Drawing grids
Use the Grid tools to quickly draw rectangular or polar grids. The Rectangular Grid tool creates rectangular grids of a specified size with a specified number of dividers. The Polar Grid tool creates concentric circles of a specified size and a specified number of dividers. Specify the grid size and the number of dividers, and then drag to create the grid anywhere on the artboard.
To draw a rectangular grid by dragging: Select the Rectangular Grid tool , and drag diagonally. You can press any of the following to get specific results as you drag: - Shift to constrain the grid to a square.
- Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) to extend the grid from all sides of the reference point.
- Shift+Alt (Windows) or Shift+Option (Mac OS) to constrain the grid to a square as it extends from the reference point.
- The spacebar to move the grid as you draw.
- The Up Arrow key or Down Arrow key to add or remove horizontal lines.
- The Right Arrow key or Left Arrow key to add or remove vertical lines.
- F to decrease the logarithmic skew value for the horizontal dividers by 10%.
- V to increase the logarithmic skew value for the horizontal dividers by 10%.
- X to decrease the logarithmic skew value for the vertical dividers by 10%.
- C to increase the logarithmic skew value for the vertical dividers by 10%.
To draw a rectangular grid by specifying properties: - Select the Rectangular Grid tool
. - Click in the artboard to set the grid's reference point and display the Rectangular Grid Tool Options dialog box.
- Set any of the following options in the dialog box, and click OK:
- Click a square on the reference point locator (
) to determine the point from which the grid is drawn. - Width to specify the width of the entire grid.
- Height to specify the height of the entire grid.
- Number (Horizontal Dividers) to specify the number of horizontal dividers you want to appear between the top and bottom of the grid. Then enter a Skew value to determine how the horizontal dividers are weighted to the left or right side.
- Number (Vertical Dividers) to specify the number of dividers you want to appear between the left and right sides of the grid. Then enter a Skew value to determine how the vertical dividers are weighted toward the top or bottom of the grid.
- Use Outside Rectangle As Frame to replace the top, bottom, left, and right segments with a separate rectangular object.
- Fill Grid to fill the grid with the current fill color (otherwise, the fill is set to none).
To draw a polar grid by dragging: - Select the Polar Grid tool
. - Drag diagonally.
You can press any of the following to get specific results as you drag: - Shift to constrain the grid to a circle.
- Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) to extend the grid from all sides of the reference point.
- Shift+Alt (Windows) or Shift+Option (Mac OS) to constrain it to a circle as it extends from the reference point.
- The spacebar to move the grid as you draw.
- The Up Arrow key or Down Arrow key to add or remove concentric circles.
- The Right Arrow key or Left Arrow key to add or remove radial lines.
- X to change the logarithmic skew value for the concentric dividers inward by 10%.
- C to change the logarithmic skew value for the concentric dividers outward by 10%.
- F to change the logarithmic skew value for the radial dividers counterclockwise by 10%.
- V to change the logarithmic skew value for the radial dividers clockwise by 10%.
To draw a polar grid by specifying properties: - Select the Polar Grid tool
,. - Click in the artboard to set the grid's reference point and display the Polar Grid Tool Options dialog box.
- Set any of the following options in the dialog box, and click OK:
- Width to specify how wide the polar grid should be.
- Height to specify how tall the polar grid should be.
- Click a square on the reference point locator (
) to determine the point from which the grid is drawn. - Number (Concentric Dividers) to specify the number of circular concentric dividers you want to appear in the grid. Then enter a Skew value to determine how the concentric dividers are weighted toward the inside or outside of the grid.
- Number (Radial Dividers) to specify the number of radial dividers you want to appear between the center and the circumference of the grid. Then enter a Skew value to determine how the radial dividers are weighted counterclockwise or clockwise on the grid.
- Create Compound Path From Ellipses to convert the concentric circles into separate compound paths and fill every other circle.
- Fill Grid to fill the grid with the current fill color (otherwise, the fill is set to none).
To display or hide the center points: - Choose Window > Attributes.
- In the Attributes palette, click either the Show Center button
or the Don't Show Center button .
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