Irrigation Layout Tools (Grid, Array, Copy, Clone Equipment, Mimic Equipment)

• Grid Tools
• Array Tools
• Copy Along a Path
  • Keyboard Commands
    • Copy Spacing
  • Copy Along Polyline
  • Copy Along Line
• Clone Equipment (Formerly Known as Match Equipment)
  • Keyboard Commands
• Mimic Equipment (Formerly Known as Match Properties
• Troubleshooting

Irrigation F/X includes a series of Layout tools that provide a variety of methods for placing irrigation heads, valves, and other equipment quickly throughout your drawing.

 

 

For more information on placing irrigation components, see our documentation on:

• Placing heads
• Placing valves

Grid Tools

The two Grid tools allow you to place a temporary grid in your drawing to serve as a guide for your equipment placement. You can insert a square or triangular grid template at any time in your design process.

 

 

Zoom out to see the area you want the grid to occupy. Then select the grid shape you want:

 

 

Square Grid:

 

 

 

 

 

Triangular Grid:

 

 

 

 

The Command line will prompt: Maximum Grid spacing <>.

 

 

If you see a number in the < > default area (in our example, 47.0), that number represents the spacing of the head type you used last, in the units you've set for your drawing (example: 47 feet). At this point, you can either right-click to accept this spacing or type your desired spacing.

 

 

The Command line will prompt you to: Select entity or enter an angle <0>.

 

 

To select an angle for the grid, select any object – such as any line on the drawing or in an external reference (Xref) – or type an angle. Press Enter to select a default of 0, or click any point in your drawing to set an angle with a rubber-band line.

 

 

Once you've selected an angle, the Command line will prompt: First corner.

 

 

Array Tools

The Array tools allow you to copy irrigation equipment in your drawing and arrange the duplicates into an arrayed pattern using our Triangular Array and Rectangular Array tools.

 

 

 

Both tools are available as:

 

 

Flyouts on the F/X Irrigation ribbon

 

 

 

 

Flyouts on the F/X Irrigation menu

 

 

 

Keyboard commands you can type in the Command line:

 

 

 

When you select either Array option, the cursor will turn into a pickbox for you to select the head or other equipment you want to array.

 

 

When you click the equipment, the Copy Spacing dialog box will open.

 

 

 

 

 

Click OK to accept the spacing and options.

 

 

The Command line will prompt: Setting Xhair angle – select entity, enter angle <0>, or click to specify.

 

 

 

This step will define the angle on which the array is based, using our Xhair Angle tool (formerly known as Snap Angle).

If you're unfamiliar with this feature, see our Xhair Angle documentation.

 

You can now either:

• Select an entity to orient to (a line drawn or on an Xref), or
• Enter an angle (the default is 0), or
• Click two points in your drawing (where a rubber band line will appear between the two)

 

 

After setting the angle for the array, move the mouse down and to the right to array the head. As you move the mouse, the first head will array at the spacing and angle you specified. The example below shows the process of placing a rectangular array of a bubbler.

 

Note: Because of AutoCAD programming parameters, the Array tools will only function correctly if you create your arrays from the top left corner down and to the right. If you attempt to create an array in another direction, the position of the original head may not be maintained properly.

Our Copy Along Polyline and Copy Along Line tools allow you to copy a head in your drawing and paste it along a specific path.

Copy Along a Path

Our Copy Along Polyline and Copy Along Line tools allow you to copy a head in your drawing and paste it along a specific path.

 

Keyboard Commands

We've added keyboard shortcuts for each of our irrigation layout tools, which are available once you've begun placing a head in your drawing. To see the available commands, type K on your keyboard while placing a head.

 

 

 

You don't need to type K to use the keyboard commands – it's just a quick way to reference each of the commands in the dialog box pictured below. To use the keyboard commands, just press the corresponding keys on your keyboard.

The updates we've made to these tools have removed the need to enter the head spacing, which was required in previous versions. Instead, the tools will apply the throw of the copied head and apply it to the spacing for copying along a line or polyline. From there, you can use the keyboard commands listed below.

 

 

 

You can also use the following keyboard shortcuts when copying a head along a polyline or line:

Q: Toggle to the previous radius size.

E: Toggle to the next radius size.

W: Space the heads as either an exact fit or best fit. (Note that if you use this option with Copy along Polyline, the last head may not be placed at the very end of the polyline, as the length of the polyline may not be an exact multiple of the head spacing you set.)

A: Decrease the spacing between heads incrementally down to 50%.

D: Increase the spacing between heads incrementally up to 500%.

S: Increase the spacing between heads to 100%.

F: Copy the heads with a full or partial arc.

 

 

Our Suggestion for the Best Use of These Keyboard Commands

We chose the keys for these commands carefully, basing them on the keys you'd use in any number of computer games that require some sort of movement up, down, left, and right.

 

Think of the W, A, S, and D keys as your home keys, where you should be keeping your hand while copying and placing heads. Then think of the A and D keys as the left and right arrow keys. A will toggle you "left" (decrease the head spacing) and D will toggle you "right" (increase the head spacing). While your hand is in that location, you also have easy access to the keys that toggle between best and exact fit (W) and reset back to 100% spacing (S).

 

 

Once you've memorized and mastered how these keys work, you'll start to see that the surrounding keys are just as intuitive. For example, the Q key (just to the left of W) toggles you to the next smaller radius, while the E key (to the right of W) toggles you to the next larger radius.

 

So if you use W-A-S-D as your home base, you'll begin to realize that the commands are built intuitively around this axis. Start here, and you'll have all the commands memorized in no time.

Get on-the-road training on our keyboard commands by playing our Drive game. It's a fun way to learn the commands, and you can do it inside any DWG drawing!

 

 

Copy Spacing

If you press 1, the Copy Spacing dialog box will open. Here, you can configure the following settings for the spacing of the copied heads.

 

You can also toggle between Best Fit and Exact on the fly by pressing the W key.

 

 

 

 

Copy Along Polyline

 

Once you place heads, you can copy them along a polyline, ensuring appropriate and uniform spacing. The polyline can be any combination of arcs and/or lines.

 

Open Copy Along Polyline:

 

 

 

 

Draw a polyline on any layer along where you want to place heads. (You can also draw your polyline on the fly while copying the heads, as described below.)

 

 

Place the type of head you want to copy near the end of the polyline. It only needs to be near, and not precise or “snapped" to, the end of the line.

 

 

 

 

 

Now select the Copy along polyline tool, or type C to open the tool.

 

Click any part of a head or other equipment you've placed in your drawing. (If you typed C while placing heads, you will automatically copy and place the last head you've placed.)

 

The Command line will prompt you to: Select polyline, or [Draw].

 

The cursor will turn into a pickbox. Select the polyline to be copied along, then drag the cursor along that polyline. (If you want, you can select a polyline from within an Xref.) You can also type D to draw the polyline on the fly. You can use the following keyboard commands at this point:

• Press 1 to change your head spacing on the fly.
• Change the spacing of the copied heads by using the A key (reduce the spacing) or D key (increase the spacing)
• Use the Q or E key to toggle to the previous or next nozzle size.

 

 

Adjustable arc heads are placed automatically along the polyline. Notice that the arcs are adjusted automatically for the changing direction of the polyline.

 

Want more information on keyboard commands, including commands for moving to another head type? Check out our Keyboard Commands Power Tip.

 

 

You can also place fixed arc heads along a polyline. Select either the Smart Arc or one of the fixed arc patterns: Q (Quarter), H (Half), or F (Full).

 

 

 

 

 

 

As with the previous adjustable arc, select the Copy along Polyline tool. Click the head and determine the spacing, then click on the polyline. The head will be copied along the polyline at the selected spacing.

 

If you decide to use the P or C key to open Copy along Polyline while placing heads, the heads will be copied based on the last head placed. You will not be prompted to select that head again – instead, you'll go right into the tool.

 

 

Copy Along Line

Unlike the Copy Along Polyline tool, the Copy along line tool allows you to select a head and copy it along a path leading straight from that head's location as you drag your mouse.

 

 

Open the Copy Along Line tool:

 

 

 

 

After you select Copy along Line, the Command Line will prompt you to: Select head.

 

 

Click any part of a head or other equipment you've placed in your drawing.

 

 

Click OK. The Command Line will prompt you to: Select location for last copied head.

 

 

Drag the copied head to the location in the drawing where you want to place the last head in this line. The heads will be copied at the selected spacing. Note that Copy Head will also work with strip sprays – though only with center or side strips, not end strips.

 

 

 

 

 

If you decide to use the L or V key to open Copy along Line while placing heads, the heads will be copied based on the last head placed. You will not be prompted to select that head again – instead, you'll go right into the tool.

Clone Equipment (Formerly Known as Match Equipment)

Use our Clone Equipment tool to grab the symbol and data assigned to one component (such as a head or valve) and then copy that component, along with all its data, into other locations in your drawing. In this way, you can place equipment quickly without having to open the Irrigation Manager.

 

For more information, see our Clone Equipment documentation.

Mimic Equipment (Formerly Known as Match Properties)

Our Mimic Equipment tool applies the properties of one object, such as a piece of irrigation equipment (the "source equipment"), to one or more other piece of equipment (the "destination equipment"). The destination equipment will be assigned all data associated with the source equipment, such as spray type, symbol, arc pattern, and pressure.

 

For more information, see our Mimic Equipment documentation.

Troubleshooting

Issue: You used Copy along a Polyline on an irrigation component, and the offset is an an unexpected distance from the polyline - either just that it's offset, or that it's offset too far