Laying switches sockets on walls.....quickly

[v1406]

I want to know how do professionals lay the switches and sockets at pre defined distances from reference points on large scale drawings?

hopefully the answer will teach me more about placing objects quickly by using lesser no of steps.

for clarity please go through the attached image.

thanks.

layout.jpg

[ReMark]

The switches and sockets are blocks? If so, what if the insertion base point was equal to the fixed distance required?

A dynamic block might even be better.

[v1406]

The switches and sockets are blocks? If so, what if the insertion base point was equal to the fixed distance required?

A dynamic block might even be better.

I guess I need to clarify .... I have blocks of switches and sockets etc and I need to put switches at say 20 cm from the door ......not all but a majority of them. similarly i have sockets to be placed at varying distances from doors or corners etc.

I want to know what is the quickest method of placing objects (like switches) with respect to a reference point. The object can be anything, i just want to know the professional method.

i am currently copying the object at the reference point and then moving it by entering the distance. which is obviously not the correct method....

please help

thanks

[danellis]

Make sure that the insert point of the block is somewhere sensible. In the case of this switch use the centre of the circle part of the symbol.

Use this same point as the base point of your copy, or if you're inserting the block it's the "base point" already.

Use TRACKING or FROM snapsto place your switch relative to other points.

dJE

[v1406]

Use TRACKING or FROM snapsto place your switch relative to other points.

dJE

I request you to kindly elaborate on it further.

Just want to quickly put a switch 20 cm from the door ..... forgetting the blocks part...... lets say its just one switch only. what is the quickest method...... probably by direct distance entry....... dont know exactly how.

please guide

thanks

[nestly]

Yes, OSnap tracking and Direct Distance Entry is the fastest way to locate objects a known distance from a corner, but you may also consider placing additional point parameters in blocks to quickly snap them into the desired position. See demo below

http://www.screencast.com/t/ZeHgdgCY

[v1406]

Yes, OSnap tracking and Direct Distance Entry is the fastest way to locate objects a known distance from a corner, but you may also consider placing additional point parameters in blocks to quickly snap them into the desired position. See demo below

http://www.screencast.com/t/ZeHgdgCY

Thanks a lot once again for the superb explanation.

a couple of doubts remains, one that do we have to use insert command for each individual switch or is there a way out for say 50 switches in a plan....

secondly, if it was not a block and i just wanted one particular switch to be shifted say 20 cm from a reference point... will the otrack still work. I tried that but it didnt work...... i used move and copy both.....none worked with otrack.

thanks once again.

[Robjk]

Yes, OSnap tracking and Direct Distance Entry is the fastest way to locate objects a known distance from a corner, but you may also consider placing additional point parameters in blocks to quickly snap them into the desired position. See demo below

http://www.screencast.com/t/ZeHgdgCY

Wow, very nice!

[danellis]

Yes, OSnap tracking and Direct Distance Entry is the fastest way to locate objects a known distance from a corner, but you may also consider placing additional point parameters in blocks to quickly snap them into the desired position. See demo below

http://www.screencast.com/t/ZeHgdgCY

That's pretty nifty, nestly (sorry, couldn't resist), I've never had the opportunity to do much playing with dynamic blocks: that's really nice.

dJE

[danellis]

I would probably put my first one or two blocks in using the insert command (if you just hit <ENTER> or the <SPACEBAR> it repeats the previous command, so this is actually quicker than one might imagine, similarly you can just hit ENTER again to specify the same block), but after that would probably use COPY instead. INSERT can be useful because of the option to specify rotation on screen - that could be very useful in the case of placing switches.

There are, though, other ways of inserting multiple blocks. If you had to place a switch every five meters over a 250m long corridor (bloody long corridor, but it serves an example) you might want to look into the ARRAY or MEASURE (MEASURE would be useful if it were a curved corridor, or one that went round corners) commands. If you need 50 switches equally spaced over a 350m corridor you might want the DIVIDE command. Obviously these are pretty extreme examples...

dJE