Question about placing Lights

[Renerabbitt]

I've been using the Copy/Paste Tool in the Edit Toolbar to drag instances of Lights that I've placed. I do this specifically because of all of the inference snaps that occur in conjunction with orthogonal inference that makes it very difficult to center my next fixture to my last in one action. Am I possibly missing a better method?

[TrimbachDesign]

I love the multiple copy tool for placing lights. Such a time saver. I do the math, figure out what spacing I want, set my interval (general object) to that spacing and drag/copy/paste away. I'll do a run like that, then select all and multiple copy a group selection to start to grid out a room of recessed. Then maybe I'll select all and slide them around until I'm satisfied (with my framing layer on) as a unit. 

[glennw]

Rene,

I am not 100% clear on exactly what you want, so this may or may not help:

Select the first light

Multiple copy - Evenly Distribute - enter number of copies

Start to drag the light in the general direction you want to go - you can drag in any direction, it doesn't really matter because you are going to set the angle of the line of lights in the next step

Hit Tab

Use Relative to Start and Polar

Enter the distance from the first light to the last copy

Enter the angle of the line of lights

OK

 

Using Tab will work in copying just 1 light in a known direction and distance - just leave out multiple copy and use the copy command.

Using Tab during the drag will avoid any snaps that may get in the way otherwise. 

[Renerabbitt]

26 minutes ago, glennw said:

Rene,

I am not 100% clear on exactly what you want, so this may or may not help:

Select the first light

Multiple copy - Evenly Distribute - enter number of copies

Start to drag the light in the general direction you want to go - you can drag in any direction, it doesn't really matter because you are going to set the angle of the line of lights in the next step

Hit Tab

Use Relative to Start and Polar

Enter the distance from the first light to the last copy

Enter the angle of the line of lights

OK

 

Using Tab will work in copying just 1 light in a known direction and distance - just leave out multiple copy and use the copy command.

Using Tab during the drag will avoid any snaps that may get in the way otherwise. 

Yeah, what you mentioned was my current workflow. Just seems very clunky.
Ive come up with a way to disable all snaps cept for midpoint and orthogonal which lets me point and click with the Light Tool. A lot faster and feels as I feel that it should. I would love to have this as an option for overhead lights by default. Just click and click and click, boom, 3 lights, right where I want them. Still wish it was better, something closer to Chief just reading my mind.

 

 

[robdyck]

I'm not sure if it's at all helpful but for a series of lights, like recessed lights, I'll place the the outer 2 accurately, then copy one using point-to-point in sticky mode. Then, I'll select all those lights and use the Align/Distribute Objects tool to align and evenly space them. I'll repeat that process with the entire lined group of lights in the other direction to create a grid.

And the Reflect About Object is my other major go-to tool for multiple light placement.

[HumbleChief]

14 hours ago, Renerabbitt said:

I've been using the Copy/Paste Tool in the Edit Toolbar to drag instances of Lights that I've placed. I do this specifically because of all of the inference snaps that occur in conjunction with orthogonal inference that makes it very difficult to center my next fixture to my last in one action. Am I possibly missing a better method?

That behavior has made me crazy for years. Sometimes I'll hold the control key and eyeball the next placement but really have no less clunky a method. I've also places them by hand and used the align distribute tool but like I wrote no less clunky.