The Path Array

Using the Path Array, you can make a pattern of any object along your selected path. In this case, I have part of a road made with a spline, with a divider spline in the middle. Here, we need to make a pattern of solid rectangles along the mid-spline of the road:

In the following example, we will use the Path Array to make patterns of the first rectangle shown in drawing A along the dotted spline so that we end up with an Array as in drawing B:

1. Select the Path Array tool from the Array flyout in the Modify panel of the Home tab, or use its command alias, ArrayPATH.
2. The command line will prompt you to select the objects. Click on the rectangle with the solid hatch at the beginning of the dotted spline in the center of the road and then press the Enter key.
3. Now, the command line will prompt you to select the path of the Array. Click on the dotted spline and you will get an Array along the spline path that looks like this:

4. In this case, we will change a few parameters to make the Array look the way we want. For this, we will start with the number of objects. To do this, go to the Items panel in the Array Creation tab.
5. You will notice that the Items field is grayed out and so you won't be able to change the number of objects in it, but you will be able to modify the Between value—which is the gap between objects—which will eventually change the number of objects:

6. Increase the gap between objects to decrease the number of objects and decrease the gap to further increase the number of objects.
7. If, however, you want to change the number of objects and not the gap, then go to the Properties panel of the Array Creation tab and change the Measure option to Divide, as in the following screenshot. Now, you will be able to change the number of objects in the Items field of the Items panel:

8. In this case, I will change the number of objects to 10 and then the gap will change automatically in the Between field.
9. In the next panel, Rows, you can change the number of rows of this Path Array and also the gap between these rows.
10. The next panel, Levels, will let you change the number of levels along the Z axis. Changing any parameter in this panel will not affect the drawing in a visible way as the objects will overlap each other, which won't show up in the two-dimensional plane.
11. Now, let's change some options in the Properties panel of the Array Creation tab. The first one, Associative, will make an associative Array that can be modified even after finishing the Array command. You can keep this option checked if you want to make an associative Array or uncheck it if you don't.

12. Another option that is worth mentioning here is Align Items. When the Align Items option is checked, the Array objects will align with respect to the Array path and if you uncheck Align Items, then all the Array copies will look exactly like the original object and their alignment will not change with respect to the path. In the following screenshot, the Path Array is made with the Align Items option unchecked:

13. In this case, I will keep Align Items checked to keep the Array objects aligned with the Array path. Once you are finished making the Array, click on Close Array and you will have your Path Array as per the requirements.

Here is another example where the Path Array can be used to make the hex bolts along the dotted polyline of the plate:

To make an Array along this dotted polyline path, we will have to do the following:

1. Once again, start with the Path Array command from the Modify panel of the Home tab or use its command alias, ArrayPATH.
2. Now, select the hex bolt, which is represented by a hexagon and circle at the bottom-left of the drawing. After selecting it, press the Enter key.
3. Now, for the path, click on the dotted polyline shape and you will get a random Path Array, which may look completely out of place, depending on the settings you have selected in the Array Creation tab. In my case, the Array looked completely out of place, as shown:

4. To fix this Array and to make it look normal along the path, I will change some options in the Properties panel. The first option I will change here is the Align Items option. I will uncheck it and now the Array looks manageable, but it is still not along the intended path:

5. In this case, to move the Array along the path, we need to change its base point. The point, in this case, is shown by the blue square grip, as in the previous figure. This grip should be at the center of the circle, as in the following figure:

6. So, to move the base point, I will select the Base Point option from the Properties panel and click on the center of the circle, shown in the preceding figure.
7. Now, the Array will move exactly along the path and it will look the way a Path Array should look.
8. In this case, you can change the number of objects from the Items field of the Items panel in the Array Creation tab. I will change the number of items to 18. The final Array will look like this:

So, as you have noticed, we can make very interesting patterns using different Array tools and this tool helps in eliminating the repetitive copy-pasting of an object about a pattern. The next tool that we will discuss is equally interesting and also helps eliminate repetitive tasks. This tool is blocks and by using it, you can add symbols to drawings and use the same symbol in multiple drawings, too.