Tile Patterns

[Cobie824]

Hi:

I have been trying to use Visio to layout tile patterns but I am looking for an easier way than "copy & paste".  A typical tile might be 13in square with a 1/8" gap between adjacent tiles.  I have been drawing a 13-1/4" square with a 13" square inside it and then doing a "copy & paste" until I get a full row and then copying the full row until I complete the room.  Other graphic design programs have a "Step & repeat" function that allows copies of the original object to be copied a specified distance from the prodceeding object, but I can not find anything similar in Visio.

Is their an easier way then copy & paste"?

Thanks!

[Yacine]

Hi Cobie,
how about trying "Tools/Add-Ons/Array Shapes ..."

[Cobie824]

THANK YOU!!!

I have been playing around with it for the last hour and, along with the move command, it does exactly what I wanted with the precision I need! In a hundred years I would never have found it on my own so thanks again!

[John Distai]

It sounds like you'll get double width grout joints using the method you described.  Perhaps you should draw a square for the tile, and then add a rectangle for the grout joint on the top and one of the sides of the object.  Repeat this object to get accurate grout lines.

[Yacine]

I did not understand you. Would you please reformulate.

[Visio Guy]

I think JD is talking about a phenomenon with repeating patters where edges get repeated twice when people draw the patterns in a straightforward way.

In the attached image, the top pattern ends up with doubled grout between the tiles. (der Mörtel zwischen den Fliesen ist verdoppelt). The lower one is drawn in a less obvious way, but repeats better.

[Yacine]

Thank you Chris,
I understood your explanation, but could not replicate the effect.

[wapperdude]

Depends upon how you attack the problem.  Normal inclination is to use edge to edge placement with zero spacing.  That would normally yield 2X grout.  

However, use center to center spacing, and set the spacing for the total shape width minus one grout edge width.  Yields perfect spacing.    

See attached.

Wapperdude

[Visio Guy]

I was thinking that it would be a custom pattern, so there would be no choice as to the spacing, the tiles would be jammed up against one another, so you'd have to be careful how the pattern unit-element was constructed.

[wapperdude]

Ah!  Using custom patterns...

[John Distai]

Yes, you guys understood what I was referring to.  Not correcting for the double grout joint can yield a big and unpleasant surprise when the layout becomes real.  I wish I would have seen the array shapes trick when I was designing my tile layouts.  It sure was tedious copying and pasting tile rows.