Datasheet

WORKING WITH OBJECTS

In step 6, you selected the Copy option in the Clone Options dialog box. This option creates a dis-

tinct copy of the original object. The other two options, Instance and Reference, create clones that

are linked to the original, so that changes in one object affect the other. You’ll learn more about

these options in Chapter 2.

Selecting Multiple Objects

You’ve now learned how to select, move, and copy a single object, but what do you do if you want

to move or copy several objects at once? You can select multiple objects, or selection sets as they are

called in VIZ, using two methods. The first is one that is also employed in other graphics programs.

1. Click the Select Object tool on the Main toolbar.

2. Click on a blank area of the viewport to clear any selections you may already have.

Create a Copy in the Same Location as the Original

You may experience times when you want to make a copy of an object in exactly the same location as the

original object. To accomplish this, first select the object you wish to copy, and then select Edit  Clone

from the menu bar or press Ctrl+V on the keyboard. You see a Clone Options dialog box similar to the one

that you saw in the preceding exercise. Set your options and click OK. Note that the new copy doesn’t

appear at first, because it occupies the same space as the original. (You can accomplish the same thing

by Shift-clicking on an object with the Select and Move tool or by selecting Clone from the transform

quad menu, which can be accessed by right-clicking the object.

Parking Curbs and Bollards

Every project has features in it that vary from interesting and cool to mundane and repetitive. Although

we all like to work on the exciting projects, we’ll all do our share of the latter. When those less-than-

exciting projects pop up, it’s best to crank them out quickly and accurately and then move on to the next

portfolio-quality project down the line.

While the main effort of our company was being applied to the creation of a mall, complete with an enter-

tainment center and several freestanding buildings for restaurants and other shops, someone had to work on

the parking lot. I was hired to accurately place several thousand parking curbs and bollards (vertical posts

used to restrict vehicular traffic) throughout the parking lot and around the entrances to the structure. Park-

ing curbs are usually identical and placed equidistant from each other (usually 9´0˝), so the layout wasn’t dif-

ficult. After modeling the simple curb, I placed one at the end of each parallel run of parking spaces. I selected

the first curb on each run, held the Shift key down, and moved it 9´ in the proper direction. In the Clone

Options dialog box, I set Number Of Copies to the number of curbs in the longest run and then deleted any

superfluous curbs.

This process was repeated several times for the remaining curbs, and then a similar process was used to

place the bollards. Upon receiving the completed work, the company assigned me the task of creating

the traffic islands and the screen walls around the service areas. I’m sure one of these days they’ll give

me a fun job to do.

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