# 1.5 - Group Objects

*Groups in FormIt function similarly to Families in Revit and Components in SketchUp. Grouping different objects prevent their geometry from joining. Copies of a group act as an instance of the original geometry, meaning that changes to one copy will affect all of them.*

*If you did not complete the last section, download and open the* ***1.5 - Group Objects.axm*** *file from the* ***FormIt Primer Part 1 Datasets**.*

## **Create a Group**

1 - Select the upper terrace mass by double-clicking it.

2 - Right-click and select **Group (G)**, or simply press ‘**G**’.

![](https://193854745-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FVWdttpiARClwDWoDArlA%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-d6535607ff090b1f93baa1cf74509048424d5036%2F0%20\(1\).jpeg?alt=media)

3 - Notice that after creating a Group, you get automatically placed in the Move tool.

## **Move a Group**

1 - To assist in the modeling process, turn on **Grid Snapping (SG)**, if it was off.

![](https://193854745-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FVWdttpiARClwDWoDArlA%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-1736c884f20c65304b0d882bf5e0a3158b846b82%2F1%20\(14\).png?alt=media)

2 - To start moving the selected object, while still in the **Move (M)** command, click once on any lower corner of the mass. Then move your cursor up, and you should see a blue (Z) axis line appear. This line will assist you in moving the object straight up.

3 - With the blue axis visible, type **4'-6"** and a dimension dialog will appear. After entering the dimension, click **OK** or press **Enter** on the keyboard. This will move the entire mass up off the ground plane along the **Z axis**.

***Note:*** *Similar to Revit, you can also type* ***4’6**,* ***4’6”,*** *or* ***4.5**, and the program will interpret the value as 4(feet) 6(inches) when using imperial units.*

![](https://193854745-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FVWdttpiARClwDWoDArlA%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-533cc742583695aad86cdeed91061a8ba13264cd%2F2%20\(2\).png?alt=media)

## **Edit a Group**

1 - To enter the **Group Edit Mode**, double-click the mass.

1. In the **Properties Palette**, rename the Group **"Massing - Main Building"**.
2. To save the changes and exit the **Group Edit Mode**, click on the **Finish Group Edit** checkmark icon in the upper left corner of the canvas, or double-click off in space.

![](https://193854745-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FVWdttpiARClwDWoDArlA%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-48bd7ee86f0bb66c743fef79d7b0c0837f2ce959%2F3%20\(12\).png?alt=media)

***Notes**:*

* *To learn about the* ***Category*** *options, go to the* ***Working with Revit*** \_chapter.\_‌
* *Each Group has its own undo/redo history that is distinct from the overall project - you can click the* ***Undo*** *and* ***Redo*** *arrows in the* ***Group Edit Wizard*** *in the upper left corner of the canvas.*

## **Apply Levels to a Group**

***Note:*** *Grouping a geometry overrides previous settings you may have applied to the geometry. Because of that, you will require to re-apply the Levels from the previous exercise.*

1 - To apply levels to a group:

1. Single-click the **Massing** **- Main Building** group to select it.
2. Go to the **Properties Palette** and check **Use Levels.**
3. Keep only the **Main Building** level by unchecking all the others.
4. The **Area by Level** field will display the currently selected object(s) gross area. The area of each **Level** is displayed in front of each **Level**’s name.
5. If you do not see a blue level line crossing the object horizontally, turn on the level display by going to the **Settings menu > Visual Style > Display Levels (DL).**

***Note**: If there is no area reported for the* ***Main Building*** *level, the geometry may not be intersecting the Level, which should be at 4’-6” height. Troubleshoot by repositioning the geometry or the* ***Level*** *height so they intersect.*

![](https://193854745-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FVWdttpiARClwDWoDArlA%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-6815394369138d6d553ccf73877ffb8c71e07026%2Flevels-to-groups.png?alt=media)

2 - Deselect the Group by pressing **Esc** or single-clicking off in space. With no selected object, the **Properties Palette** will report the overall sketch’s gross area - rather than a specific object’s area.

![](https://193854745-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FVWdttpiARClwDWoDArlA%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-c2553e74c3b4757d42c6584b93a2a54c166481a1%2F5%20\(15\).png?alt=media)

## **Manage Groups**

1 - To view and manage all groups in the sketch:

1. Go to the **Group Tree Palette**. There you will see:
   * **Terrain** group – group automatically created when the **satellite image was imported**.
   * **Massing - Main Building** – the building mass geometry group we just created.
   * **group 2** – unnamed group containing the floor plan image.
2. To rename **group 2** through the Group Tree Palette, double-click on **group 2**, and then type **Plan Image**.

![](https://193854745-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FVWdttpiARClwDWoDArlA%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-9172115a01846e0fcc7431aaa1ff0f59d67bd9e4%2F6%20\(4\).png?alt=media)

***Notes:***

* *For a tidy model, we recommend keeping the group names descriptive.*
* *This is a handy way to manage and edit all groups in the model from one place.*

2 - With the **Plan Image** group still selected, navigate to the **Properties Palette**. Note that the group name was also updated in the **Group** field.

![](https://193854745-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FVWdttpiARClwDWoDArlA%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-5547535d69d30fc2e529a0bc24e89086e65dec6b%2F7.png?alt=media)

## **Hide Group Context**

*This tool is a quick way to hide all geometry outside the group you are currently editing. It becomes very handy whenever you have a large and complex model and other geometries get in the way.*

1 - To isolate a group:

1. Double-click on its geometry to edit the group.
2. Navigate to **Settings** in the **Main Menu** and check **Hide Group Context** or simply press **H** on your keyboard. Note how the **Plan Image** disappears.
3. Finish editing the group. Note that the **Hide Group Context (H)** mode is only active while inside the **Group Edit Wizard**.
4. To toggle this mode off again, simply press **H**. This option can be toggled at any time, inside or outside of a group.

![](https://193854745-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FVWdttpiARClwDWoDArlA%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-4b80c7cace044ad3a94525135f5f5551f2a345f6%2F8%20\(5\).png?alt=media)