How to Create a Grid Array of Points & Lines [SOLVED}

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Ironfighter
Junior Member
Posts: 16
Joined: Wed Aug 19, 2020 4:49 am
Location: Victoria Australia

How to Create a Grid Array of Points & Lines [SOLVED}

Post by Ironfighter » Fri Jan 21, 2022 5:59 am

I would like to create a template that I can save and print to exact size using QCAD.
By way of explanation I have attached a hand drawn image.
I would greatly appreciate some advice as the best way to go about this.

EDIT: Operating System MX Linux Version 19

Version:
3.26.4.0 (3.26.4)
Internet:
QCAD.org
Build Date:
Jun 4 2021
Revision:
0bb4334
Qt Version:
5.8.0
Architecture:
x86_64
Compiler:
gcc 4.8.1
Last edited by Ironfighter on Mon Jan 24, 2022 6:02 am, edited 2 times in total.

CVH
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Joined: Wed Sep 27, 2017 4:17 pm

Re: How to Create a Grid Array of Points & Lines

Post by CVH » Fri Jan 21, 2022 7:05 am

Hi,
please include the mentioned drawing as an attachment to your post.

Orthogonally staggered I think of a block repeated N rows x M columns.

A custom hatch pattern is another option.
This can be staggered/angled different, it can fill any boundary.
One can explode this to individual entities with XP.
Maybe there are free patterns online that match your needs.

Or one can copy/paste a seed multiple times to create a row of things in one way.
And copy/paste to multiple rows in another way to fill an area.

Regards,
CVH

Ironfighter
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Posts: 16
Joined: Wed Aug 19, 2020 4:49 am
Location: Victoria Australia

Re: How to Create a Grid Array of Points & Lines

Post by Ironfighter » Fri Jan 21, 2022 7:22 am

Apologies - I thought I had attached it - thanks for your response
The Grid is in 10mm squares with points at midpoint around the perimeter

The points inside the grid are off set by 2.5mm at the intersection of the grids
Attachments
Celtic Knotwork Grid Template.pdf
(1.13 MiB) Downloaded 235 times

CVH
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Posts: 3416
Joined: Wed Sep 27, 2017 4:17 pm

Re: How to Create a Grid Array of Points & Lines

Post by CVH » Fri Jan 21, 2022 7:25 am

Ironfighter,
Should that be continous lines or may that be chains of short segments?

Regards,
CVH

CVH
Premier Member
Posts: 3416
Joined: Wed Sep 27, 2017 4:17 pm

Re: How to Create a Grid Array of Points & Lines

Post by CVH » Fri Jan 21, 2022 7:46 am

Ironfighter wrote:
Fri Jan 21, 2022 7:22 am
The points inside the grid are off set by 2.5mm at the intersection of the grids
Meaning that the grid is 10 by 10mm.
The lines are spaced 5/sqrt(2) = 3,5355339059327376220042218105242...mm

I also see that the dot pattern doesn't repeat perfectly.
There are dots at the edge and outside and inside the area of lines ...
On line crossings and on the grid itself.

I would opt for the copy/paste multiple copies with Move/Copy (MV).
Trimming is somewhat more labour intensive ... :wink:
Closing the Celtic pattern too.

Regards,
CVH
Last edited by CVH on Fri Jan 21, 2022 8:50 am, edited 1 time in total.

CVH
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Re: How to Create a Grid Array of Points & Lines

Post by CVH » Fri Jan 21, 2022 8:16 am

Celtic_Knotwork_Ironfighter_ByBlock.dxf
(101.07 KiB) Downloaded 237 times
This would be a base for the idea of using Blocks.
Dot patterns can be defined in separate blocks and placed overlapping these.

Regards,
CVH

CVH
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Posts: 3416
Joined: Wed Sep 27, 2017 4:17 pm

Re: How to Create a Grid Array of Points & Lines

Post by CVH » Fri Jan 21, 2022 8:28 am

The area of lines can also be created with the hatch pattern ANSI37 at angle 0°.
Within a given boundary, tweaking the hatch origin and scale. :wink:
Same goes for NET at angle 45°.

It won't be perfect because the scale should be 1,1135539861205472825210147434722...
What can't be stored in Floating Point.
Same goes for a custom Hatch spaced 5/sqrt(2). :wink:

Regards,
CVH

Ironfighter
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Posts: 16
Joined: Wed Aug 19, 2020 4:49 am
Location: Victoria Australia

Re: How to Create a Grid Array of Points & Lines

Post by Ironfighter » Fri Jan 21, 2022 11:29 am

@CVH - thank you for your responses - I am away from my computer at the moment (on an iPad). I will explore your suggestions over the weekend and post on how I go. Thanks again.

Ironfighter
Junior Member
Posts: 16
Joined: Wed Aug 19, 2020 4:49 am
Location: Victoria Australia

Re: How to Create a Grid Array of Points & Lines

Post by Ironfighter » Sat Jan 22, 2022 7:51 am

CVH wrote:
Fri Jan 21, 2022 8:16 am
Celtic_Knotwork_Ironfighter_ByBlock.dxf
This would be a base for the idea of using Blocks.
Dot patterns can be defined in separate blocks and placed overlapping these.

Regards,
CVH
I should have explained that although I installed QCAD some time ago this is my first attempt at anything serious - I am a complete novice when it comes to 2 dimensional CAD. The idea of blocks appealed to me - whether I have followed the process correctly is questionable but I have attched my first attempt at creating this template.

It is almost exactly how I want it but not quite to scale but I think I am on the right track.
This is my workflow:

Left the grid settings at the default.
Created a "block" ??? using the line tools and setting the angle at 45%
Snapped to the grid then snapped to the ends of the long diagonals.
Copied and pasted it in a row,
Copied and pasted the rows
Created the dots using the number of dots per line and snapped to the grid points I wanted.
Went to the print preview page and set the paper size as ISO A4
Selected the fit drawing to page icon and printed.

I can actually use this template as it is. I will play around with the scaling to see what adjustments are possible.
Thanks again CVH
Attachments
LH - Celtic_Knotwork_Grid.dxf
(832.67 KiB) Downloaded 215 times
Full Block of Diagonals.png
Full Block of Diagonals.png (8.54 KiB) Viewed 3617 times

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