Reference Section > Shape Library > Rectangular Shapes

The Rect with 4 holes is a rectangular plate with four round holes of the same diameter. The holes sit on a rectangular pattern of two columns and two rows. Use it for a plate that is bolted down through four holes, such as a base plate or a mounting plate. The hole pattern is centred on the rectangle by default and can be moved as a whole with Hole Offset X and Hole Offset Y. All four corners of the rectangle are sharp.

It appears in the shapes library under Rectangular Shapes and Gussets.

Insert point and orientation

The insert point is the bottom left corner of the rectangle. The outline is a closed rectangle with corners at (0, 0), (Width, 0), (Width, Height) and (0, Height), drawn in that order from the insert point. Width is along X and Height is along Y.

The hole centres are set out from the insert point as follows. With both offsets at 0 the pattern is centred on the rectangle:

•X of the columns: Width / 2 ± Horiz. Pitch / 2, plus Hole Offset X.

•Y of the rows: Height / 2 ± Vert. Pitch / 2, plus Hole Offset Y.

Properties

The properties are listed in the order the property page shows them. Lengths are in the current units (mm or inches). The defaults are for a new shape; the inch defaults are used when the program is set to inches.

Property	Description	Default
Width	Overall width of the rectangle, along X. Enter a value of 0 or more; the field rejects negative values.	50 mm (2 in)
Height	Overall height of the rectangle, along Y. Enter a value of 0 or more; the field rejects negative values.	75 mm (3 in)
Hole D	Diameter of each of the four holes. All four holes are the same size. A value of 0 places a single point at each hole centre and cuts no hole. Enter a value of 0 or more; the field rejects negative values.	12.5 mm (0.5 in)
Horiz. Pitch	Centre-to-centre distance between the two columns of holes, along X. Enter a value of 0 or more.	25 mm (1 in)
Vert. Pitch	Centre-to-centre distance between the two rows of holes, along Y. Enter a value of 0 or more.	25 mm (1 in)
Hole Offset X	Moves the whole hole pattern along X from the centred position. Positive moves it right, negative moves it left. The pitches and hole size do not change.	0
Hole Offset Y	Moves the whole hole pattern along Y from the centred position. Positive moves it up, negative moves it down. The pitches and hole size do not change.	0
Num. of Cols	Number of hole columns along X. Minimum 1. The shape is designed as 2 columns, and the field accepts other values, which build a different number of holes. Leave it at 2.	2
Num. of Rows	Number of hole rows along Y. Minimum 1. The shape is designed as 2 rows, and the field accepts other values, which build a different number of holes. Leave it at 2.	2

The dimensions drawn on the shape are Width, Height, Horiz. Pitch and Vert. Pitch (measured from the bottom left hole) and Hole D (as a diameter on the bottom left hole). The pitch and diameter dimensions move with the hole offsets.

Limits

The shape does not check that the holes fit inside the rectangle or that they stay apart. Keep these conditions yourself:

•The holes must not overlap: Horiz. Pitch and Vert. Pitch must each be at least Hole D. A pitch equal to Hole D makes neighbouring holes touch. A pitch of 0 puts two holes on top of each other.

•The holes must stay inside the rectangle: Horiz. Pitch / 2 + Hole D / 2 + |Hole Offset X| must be less than Width / 2, and Vert. Pitch / 2 + Hole D / 2 + |Hole Offset Y| must be less than Height / 2.

•Width, Height, Hole D and the pitches are limited to 0 or more by their fields. The shape does not check them further: a Width or Height of 0 gives a degenerate outline. The Hole Offset fields accept negative values.

If the shape cannot be built, its property page shows a red bar reading Warning: Cannot build shape from these parameters. The outline is built first and the holes after it; if building fails part-way, the outline can be left without the remaining holes.

Check the part outline after changing the hole size, pitches or offsets, especially when a hole comes close to another hole or to an edge of the rectangle.

Every 2D shape also has the Transform properties (Base X, Base Y, Rotation, Scale, Mirroring X) and the Polar Array properties, listed after the shape's own properties.