Draft Array

Description
The Array tool creates an orthogonal (3-axes) or polar array from a selected object.

This tool can be used on 2D shapes created with the Draft Workbench but can also be used on many types of 3D objects such as those created with the Part Workbench or PartDesign Workbench.

To position copies along a path use Draft PathArray; to position copies at specified points use Draft PointArray; to create copies or clones, and manually place them use Draft Move, Draft Rotate, and Draft Clone.



Circular Array has been added to FreeCAD 0.19



How to use

 * 1) Select an object with which you wish to make an array.
 * 2) Press the  button. If no object is selected, you will be invited to select one.
 * 3) The Array object is immediately created. You must change the properties of the array to change the number and direction of copies created.

Each element in the array is an exact clone of the original object, but the entire array is considered a single unit in terms of properties and appearance.

Options
There are no options for this tool. Either it works with the selected object or not.

Properties

 * : specifies the object to duplicate in the array.
 * : specifies the type of array to create, either "ortho" or "polar".
 * : if it is, and the copies intersect with each other, they will be fused together into a single shape.

For orthogonal arrays:
 * : specifies the interval between each copy on the X axis.
 * : specifies the interval between each copy on the Y axis.
 * : specifies the interval between each copy on the Z axis.
 * : specifies the number of copies on the X axis.
 * : specifies the number of copies on the Y axis.
 * : specifies the number of copies on the Z axis.

For polar arrays:
 * : specifies the normal direction of the array circle.
 * : specifies the center point of the array circle.
 * : specifies the aperture of the circular arc to cover with copies; use 360 to cover an entire circle.
 * : specifies the number of copies to place in the circular arrangement.
 * : specifies the interval between each copy on the direction.

For circular arrays:

The number property, either X, Y, Z, or Polar, also includes the original object, so this number will be at least one.

An interval is not a simple distance, but a vector (x, y, z). If more than one value is non-zero, the copy will be created in the main direction, but will also be displaced in the other non-zero directions.

For example, if is (2 m, 1 m, 1 m), and  is 3, it will create 3 copies in the X direction; the first copy will be at the original position, the second will be displaced 2 m on X, 1 m on Y, and 1 m on Z; the third copy will be displaced 4 m on X, 2 m on Y, and 2 m on Z. Each array element will be moved slightly to one side (Y direction) and up (Z direction) beside the main X direction.

The property works in the same way. If the original shape lies on the XY plane, creating a polar array with (0, 0, z) allows you to make spiral arrangements.

Scripting
Draft API and FreeCAD Scripting Basics.

The Array tool can be used in macros and from the Python console by using two different functions, depending on if you wish to obtain standalone copies of your base object, or a parametric array object that stays linked to the original object.

Simple array
The basic signature is as follows:

To create a rectangular array, use it like this:

To create a polar array, use it like this:


 * Creates an array from the objects contained in, which can be a single object or a list of objects.
 * In case of a rectangular array,, , and determine the distance between the base points of each copy, in the X, Y, and Z directions; and , , and  are the number of copies in the respective direction.
 * In case of a polar array, defines the center of the array circle,  is the angle of the arc in degrees to cover with copies, and  is the number of copies to arrange around the circle, including the original object.
 * is returned with the new copies.
 * is either a single object or a list of objects, depending on the input.

This function internally uses and  with.

Example:

Parametric array
The basic signature is as follows:

To create a rectangular array, use it like this:

To create a polar array, use it like this:


 * Creates an object from the given.
 * In case of a rectangular array,, , and determine the distance between the base points of each copy, in the X, Y, and Z directions; and , , and  are the number of copies in the respective direction.
 * In case of a polar array, defines the center of the array circle,  is the angle of the arc in degrees to cover with copies, and  is the number of copies to arrange around the circle, including the original object.

Example: