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misterrogers  
#1 Posted : Sunday, May 19, 2013 1:39:15 PM(UTC)
misterrogers

Rank: Senior Member

Joined: 8/14/2009(UTC)
Posts: 444

Can someone please post a video tutorial (even a quick one) on both the Path Duplicate and Linear Array tool?

As basic as these two tools are, I have been having trouble figuring out how to perfectly utilize these.. For example, I try to use them to duplicate slats on cribs but can't do it right. I know the distance I need but I can't figure out what/where I need to click at each step to get it right.

Thanks in advance!
misterrogers  
#2 Posted : Saturday, May 25, 2013 12:02:34 PM(UTC)
misterrogers

Rank: Senior Member

Joined: 8/14/2009(UTC)
Posts: 444

Can anyone please share how to properly use these two tools?

Thanks.
zumer  
#3 Posted : Tuesday, May 28, 2013 7:25:15 AM(UTC)
zumer

Rank: Senior Member

Joined: 11/4/2007(UTC)
Posts: 515

Was thanked: 1 time(s) in 1 post(s)
Linear array rubber-bands copies at each increment along the displacement you indicate while you're pointing. It's linear duplicate using distance increment as the only parameter, which also determines the number of copies. It draws (and rubber-bands them while in progress) the whole-number of copies that will fit within the indicated vector (which doesn't have to be orthographic), so anything more than (n*distance) is ignored. Because it's calculating on-the-fly, there's a momentary hesitation before each potential iteration is shown. For drawing your example of 'slats on a crib frame', linear array is the tool to use to draw the slats at preordained offsets, deriving the length of the frame after the slats: use linear duplicate if you're fitting x number of slats along the frame length. Frame length will be total offset or spacing plus the width of one slat. I have no idea why columns are offset, while rows are spaced....

Path duplicate places a specified number of copies along a curve. The origin is the point on or around the original that will locate at the start of the path. The two points of the alignment axis are aligned to be perpendicular to a perpendicular at the origin point of each copy ie, at the origin point of each copy along the path, there's a perpendicular take-off line. The alignment axis of each copy is perpendicular to that take-off line. I've tried to demonstrate that relationship here: http://screencast.com/t/T2JLFmCNtd6
Sunstarer  
#4 Posted : Wednesday, May 29, 2013 1:17:18 AM(UTC)
Sunstarer

Rank: Member

Joined: 4/20/2011(UTC)
Posts: 55

Thanks: 2 times
This may or may not be useful, but for your crib slats I'm reminded of how I lay such things out. I'll draw the first, drag a copy along one axis, repeat until I have two more than I need. Once the opening they need to fit in has be drawn i put the right edge of one 'slat' on the left opening line and put another with it's left edge on the right opening line. Then I select all the 'slats' and with the Align tool, choose the spaced horizontal option and delete the two end 'slats'. Sounds like a lot but it's very quick to do. Additionally, I'll group lines that have not been joined first to keep the entities intact, so it means copying groups, not individual curves. This technique evolved out of a similar frustration to yours.
misterrogers  
#5 Posted : Thursday, May 30, 2013 7:10:42 PM(UTC)
misterrogers

Rank: Senior Member

Joined: 8/14/2009(UTC)
Posts: 444

Thank you both -- makes more sense now. Now if only there was the ability to create Assemblies and Parts in Shark! I've been asking for a long time, but I guess its not going to happen... My optimism remains high.
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