Lecture Notes

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• Surface styles
• Modifying surface styles
• Setting a grid snap value
• Setting ortho
• Setting object snap

• Fitting the view to the model
• Saving the view
• Naming the view
• Generating 3D objects
• Naming objects
• Derivatives

Surface Styles.

• Not just colors: it also includes reflections, material qualities, transparencies, etc.
• The Active Surface Style will have a black border around it.
• Every object created will have some characteristic of surface style which was selected at the time the object was created.
• To edit an existing s.s. double click on the style.
• To create a new s.s. click once on a blank portion of the s.s.pallet.
• One can also name a s.s.
• User is able to adjust: color, reflectance, transparency, and bump maps.

• Available on "control strip" at the lower portion of the screen.
• Constrains the values which will be selected as starting / ending points for objects. It is an increment value.
• xyz snap can be set to different values.
• snap can be set to match the grid increment

several versions of ortho

• ortho at 90° constrains all point values to be at 90°   increments from the previous value, meaning all segments are parallel to the cardinal axis.
• ortho at 45° constrains all point values to be at 45°   increments from the previous value, meaning all segments are parallel to the cardinal axis or at 45° to them.
• ortho at user specified angle.

• Attaches new values to existing ones using xyz values already in the database.
• Possibilities include end point, midpoint, tangent point center point, etc. similar to AutoCAD.

• Fit = AutoCAD's Zoom Extents.
• Zoom In or Out by a predetermined increment
• Zoom In (or Out) with a window. The window starts at the centerpoint of the next window to be displayed. This can be changed under Options > Zoom.

• Once a view is set it can be saved by clicking on any blank area of the views pallet.
• View can, and should, be named.
• Only one view can be the current view.
• The current view is indicated by a the presence of the "eye" to the left of the view name in the view pallet.
• Another existing view can be set as the current view by clicking to the left of the view name.

Note that a view is independent from the model. To state it more precisely the view data is stored in a table while the model is stored in another table. There is no automatic linkage between the two.

• The user can spin the model 360°

• 3D extrusion setting begins with a 2D element as a base constructed in the reference plane
• Extrudes in into 3rd dimension to a height specified.
  • For open figures use a point, line, line segment, curve or arc tool. This method produces surfaces (planes).
  • For closed figures use the rectangle, rotated rectangle, circle or ellipse tool. This method produces a 3D solid.

• 3D convergence begins the same as 3D extrusion except that the base element converges to a single point.
• The point is determined by the centroid of the base element.
  • For open figures use a point, line, line segment, curve or arc tool. This method produces surfaces (planes).
  • For closed figures use the rectangle, rotated rectangle, circle or ellipse tool. This method produces a 3D solid.

• Use the 2D enclosure tool

• combine with vector line tool (equivalent to polyline or p-line in AutoCAD).

2 methods:

• Use the selection arrow and click on the object (a check will appear to the left of the object's name in the objects palette)
• or check in the check column to the left of the object's name in the objects palette

Produces (derives) a new object from an existing one by transforming the existing object.

To move an object:

• Select the object using the pick tool
• Constrain movement to be perpendicular to the reference plane
• Select the move tool
• Move the object up or down
• Turn off the Constrain movement Perpendicular command