New Duplicate Mode - Evenly Distribute Max Separation

[Tom Klaber]

It would be great to have mode on the duplicate tool that would allow you to set a MAX SEPERATION and then it would evenly distribute along a user generated line evenly distributing the minimum number of units required while maintain the max separation:

 

Use cases -

 

Railings - where I need to have a gap of no less than 4" between posts - but the exact distance between is slightly different from span to span as we are going to evenly distribute them.

Structural members - WTs that are to be no more than 6' OC. 

 

 

 

[_James]

Yep, this would be really useful.

[Scott Lebsack]

@Tom Klaber it requires some math ahead of time, but edit>duplicate along path might get you most of the way there? Select a path and select a symbol or other object you want to duplicate along the path invoke the command...

[Tom Klaber]

Thanks, @Scott Lebsack - I know the duplicate along path mode.  I am trying to both avoid the math - and avoid the path.  So the workflow now is that I select the item - and choose the max distance between - then guess on how many duplicates I might need - then either erase the extra or add the missing depending if I over or undershot my guess - then move the closest one past my mark back to the endpoint - then select all the duplicates and then evenly distribute.

 

I do your way too - but sometimes resist having to draw a path  - but it would save me the guessing on the duplicates.

 

So it's not that this is impossible to do - or even hard - just annoying - and there are enough times when we need to evenly distribute with a max allowable distance that a mode would be useful.

 

 

[_James]

I always though Sketchup's way of doing this way really great.

 

1. Select object and duplicate move to the end point.

2. press "/" followed by the number of duplicates to put in between the source object and the end object.

3. iterate by pressing "/X" depending on the spacing you would like to achieve.

 

To get the max spacing, perhaps a variation could be to type "<400" or similar, i.e. maximum 400mm spacing in step 2 above.

[Matt Overton]

The code for this calculation already exists in the stair tool to calculate riser heights for a given climb. 

 

Hey maybe if we need to do more advanced math we should have the ability to do more advanced math in field.