Description
The Spacing tab is the default entry for the Distribute command since spacing constraints are where users spend most of their distribution work. A spacing constraint in the discussion to follow refers to the distance between the two grid points at the end of a connector or subconnector. By default, this distance will be the total arc length between the two points. However, the spacing constraint may also be set to refer to the distance in a single Cartesian coordinate direction X, Y or Z. Spacing constraints are set to the value specified in the Defaults panel, which is initially set to zero (i.e. unconstrained).
A table on this tab summarizes how many constraints are currently selected, how many currently selected are Unconstrained, how many currently selected are Constrained, the Specified spacing for the currently selected constraints and the Actual spacing for those currently selected. If either the Specified or Actual values vary among the currently selected constraints, an average value of those selected will be listed in the table.
A single Spacing text field is used to enter the spacing constraint value for the selected constraints. Simply type the new value and hit Enter for the value to be immediately applied and the displayed point distribution updated. The values entered for spacing constraints are physical distances in the units in which the grid is being constructed.
Expand the Probe frame, the Spacing table is provided that displays local grid point information under the cursor such as the grid point index and the spacings on each side (- and +).
As shown in the figure above, the local information of the grid point #14 on the selected connector is available in both the Display window and the Spacing table. If you cursor over somewhere between two adjacent grid points such as #13 and #14, only one spacing will be displayed instead. Note the spacings are calculated based on the spline variable that is selected (refer to the Functions section for further information about spline options).