# 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**’.

![](/files/-MlG7uU58dp8N9MKzZAg)

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.

![](/files/-MlG7uU6H9r0PpAMs0sP)

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.*

![](/files/-MlG7uU70FHhaIe5lTa3)

## **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.

![](/files/XRQzf3UdFdpFLBKC20OM)

***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.*

![](/files/-MlG7uU9ctf5VzN5WrLd)

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.

![](/files/-MlG7uUAy1IE-RNZ_X51)

## **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**.

![](/files/-MlG7uUBxOYAj0Ol35H-)

***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.

![](/files/gpUsu1vVaPgEvEcoGYf0)

## **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.

![](/files/-MlG7uUD3FlCyEI4kN7o)


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://windows.help.formit.autodesk.com/formit-primer/part-i/grouping-objects.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.