3D Rotate

1.Introduction

Chief Architect® allows the user to create objects of any shape by drawing closed polylines using CAD tools, and then converting those objects to “Slabs” in order to give them a depth in 3D. But there is no way to orient these slabs inside Chief Architect to an angle which isn't a multiple of 90 degrees. Instead, to use the created object in Chief in any position other than parallel to the ground, the user must export the object and rotate it using other CAD programs. Once rotated, the symbol may be brought back into Chief Architect as a custom symbol.

Recognizing the need for a simple solution to this problem, Cardiff Consultants developed ChiefSymbols® 3D Rotate. This simple yet powerful program allows even a novice user to quickly and easily reorient three-dimensional models, whether created in Chief Architect or in another program, vastly increasing the ability of Chief users to make their own custom symbols as needed.

The importance of this tool to a user of Chief Architect® is the ease with which it permits the reorientation of Slab-based objects, originally created in Chief’s CAD facility, for importation back into Chief for use as symbols. Chief users who are not proficient users of any of the advanced CAD modeling programs currently available, as well as those who want to avoid the expense and learning curve associated with these programs, will now be able to take full advantage of Chief’s 3D modeling capabilities to create their own symbols quickly, easily, and inexpensively. And the ease of using 3D Rotate effectively integrates the creation of symbols with the design process in Chief Architect, allowing Chief users to make custom symbols “on the fly”.

The process is very simple:

1. Create a slab-based object in Chief.

2. Export the object as a 3D model from a 3D view in Chief.

3. Open the model in 3D Rotate

4. Using the 3D Rotate tool, specify the axis across which you wish to rotate the object, and the angle, in degrees, to which you want it rotated across the selected axis.

5. Save the file and it’s ready to be imported back into Chief as a custom symbol.

Additionally, 3D Rotate is a full-featured CAD viewer application for AutoCAD® Drawing files (.dwg) and for Drawing Exchange Format files (.dxf), permitting inspection of 3D models from any vantage point in four modes: Wireframe, Hidden Line, Shaded, and Shaded with Lines Hidden.

2. Installation

To install ChiefSymbols® 3D Rotate on your computer, double-click the installation file which you downloaded.

NOTE: If, upon trying to run the software, you receive an error message to the effect that certain components or files are missing, it means that there are certain files missing from the \System directory of your Win98 installation, or from the \System32 of your Win2000 or WinXP installation. If you get this error, download the file Support.zip from our website and place the extracted files in the appropriate System directory.

If you downloaded the trial version of the software, please be aware that it is a fully functional version of the program but that it will expire as specified on the splash screen when you open the program.