AutoCAD ARRAY Command

AutoCAD ARRAY Command Access

ARRAY Command in AutoCAD

The ARRAY command in AutoCAD creates multiple copies of selected objects and arranges them in a repeating pattern. Instead of copying objects one at a time and positioning each copy individually, ARRAY can create an entire group of evenly spaced objects in a single operation.

AutoCAD provides three types of arrays: Rectangular, Polar, and Path. A Rectangular Array arranges objects into rows and columns. A Polar Array distributes objects around a center point. A Path Array distributes objects along a selected line, arc, polyline, spline, or other path.

At first glance, ARRAY may seem like little more than a faster version of COPY. However, one of the most important features of the ARRAY command is its ability to create an associative array. Instead of creating a collection of completely independent objects, an associative array maintains a relationship between its items. The number of items, spacing, arrangement, and other properties can be changed after the array has been created.

This makes ARRAY useful not only for creating repetitive geometry, but also for managing repetitive geometry as a design changes.

Common uses include structural columns, joists, ceiling fixtures, parking spaces, bolt patterns, chairs around a table, landscaping elements, railing components, and many other objects that occur in predictable patterns.

The Three Types of Arrays in AutoCAD

The ARRAY command provides three fundamentally different ways to distribute objects:

AutoCAD Array Types

Array Type	Pattern	Common Uses
Rectangular	Rows and columns	Columns, joists, lights, desks, parking spaces
Polar	Around a center point	Bolt patterns, circular seating, radial components
Path	Along selected geometry	Railings, landscaping, lights along curved paths

The correct type of array depends primarily on the pattern you need to create, not on the type of object being copied.

For example, the same chair block could be used in all three types of arrays. Chairs arranged in rows would use a Rectangular Array. Vehicles around a circular parking area could use a Polar Array. Vehicles following a curved roadway could be placed with a Path Array.

AutoCAD provides three types of associative arrays: Rectangular, Polar, and Path.

Understanding these three patterns is the foundation for understanding the ARRAY command.

Creating a Rectangular Array

A Rectangular Array creates copies of selected objects in a pattern of rows and columns. It is probably the most familiar array type and is extremely useful in architectural, structural, mechanical, and general drafting.

Consider a plan containing regularly spaced structural columns. You could draw the first column and use COPY repeatedly to create all of the others. However, you would need to position each copy correctly, and later changes to the number or spacing of the columns could require considerable editing.

A Rectangular Array allows the entire pattern to be created and controlled as a unit.

A basic workflow is:

1. Start the ARRAY command.
2. Select the object or objects you want to array.
3. Select Rectangular as the array type.
4. Specify the number of columns.
5. Specify the number of rows.
6. Set the spacing between columns and rows.
7. Make any additional adjustments and complete the command.

AutoCAD displays a preview of the array while you work, allowing you to see the effect of your changes before completing the command.

Rows and Columns

It is important to understand the terminology AutoCAD uses for a Rectangular Array.

Columns create repetitions in one direction across the array, while rows create repetitions in the perpendicular direction. In a typical plan-view example, this appears as columns running horizontally across the screen and rows stacking vertically.

A Rectangular Array controls the number and spacing of objects in rows and columns.

Each setting controls a different part of the pattern. If an array contains four columns and three rows, the finished array contains 12 locations, including the original array item.

This last point can initially confuse beginners. The item you selected is not followed by the specified number of additional copies. It becomes one of the items in the array.

Item Spacing and Total Distance

A Rectangular Array can be controlled by the number of items and the distances used to arrange them.

When setting spacing, pay attention to whether you are specifying the distance between equivalent points on adjacent items or controlling the total distance occupied by the array. These are different measurements.

For example, suppose five columns are spaced 10 feet apart. The distance from the first column to the fifth column is 40 feet—not 50 feet—because five objects create four spaces between them.

This is a common source of confusion when first working with arrays.

Levels in a Rectangular Array

Rectangular Arrays can also contain levels. Levels extend the array in the Z direction, allowing copies to be arranged vertically in 3D space.

For most 2D drafting, the number of levels remains at one, and you can largely ignore this setting. However, knowing why the Levels option exists makes the Rectangular Array controls easier to understand.

Creating a Polar Array

A Polar Array distributes copies of selected objects around a center point.

Imagine a series of bolt holes equally spaced around a circular steel plate. Creating each hole individually would require repeatedly calculating or constructing its location. A Polar Array can create the entire pattern from one hole.

Other examples include chairs around a circular table, radial structural components, mechanical parts, landscaping elements around a circular feature, and other objects arranged around a common center.

A typical Polar Array workflow is:

1. Start ARRAY.
2. Select the object or objects to array.
3. Choose Polar.
4. Specify the center point of the array.
5. Set the number of items.
6. Specify the angle to fill.
7. Choose whether the items should rotate as they are arrayed.
8. Complete the array.

The center point is critical. AutoCAD uses it as the center of the circular pattern, so selecting the wrong point will produce the wrong array even if every other setting is correct.

Number of Items, Angle Between, and Fill Angle

Several related settings determine the arrangement of a Polar Array.

• Number of Items determines how many items appear in the array.
• Angle Between controls the angular spacing between adjacent items.
• Fill Angle controls the angular extent occupied by the array.

A complete circular pattern normally uses a fill angle of 360 degrees, but Polar Arrays do not need to form complete circles. You can create an array that occupies only part of a circle.

For example, six objects could be distributed across 180 degrees instead of around a full 360-degree circle.

Polar Arrays can control the number of items, fill angle, angular spacing, and whether items rotate around the center point.

Rotate Items

The Rotate Items setting can dramatically change the appearance of a Polar Array.

When Rotate Items is enabled, the orientation of each item changes as it moves around the center of the array. When it is disabled, the copies maintain the same orientation as the source object.

The difference may not be obvious if you array circles because a rotated circle looks exactly the same. Use an asymmetrical object when learning this option so that the change in orientation is easy to see.

For example, vehicles arranged around a traffic circle would normally rotate so that every chair faces the table. If Rotate Items were turned off, every chair would retain the orientation of the original vehicle.

AutoCAD allows the Rotate Items property of an associative Polar Array to be changed after creation.

Creating a Path Array

A Path Array distributes copies of selected objects along existing geometry.

Unlike Rectangular and Polar Arrays, which create patterns based primarily on spacing and direction, a Path Array uses an object in the drawing to determine where the array travels.

AutoCAD can use several object types as array paths, including lines, polylines, 3D polylines, arcs, circles, ellipses, splines, and helices.

This makes Path Arrays especially useful when objects need to follow curved or irregular geometry.

Possible uses include trees along a curved walkway, lights following an architectural feature, railing components along a path, or repeated site-plan objects following an alignment.

A typical Path Array workflow is:

1. Start ARRAY.
2. Select the object or objects you want to repeat.
3. Choose Path.
4. Select the object that defines the path.
5. Choose how the items will be distributed.
6. Set the number of items or spacing.
7. Adjust the alignment of the items if necessary.
8. Complete the array.

Divide and Measure

Path Arrays provide two important methods for distributing items: Divide and Measure.

With Divide, you specify the number of items, and AutoCAD distributes that number of items evenly along the path.

With Measure, you specify the distance between items, and AutoCAD distributes them along the path using that spacing.

This distinction becomes particularly useful when the path changes.

Suppose you are placing regularly spaced lights along a curved walkway. If maintaining a specific spacing between lights is the design requirement, Measure may be the more useful method. If you know that exactly ten objects need to be distributed along the path regardless of its length, Divide may make more sense.

Align Items

Path Arrays also provide an Align Items setting.

When alignment is enabled, the orientation of the arrayed objects changes as they follow the direction of the path. When it is disabled, the items retain the orientation of the original source object.

Align Items determines whether objects rotate to follow a Path Array or retain their original orientation.

As with Rotate Items in a Polar Array, use an asymmetrical source object when experimenting with this setting. If you array circles along a curved path, you will not be able to see whether the circles have rotated.

Associative Arrays: Why ARRAY Is More Than COPY

One of the most important concepts to understand about ARRAY is associativity.

If ARRAY only created a collection of independent copies, it would still be useful—but it would essentially be an efficient way to perform a repetitive COPY operation.

An associative array is much more powerful.

The items remain part of a single array object. Because AutoCAD retains information about how the array was created, you can return to the array later and change its properties. Autodesk describes associative array items as being contained in a single array object, allowing changes to array properties and source objects to propagate through the array.

For example, imagine a Rectangular Array representing a grid of ceiling lights. You initially create four rows containing six lights each.

Later, the room changes.

Instead of deleting lights, copying others, and manually repositioning everything, you can select the associative array and modify its parameters. You might change the number of columns, number of rows, or spacing between them.

The pattern updates.

This is the real advantage of an associative array: the pattern itself remains editable.

Associative arrays remain editable, allowing the pattern to be changed without recreating the individual objects.

Depending on the array type, editable properties can include:

Associative Array Properties

Rectangular Array	Polar Array	Path Array
Column count	Item count	Item count
Row count	Fill angle	Item spacing
Column spacing	Angle between items	Divide/Measure method
Row spacing	Rotate Items	Align Items
Levels	Rows	Rows and levels

The exact controls available depend on the array type and how it was created.

This is an important difference between ARRAY and simply creating a large number of copies. An associative array stores design intent. It knows that the objects are supposed to form a pattern.

That can make later revisions much easier.

Editing Individual Items in an Associative Array

Associativity does not necessarily mean every item must remain identical forever.

AutoCAD provides tools for working with individual items within an associative array. Depending on what you need to accomplish, you can edit the source, replace items, remove individual items, or reset overrides while retaining the underlying array.

For example, imagine an array of regularly spaced ceiling fixtures where one location conflicts with another building component. You may need to remove that particular fixture without destroying the entire array relationship.

Similarly, if the geometry used as the source for an associative array needs to change, editing the source can propagate the change throughout the array.

The ARRAYEDIT command provides editing options for associative arrays, including controls specific to Rectangular, Polar, and Path Arrays. Its Reset option can restore erased items and remove item overrides.

This flexibility is another reason not to explode an array automatically after creating it.

Exploding an Array

An associative array can be converted into independent objects using the EXPLODE command.

After an array is exploded, the objects can be individually selected and edited without maintaining the original array relationship. However, the array-specific editing capabilities are also lost.

For example, if you explode a Rectangular Array containing 24 objects, you can no longer select the array and simply change its column or row count. There is no longer an array to edit—only individual objects.

That does not mean you should never explode an array.

Sometimes independent geometry is exactly what you need. The important point is to explode an array intentionally, not simply because you have finished creating it.

If maintaining the relationship between the objects could make future changes easier, leave the array associative.

ARRAY vs. COPY: Which Should You Use?

ARRAY and COPY both create additional instances of existing geometry, but they solve different drafting problems.

COPY vs. ARRAY

Use COPY When…	Use ARRAY When…
You need only a few copies	You need many repeated items
Copies occur at unrelated locations	Objects follow a predictable pattern
Spacing varies	Spacing is systematic
Copies do not need to remain related	The pattern may need to be edited later
You are placing objects manually	Objects form rows, columns, circular patterns, or follow a path

Suppose you need three copies of a detail bubble at unrelated locations on a drawing. COPY is probably the appropriate tool.

Now suppose you need 20 equally spaced joists. You could use COPY repeatedly, but ARRAY describes the actual drafting problem much better: one object repeated at a consistent spacing.

ARRAY can quickly create regularly spaced building elements such as floor joists while maintaining an editable pattern.

A useful habit is to recognize repetitive work before you start doing it manually.

If you find yourself copying the same object repeatedly and placing the copies according to a predictable pattern, ask yourself:

Would ARRAY do this better?

Often, the answer is yes.

Common ARRAY Mistakes

ARRAY is not difficult to use, but several mistakes are common when learning the command.

Confusing Rows and Columns

If the array grows in the wrong direction, verify which value you are changing. Rows and columns control different directions within a Rectangular Array.

Confusing Spacing with Overall Distance

Five objects spaced 10 feet apart occupy 40 feet between the first and last objects because there are only four spaces between five objects.

This same basic idea appears in many array calculations.

Choosing the Wrong Polar Array Center Point

A Polar Array is constructed around its center point. If the array looks completely wrong, check the center point before changing everything else.

Unexpected Rotation in a Polar Array

If objects appear to turn as they travel around a Polar Array when you wanted them to remain parallel, check Rotate Items.

Likewise, if the objects should rotate around the center but remain parallel, Rotate Items may be turned off.

Unexpected Orientation in a Path Array

If objects twist along a curved path when you wanted them to retain their original orientation—or remain parallel when you wanted them to follow the curve—check Align Items.

Exploding the Array Too Soon

Exploding an associative array removes the relationship that makes it easy to modify.

Do not explode an array simply because you are finished with the ARRAY command. Keep it associative unless you have a reason to convert the array into independent objects.

Using COPY for a Repetitive Pattern

COPY is one of the most useful commands in AutoCAD, but repeating COPY over and over can be inefficient when the objects form a predictable pattern.

Recognizing when ARRAY is appropriate is part of becoming faster and more effective in AutoCAD.

Practical Uses for ARRAY

ARRAY appears in almost every drafting discipline because repeated objects are everywhere in real projects.

In architectural drawings, Rectangular Arrays can place ceiling lights, furniture, seating, lockers, repetitive wall components, or other regularly spaced elements.

Structural drawings may use arrays for columns, joists, framing members, bolts, or repetitive connection geometry.

Site plans can use arrays for parking spaces, trees, bollards, lights, and other repeated site features. Curved site geometry can be particularly well suited to Path Arrays.

Mechanical drawings frequently use Polar Arrays for bolt holes and other circular patterns.

The important skill is not memorizing a list of things that can be arrayed. It is learning to recognize patterns in your drawing.

When you see objects repeating in rows and columns, think Rectangular Array.

When you see objects repeating around a center point, think Polar Array.

When you see objects repeating along existing geometry, think Path Array.

And whenever you find yourself manually copying the same object again and again according to a recognizable pattern, consider whether ARRAY can create—and maintain—that pattern more efficiently.

Related AutoCAD Commands

Related AutoCAD Commands

Command	Description
COPY	Creates one or more copies of selected objects. COPY is often more appropriate when duplicate objects do not form a consistent pattern.
MOVE	Repositions selected objects without creating copies.
ROTATE	Rotates selected objects around a specified base point. Understanding rotation is especially useful when working with Polar Arrays.
OFFSET	Creates parallel or concentric copies of selected geometry at a specified distance.
ARRAYEDIT	Modifies an existing associative array, including its arrangement and array-specific properties.
EXPLODE	Breaks an associative array into independent objects, removing the array relationship.

Frequently Asked Questions About ARRAY in AutoCAD