The triad facilitates manipulating various objects such as 3D sketch entities, parts, certain features, and components in assemblies.

See also Reference Triad.

The rings and wings are displayed when rotation and dragging along the wings' planes are possible. To use the triad:

In assemblies, right-click a moveable component and select Move with Triad In assembly exploded views, select a component. In parts, click Move/Copy Bodies (Features toolbar) or Insert, Features, Move/Copy, and click Translate/Rotate. In parts, click Flex or Deform to use the triad to shape features. In 3D sketches, right-click an entity and select Show Sketcher Triad.

Triad actions:

Dragging the center ball drags the object freely. Alt + dragging the center ball drags the triad freely and aligns it with the model geometry. Dragging an arm drags the object in the X, Y, or Z direction. Dragging a wing drags the object along the wing's plane. Dragging a ring rotates the object about the ring's axis.

Use commands to display information about the triad or to change the position and orientation of the triad. Available commands depend on the triad's context.

Show
To display information as the triad or one of its components moves, right-click anywhere on the triad and select:

Show Translate XYZ Box Show Translate Delta XYZ Box Show Rotate Delta XYZ Box

Selections
To move the triad to a selection: 1. Right-click on the triad (anywhere except on the rotation rings) and choose Move to Selection. 2. Select an entity. To align the center ball with a selection: 1. Right-click the center ball and select Align to. 2. Select an entity. You can also align the center ball with a component origin or the assembly origin. To align an arm or wing with a selection: 1. Right-click an arm or wing and choose Align with Selection. 2. Select an entity.

Rotate
To rotate a component: 1. Select a ring and drag. 2. To snap, right-click the selected ring and choose Snap while Dragging. Close to the ring, the snap increment is 90. The increment decreases as the pointer moves further away from the ring. 3. To rotate in specified increments, right-click the selected ring and choose Rotate 90 or Rotate 180. See Instant3D.