gvSIG-Desktop 1.10. User Manual

The matrix command allows an item to be copied as many times as desired in a particular arrangement. The matrix can be of two types: rectangular matrix or polar matrix.

Right-click the layer you want to work with and select Start editing. Select an item, either a point, line or polygon, and then click on the Matrix tool. In the command window at the bottom of the screen the following instruction is displayed: Insert selection point. Clicking on the item opens the Matrix window.

Matrix Window

Select the number of rows and columns by typing the values directly into the appropriate boxes.

The linear arrangement of the elements can be defined by typing the values manually, or by using the and icons to draw a direction vector or to define the extent of the matrix, respectively. In the second case, there are icons for defining the extent for each axis.

The matrix can be rotated by manually entering a rotation value or by clicking the icon and drawing the rotation angle in the View.

Using the values defined in the Matrix Window shown in the image above would produce the following matrix:

Final result showing the rectangular matrix

In the case of a polar matrix enter the source of the "system", the number of elements and whether the items should be rotated as they are copied.

Final result showing the polar matrix