Dimensioning and Placing Objects Interactively

Follow theses steps to interactively set length dimensions or define placement properties of a Construction Geometry or QuickPart.

NoteIn this context, unless otherwise stated, the term "object" refers to a Construction Geometry or QuickPart.
Dimensioning and positioning objects interactively in the Graphics window reduces setup time and allows you to refer to dimensions and positions of other objects.

The following interactive dimensioning feature is available when editing an object:

The following interactive positioning features are available:

For detailed information about the various interactive features, see Interactive Right-Click Actions and Interactive Right-Click Actions in Editing Mode.

Dimensioning

To interactively set a length dimension of an object:
  1. Right-click the object node and select Edit.
  2. In the Graphics window, select either one or two entities as follows:
    • Select a single Linear Edge when the length of that edge is the length that you want to apply to an edge of the object chosen in the tree.
    • Select two entities when you want to apply the distance between them to a dimension of the chosen object. You can choose any two entities of type Vertex, Linear Edge, or Planar Face.
  3. Right-click and select Set Dimension > [Length Dimension], where [Length Dimension] is a length dimension of the object being edited.
    The object geometry updates automatically. In the Edit dialog, the respective geometry property displays the value that is calculated from the selected entities.

Placing

The placement of an object is determined by the location and orientation of the object's local coordinate system with respect to a reference coordinate system. See X_or, Y_or, Z_or and X_ref, Y_ref, Z_ref in the screenshot below.

The local coordinate system of an object is placed at the object's local origin. In some situations it helps to move the object's local origin to a specific geometric entity to simplify the placement of the object. Creating a new reference coordinate system can further simplify placing the object.



To change the location of the local origin:

  1. In the Graphics window, select a suitable geometric entity of the object.
    The supported geometric entities are Vertex, Linear Edge, Curved Edge, and Planar Face.
  2. Right-click and select one of the following specific options:
    • Set Origin Reference At Vertex
    • Set Origin Reference To Center Of Linear Edge
    • Set Origin Reference To Center Of Curve
    • Set Origin Reference To Center Of Face
    The object's local coordinate system moves to the desired position.
To create a reference coordinate system in the center of a specific face:
  1. In the Graphics window, select the respective face.
  2. Right-click and select Create Face Coordinate System.
    A new reference coordinate system is created, where the origin of the coordinate system is centered on the selected face. The coordinate system is now available as reference coordinate system for any object within your simulation.
To define the position and orientation of an object using the Positioning Tool:
  1. Launch the Positioning Tool using one of the following options:
    • When creating or editing the object, in the Edit dialog, click the Position button.
    • Right-click the object node and select Position.
    • In the Graphics window, select a face of the object, right-click, and select Position....
  2. In the Edit dialog, choose one of the following positioning options:
    • Align
    • Rotate
    • Translate
  3. Set the properties of the selected positioning mode as required. See Positioning Tool Reference.
    You can either set the properties manually or use the blue boxes to set the properties interactively. To set a property interactively:
    1. Click the blue box. The color of the box becomes dark blue.
    2. In the Graphics window, select a suitable geometric entity.
    3. To remove an entity from the box, right-click the box and select Remove. Alternatively, click anywhere in the empty space of the Graphics window.
  4. Click Apply.
  5. To leave the Positioning Tool, click Return.
To place an object with respect to another object in the Graphics window:
  1. Right-click the geometry object node and select Edit.
  2. In the Graphics window, using <Ctrl>, multi-select a suitable geometric entity of the object being edited and another entity of the reference object. The supported geometric entities are Vertex, Linear Edge, and Planar Face.
  3. Right-click and select Position > [Option], where [Option] is one of the following placement modes:
    • Set Distance
    • Snap
    • Set Angle
    • Align
    • Align and Snap
    • AntiAlign
    • AntiAlign and Snap
    The position and orientation of the object is updated accordingly.
To center an object on the planar face of another object:
  1. Right-click the node of the object being centered and select Edit.
  2. In the Graphics window, select the desired face of the other object.
  3. Right-click and select Move Object Being Edited to Center of Face.
    The object moves to a position where the object's local origin corresponds to the center of the face.