
	Applies To

	Product(s):	gINT Logs, gINT Professional, gINT Professional Plus
	Version(s):	8.x
	Environment:	N\A
	Area:	Symbol Design
	Subarea:	N\A
	Original Author:	Kathleen Holcomb, Bentley Technical Support Group

Note: This exercise requires the use of training.gpj project and training.glb library available from: download.aspx. Instructions for unzipping and setting up these files is on: using gint downloaded examples.aspx.

Symbol Design Tutorial Part 3: How Tiles Work

A tile is a set of line graphics within a cell of defined dimensions. When applied as a fill to a closed polyline, the tile is repeated, stretched, or both, in a manner defined in the Mapping property in the tile’s properties window. In combination, the cell dimensions and the Mapping property defines how a tile behaves. Let’s look at how some example tiles are defined, and the effect of this when used as a fill.

Do the following:

Ensure that training.glb is the current library and training.gpj is the current project.
Go to SYMBOL DESIGN Tiles. Select ‘GRAV01’ in the object selector (open the object selector list then press the letter ‘G’).
Click the Properties icon. Notice the Name and Description values in the General tab. The Name property names the symbol, the Description property provides the text that appears with it in selection lists.
Click the Tile Structure tab. Notice that the Cell Width and Cell Height are 0.4", and the Mapping is ‘Repeat’. Click OK.
Go to DRAWINGS General Drawings and open ‘symbols test.gdw’. Note: If you didn't do Part 2 of this tutorial you won't have this drawing. You can create it now by following steps 3-5 in Part 2
Double-click the rectangle at left, and specify a fill type symbol of Type ‘TILE’ and Symbol ‘GRAV01’. Close the dialog boxes. Specify the same fill symbol for the right rectangle.
Select the Quick Zoom tool and click on the upper left corner of the left rectangle.
Select the Rectangle tool and specify a first point of ‘0, 0.6’ and a second point of ‘0.4, 1’. This creates a square in the upper left corner with dimensions of 0.4" by 0.4".
Double-click in the new square and delete its Fill Type[!Symbol] value (we want an empty rectangle). This inner square demonstrates the tile cell size and contents.
Notice how the pattern in the simulated tile is repeated to the right and below. The effect is equivalent to laying square tiles in a rectangular grid on a floor or wall.
Select the Zoom Extent tool to zoom out to show both the left and right rectangles.
Notice how the gravel tile is repeated uniformly in both the left and right sample rectangles.
This demonstrates a Mapping property value of ‘Repeat’ in a tile. There are other ways to map tiles into their destination fill area, as we shall see.
Save the drawing.

Tiles that Stretch in One or Both Dimensions

By changing the Mapping property, a tile can be designed to do any of the following:

Repeat the original tile in both directions, without altering size or shape (using the Repeat setting, which we just demonstrated). This is especially useful for lithology material fills.
Stretch horizontally but repeat vertically (Expand Horizontal/Repeat Vertical). This is useful for vertical columns of various types, such as drills and well sections.
Repeat horizontally but stretch vertically (Repeat Horizontal/Expand Vertical)
Stretch in both directions, retaining the proportions of the original shape (Maintain Proportions). This is useful for symbols that you want to enlarge or shrink without distortion, such as the ‘GB’ (hand) sampler symbol we saw in Part 2 of this tutorial.
Stretch in both directions, distorting the proportions of the original shape to match the proportions of the fill area (Expand to Fit)

We will demonstrate one of these effects, and how it can be useful.

Go to SYMBOL DESIGN Tiles and select ‘GRAV01’ in the object selector (if not already selected).
We do not want to make alterations to the existing tile, since it is used in several places. Instead we will work with a copy. Select File Copy Page.

Important Note: Always avoid deleting or altering an existing symbol unless you are certain you will never need it again in its original form. Instead, make a copy with a new name, and alter the copy.
Click the Properties icon, then select the Tile Structure tab.
Change the Mapping value to ‘Expand Horizontal, Repeat Vertical’, and click OK.
Notice that the tile drawing is unchanged. The Mapping value does not affect the original drawing, just how it is repeated or stretched when filling a region.
Go to DRAWINGS General Drawings. Open ‘symbols test.gdw’.
Click on the inner square in the left rectangle to highlight it, and press Delete to remove it.
We will add a third sample rectangle. Select the Rectangle tool, and enter ‘0, 1.5’ for the first point and ‘1, 3.5’ for the second point.
Double-click the new rectangle and specify a fill symbol of Type ‘TILE’ and Symbol ‘A TEST TILE’. Do the same for the other two rectangles, and observe the result.
Not a very useful transformation for this symbol, is it? Let’s see a tile where ‘Expand Horizontal, Repeat Vertical’ makes sense.
Go to SYMBOL DESIGN Tile. Select ‘AUGER01’ in the object selector.
Click the Properties icon, then click the Tile Structure tab. Notice the Mapping is set to ‘Expand Horizontal, Repeat Vertical’. Close the properties window.
Select File Copy Page and specify a Page Names to Copy To of ‘A TEST TILE’ (this may already be the default). Click OK, and answer that it is OK to overwrite the previous tile of that name.
Go to DRAWINGS General Drawingsand open ‘symbols test.gdw’. Notice how this auger tile is represented when filling the three different shapes.
In the bottom left rectangle, the pattern appears twice vertically. In the upper left rectangle, it appears four times. In the square at right, it appears six times. In all cases, the tile is stretched from side to side so that the shaft of the auger occupies roughly the middle third of the final fill.

In all three cases, the Mapping value of ‘Expand Horizontal, Repeat Vertical’ in the tile results in a useful representation of an auger.