction
plane with its own g rid sett ings.
Grid objects are 2D parame tric objects, with
adjustments for overall size and grid spacing. You
can adj ust their orientation in world space, and
match them to a particular surface or object.