0.3 Object Controls

In this tutorial you will learn how to control the position, orientation and size of objects.

Summary

• To adjust the size or position of any object, it must be in active edit mode
• To edit:
• Left double-click the object in the viewer
• Right-click and select edit in the viewer or in the model (tree) browser
• There are 4 methods of manipulation of any (parametric) object in cmBuilder
1. Move - Move along on axis or plane
2. Rotate - Rotate about an axis
3. Adjust - Edit the size, shape, or number of instances
4. Snap - Snap to align or adjoin two objects

1. Move

While actively editing:

• Drag the movement handles along the x, y, or z axes
• Move the object in one plane (y-z, x-y, x-z) by grabbing (left-click and hold) a blue shaded square at the origin of the axes
• Option to use alternate display handles:
• Switch to Part Origin - display handles on the object origin
• Switch to User Defined - display handles where you double click on the object

2. Rotate

While actively editing:

• Click and hold circular planes to rotate objects about x, y, or z axes

• Option to use alternate display handles:
• Switch to Part Origin - display handles on the object origin
• Switch to User Defined - display handles where you double click on the object

3. Adjust

Parametric resources have adjustable bones. While actively editing a parametric resource:

• Click and drag the bone handle to adjust - translational or rotational
• Eg. Rotating the arm of excavator, extending the height of a crane, or duplicating fence panels
• When a bone handle is selected, the other bone handles will be hidden from the view
• Deselecting the bone handle goes back to state with all other bone handles visible

4. Snap To

This feature allows users to be able to click two points on two objects and snap them together on the site plan.

1. Select Snap To

2. Select a point on object A 

3. Select a face on object B

4. The point selected on Object A will align with the selected face on object B

What is a Bone?

• A bone is a hierarchical element that governs the position or rotation of a parametric model
• It is the basis of any parametric adjustment handle
• In the image below, a bone is shown for each pivot point of the excavators' arm
• Like a skeleton, the movement of one influences the position of adjacent bones