Here's a list of some of the things you can do with 3D models in Smart Construction:
Allows you to set the size and orientation of the 3D area for clipping and inverse
clipping (when activated), and turns clipping on and off. The Clip Volume dialog box can be moved anywhere in or out of the Main view.
You can use the Clip Volume dialog box to set the clipping area or you can drag and drop the faces, edges, axes,
and corners of the 3D wireframe on the Main view.
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Clip Volume Wireframe - Supports the following operations:
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Click one of the eight corner circles to set the volume plane faces to resize the
clipping volume.
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Click one of the six faces of the volume box to resize the clipping volume. In addition,
you can click one of the arrows to select the Bottom, Back, or Right face of the clip volume box.
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If you click in the gray area of the dialog box outside the volume box, all faces
of the clip volume box are adjusted simultaneously.
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Select and then double-click faces or corners to turn clipping on and off for the
selected individual faces or corners. Clipping can be turned off for a face to reveal
objects that reside on the selected face plane. This works for both clipping and inverse
clipping operations.
In the example below, the Top Front Left corner is selected. This selection causes the corresponding clip volume box to highlight
(solid red lines) the faces that move when you use the slider.
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The clipping plane face(s) not being adjusted display as solid yellow lines.
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The clipping plane face(s) that are being adjusted display as solid red lines.
Make sure your background color is not set to red or yellow so that you can see the
clip volume lines.
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Clip Volume Adjustment Slider - Dynamically changes the extent of the clipping volume. Move the slider up to expand
the side up to twice its original size. Move the slider down to shorten the side to
half its original size. Moving the slider up expands the side up to twice its original
size. When the Clipping Rotation option is selected, press the HOME button when you are moving the slider up to rotate
the clip volume wireframe in a clockwise direction (0 degrees to 180 degrees). Press
the END button when you are moving the slider down to rotate along the selected axis
in a counter clockwise direction (0 degrees to -180 degrees).
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Clipping Control - Turns clipping on or off. When the icon is pressed, clipping has been enabled and
all objects outside of the clipping volume clip are not displayed in the view.
Closing the Clip Volume dialog box does not turn off volume clipping if the Clipping Control is enabled.
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Clipping Rotation - Allows you to rotate the clip volume wireframe. When the icon is pressed, rotation
is enabled and the North (N), Elevation (EL) and East (E) colored axis arrows display. Click one of the three axes to set the axis along which
to rotate the clip volume wireframe. The selected axis highlights in a solid yellow
color.
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The axes displayed at the center of the clip volume wireframe represent the clip volume
wireframe axes. This may not match with the model axis view.
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To show the axis in the clip volume wireframe, click Clipping Rotation , and then click on the axis. In the Main view, you can now drag one of the axis lines in the clip volume wireframe to rotate
the clipping volume area around that selected axis.
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Clip Volume Wireframe Face Selection - Provides an alternate way of selecting plane faces or an axis in the volume box.
Use the menu list to select the plane face or axis.
Provides the controls for manipulating the size and orientation of the clipping volume
and turns clipping on and off. The clip volume wireframe is a 3D wireframe box with
three axes drawn in the middle of the volume box which overlays the model and sets
the clipping volume.
You can change the size and orientation of the clip volume wireframe as follows:
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To size or define the clipping volume area, select the objects in the Main view and open Clip Volume . Use the slider to resize.
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Drag and drop faces, edges, and corners of the clip volume wireframe.
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To rotate or change the orientation of the clipping volume, open Clip Volume . Use the slider with the HOME and END keys to turn the clipping volume clockwise
and counterclockwise.
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Use the axis that can be displayed inside the clipping volume wireframe:
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To show the axis in the wireframe, click Clipping Rotation in the Clip Volume dialog box, and then click on the axis, or select the axis in the menu list.
The axis glyph now displays inside the clip volume wireframe.
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In the Main view, drag one of the axis lines in the clip volume wireframe to rotate the clipping
volume area around that selected axis. The software clears the axis from the clip
volume wireframe when you select a wireframe face or edge.
For information on using inverse clipping to reveal specific sections in a model with
the clip volume wireframe, see Inverse Clipping.
When clipping is on, Smart Construction displays only the objects within the clip volume wireframe.
After you define your clipping volume area, you can further edit the view by turning
off and on clipping for selected individual faces or corners. To do this, select and
then double-click faces or corners in the Clip Volume dialog box. Clipping can be turned off for a face to reveal objects that reside on
the selected face plane. This works for both clipping and inverse clipping operations.
You can then double-click on the faces or corners again in the Clip Volume dialog box to turn clipping back on.
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There is no upper limit on the size of the clip volume wireframe. However, the clipping
volume cannot be reduced to the point where there is no width, height, or depth.
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If one object is selected, the clip volume wireframe surrounds that object. If multiple
objects are selected, the clip volume wireframe covers all the selected objects. If
no objects are selected, the clip volume wireframe is placed in the center of the
model.
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The clip volume wireframe only displays when the Clip Volume command is enabled. When the Clip Volume dialog box is closed, the clip volume box is dismissed.
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If the Clipping Control is enabled when the Clip Volume dialog box is closed, clipping volume remains on.
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You can use Clip Volume in conjunction with Common Views to synchronize the orientation of the model and the clip volume box. When you use
the Common Views dialog box to select a view orientation, you can then open the Clip Volume dialog box, which has the same view orientation selected.
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A corner is connected by three adjacent faces. Double-clicking a corner toggles on
and off each of the corresponding faces for that corner.
Provides a graphical display used to select the angle from which you view the 3D file.
Select a face of the displayed box to view the area two-dimensionally from the specified
side, or select a corner of the box to open an isometric view of the area.
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Click one of the eight corner circles to change your view to an isometric view.
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Click one of the six faces of the 3D box to change your view to a 2D view.
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Click one of the three white arrows that point to a face to see that view.
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The text at the bottom of the Common Views dialog box provides a description of the view that you select.