Datasheet

Rectangular Arrays
When you’re creating a rectangular array, it’s easier than you think to confuse columns
and rows when you’re asked to specify their distance. Columns are vertical, and the icon
illustrates that in the dialog box. Keep in mind that the distance between rows and
columns is the distance from a point on one item to the same point on the next item.
A rectangular array can be created at any angle by
selecting the Angle Of Array option in the Array dialog
box, even if you don’t know the angle. Suppose you
want to array the shape on the left in Figure 1.5 to
form the shape on the right.
In the example, both the angle and the size of the
object are randomly assigned. In other words, you
don’t know the exact size or angle, and you can’t estimate because you want the result to
have no gaps or overlaps of the objects as they’re arrayed. You can approach this situa-
tion using two methods, one of which works with either the command-line version or the
dialog-box version of ARRAY.
DIALOG BOX ARRAY
To create the shape in Figure 1.5, follow these steps:
1. Run the ARRAY command, pick the Select Objects button, and select the spline object.
2. Enter 1 for the number of columns and 4 for the number of rows.
3. Pick the Angle Of Array button shown in Figure 1.6; The dialog box will close
temporarily to allow you to select two points in response to the prompt Specify
angle of array.
4. Using the Endpoint object snap, select each end of the spline. Doing so returns an
angle and places that value in the window.
Figure 1.6
Array dialog box
14 ■ chapter 1: AutoCAD Productivity
Figure 1.5
Precision array
at an angle
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