Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. 186 AutoCAD and Its Applications—Advanced An example of where a 3D rectangular array may be created is the layout of struc- tural columns on multiple fl oors of a commercial building. In Figure 8-12A, you can see two concrete fl oor slabs of a building and a single structural column. It is now a simple matter of arraying the column in rows, columns, and levels. To draw a 3D rectangular array, select the ARRAYRECT command. Select the object to array and press [Enter]. An initial pattern of three rows, four columns, and one level forms. You can select one of the array grips and drag to increase or decrease the number of rows, number of columns, or spacing dynamically. See Figure 8-12B. Without exiting the command, you can then adjust the row, column, level, and spacing values by using the Array Creation ribbon tab. See Figure 8-12C. In Figure 8-12D, there are three rows, fi ve columns, and two levels. To set the number of levels and spacing between levels, use the Array Creation ribbon tab, right-click and select Levels from the shortcut menu, or use the prompts on the command line. Note that for the following command sequence, the drawing units have been set to architectural. Select grip to edit array or [ASsociative/Base point/COUnt/Spacing/COLumns/Rows/ Levels/eXit] eXit: R↵ Enter the number of rows or [Expression] current: 3↵ Specify the distance between rows or [Total/Expression] current: 10'↵ Specify the incrementing elevation between rows or [Expression] 0”: ↵ Select grip to edit array or [ASsociative/Base point/COUnt/Spacing/COLumns/ Rows/Levels/eXit] eXit: COL↵ Enter the number of columns or [Expression] current: 5↵ Specify the distance between columns or [Total/Expression] current: 10'↵ Select grip to edit array or [ASsociative/Base point/COUnt/Spacing/COLumns/ Rows/Levels/eXit] eXit: L↵ Enter the number of levels or [Expression] 1: 2↵ Specify the distance between levels or [Total/Expression] current: 12'8"↵ Select grip to edit array or [ASsociative/Base point/COUnt/Spacing/COLumns/Rows/ Levels/eXit] eXit: ↵ The result is shown in Figure 8-12D. By default, an associative array is created. You can create a non-associative array by selecting the Associative option. The Associative option setting is maintained by AutoCAD the next time an array command is accessed. You can verify the current setting of this option after entering the command and selecting objects. The Associative = Yes or Associative = No prompt appears. If the Associative = No prompt appears and you want to create an associative array, select the Associative option. As shown in the previous sequence, when setting the distance between rows, you can also defi ne an elevation increment between rows when the Specify the incrementing elevation between rows or [Expression] 0": prompt appears. The elevation increment is different from the distance between levels. The elevation increment sets the spacing between rows along the Z axis so that each successive row is drawn on a higher or lower plane. This option can also be used when creating a 3D polar array and is discussed in the next section. The Base point option is used to defi ne the base point for the array. By default, the base point defi ned by AutoCAD is the centroid of the object(s) selected. You may want to select a more logical base point, such as an endpoint of an edge or the center point of a circular face. In Figure 8-12B, the center of the cylindrical base of the column has been selected as the base point of the array. If any of the properties of an associative array require changes, use the ARRAYEDIT command or the Properties palette to edit the array. The arrayed items will update based on the changes. In Figure 8-12E, the array is shown after changing the number of columns to 7 and the column spacing to 6′-8″. ARRAYRECT Ribbon Home Modify Rectangular Array Type ARRAYRECT