Creating repetitive unit details

Mode

Tool

Tool set

Repetitive Unit

Detailing

The Repetitive Unit tool draws world-scale symbols along a path, creating repetitive elements such as masonry units, shingles, and siding. To create repetitive unit details, either use the Repetitive Unit tool, or draw a polyline and then select the Create Objects from Shapes command (see Creating objects from shapes).

To draw repetitive unit details:

Click the tool and mode.

Click Preferences to open the properties dialog box and specify the tool’s default parameters. The parameters can be edited later from the Object Info palette.

Click to set the object’s start point.

Click to set the end of the segment and the beginning of the next. Continue drawing segments in this manner until the object is complete.

Click a second time at the start point to complete a closed polyline object, or double-click to complete an open polyline object.

Each unit is always drawn in its entirety; the last unit is not clipped, even if it exceeds the path drawn. The repetitive unit offset path is drawn in the object’s assigned pen style (the path always has a fill style of None).

The Repetitive Unit tool can create lines with custom symbols made from text and/or shapes. The Pitch determines the spacing; set the pen attributes from the Attributes palette.

The repetitive unit parameters can be edited later from the Object Info palette.

Click to show/hide the parameters.Click to show/hide the parameters.

Parameter	Description
Offset	Sets the distance of the object baseline from the drawn path; the symbol is rotated so that its first point (its “pitch point”) is always placed on the baseline at the offset distance
Pitch	Sets the distance from the start of one unit to the start of the next unit
Use Symbol Pitch	Sets the pitch according to the symbol definition; deselect to scale the pitch manually
Use Vertical Pitch	Rotates the symbol 90 degrees counter-clockwise and sets the pitch vertically; this is useful for symbols that are to be stacked vertically rather than arrayed vertically, as they can be drawn in a more natural way
First Pitch Differs	Allows a different pitch to be specified for the first unit
First Pitch	Specifies the pitch for the first unit
Flip Vertically	Flips the unit symbol vertically
Flip Horizontally	Flips the unit symbol horizontally
Choose Symbol	Opens the Choose Symbol dialog box. Click the symbol selector. From the Resource Selector, double-click a different symbol to apply it.
Vertex Parameters	Edits the repetitive unit detail path vertices; see Editing vertex-based objects

Create a plug-in symbol from a repetitive unit object (see Creating symbol definitions) with Convert to Plug-in Object selected. Activate the symbol in the Resource Manager to draw the repetitive unit with the saved symbol parameters.

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