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3dr    3D Rotate User Manual

The CAD Tools

Line Tool

The Line tool has been provided to make it easier to position an object which has no 3dfaces at that place which should be positioned at the origin (0,0,0).  An arch, for example, can be difficult to position because it has no components at that point which would constitute its bottom, center, rear.  But by adding a Line from one side of the arch to the other at the rear of the model, the model now has a component – the center point of the guide line – which can be used to snap the model to the origin point.  The series of four images below illustrates this functionality:

 

                                                                                                               

 

 

 

                                                                                Model of Arch

 

 

 

 

 

Positioning Line                                                                                                       User Locks onto

          Added                                                                                                               Snap Point

                                                                                                                                     At Center of

                                                                                                                                     Positioning Line

                       Origin Icon

 

 

 

                       1.  Before Move Operation                                                                                        2.  Object Selected for Move

 

 

 

                                                                                                               

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                     Model Snapped to

         User drags                                                                                                                            Origin

         Center of Positioning

         Line and Snaps to

         Origin Icon

 

 

                                3.  Moving Object                                                                                                4.  Move Operation Completed

 

 

Display of 3dface Edges

Objects often display more clearly if only those edges which comprise the object’s outline are visible.  When you import a 3D model you may find that you would like to turn off the display of some edges which appear on the screen or you may find that certain edges don’t display even though you would prefer that they do.  This tool allows you to choose which 3dfaces’ edges display and which don’t.  The changes you make here will remain in effect once the model is imported into Chief or any other CAD program capable of opening or importing .dxf or .dwg files.

 

To use this tool:

 

Invoke the command by typing either eon (to turn on 3dface edges) or eof (to turn off 3dface edges) at the Command Line, or by selecting the appropriate command from the CAD menu.

 

The prompt “Select Entities” will now be displayed in the Prompt Box.  .  You can select all the 3dfaces displayed in the Drawing Window by typing all in the command line and pressing Enter or by dragging a selection window around all the objects In the Drawing Window.  If you want to select fewer than all the elements of the objects displayed on screen, you may select them by dragging a selection window which surrounds or intercepts those items.

 

After making your selection press Enter to complete the operation, changing the visibility of the edges you selected.

 

 

Object Snap

 

When Object Snap is activated, the selection cursor will lock onto the endpoints and midpoints of entities on the screen.  This can be helpful when specifying base points and axis points if you don’t know their exact coordinates for entering into the Command Line and is crucial in Move operations to position the model correctly with respect to the origin.

 

To use Object Snaps activate Osnap mode by clicking the “Osnap On” toolbar button, by typing on in the Command Line, by navigating to CAD > Osnap On on the CAD menu, or by using the keyboard combination Alt+C O.

 

If Object Snap mode is activated, snap markers will become visible when the cursor is near snap points.  An endpoint will be surrounded by a red square, and a midpoint will be marked by a red triangle.  Once a snap marker appears clicking the left button of your pointing device will lock the cursor to that snap point and you can then go on to the next step of the Move or Rotate operation you’re using.