Grid Array with no. y=0, dim. y=0 results 0

 From:  Michael Gibson
2748.2 In reply to 2748.1 
Hi Leonard, are you picking the spacing rectangle with the mouse in the Front view?

The way that Array grid works, is that it will take the X and Y axes for the array to be from the construction plane of the view that you click in for the spacing rectangle.

So for instance if you click the mouse in the Front view to draw the spacing rectangle, then the X and Y axes used will be that local view's X and Y axes, not the world axes.

That's to allow you to get 2D type array behavior in any view that you click in.

So that means to do a 2 x 5 array in the front view, for number of copies you will want to enter:

Number in X = 2
Number in Y = 5
Number in Z = 1

In this case "Number in X" really means: "Number in the horizontal direction of the viewport's grid that you click in", and "Number in Y" really means: "Number in the vertical direction of the viewport's grid that you click in", if that helps to make more sense.

Then click your spacing rectangle in the front view and you should have your array. If you want to enter in your spacing numerically, then click just the first point of the spacing rectangle in the Front view so it picks up that view's grid, and then you can enter the spacing values.

So to summarize, treat the Front view as if it were temporarily a 2D view with X meaning the Front grid's horizontal, and Y meaning the Front grid's vertical directions.


The reason why array grid works like this is so that it is able to work on any local grid setup (including if you have oriented the grid to some other location temporarily with View / Cplane) rather than only restricted to work in world axis directions only.

Please let me know if it is still giving you trouble.

- Michael