Understanding and navigating in 3D workspace

Using View Control And View Cube

Exrude Command

Presspull Command

Revolve Command

Sweep Command
wireframe model – model is
constructed from lines that
form frame of the model
solid model – consists of
edges, surfaces and solids
(primitives with non zero
volume) – closest to reality
surface model – consists of
edges and non transparent
faces that form external
boundaries of the model
Mesh models – an element is
represented by grid of edges and
faces. By using mesh tools we are
able to freely control shape of our
model by creasing, smoothing,
refining
The Modeling
panel includes Layers panel
some of the most provides access to
common tools most, if not all,
for creating
solids and layer-related tools.
surfaces.

The Mesh panel

has basic tools for The Solid Editing
specifying the panel provides
smoothness and access to most of
detail of mesh the tools you would
objects. use for editing solid
objects. Many of the
tools are in flyouts.
 The Modify panel includes a
slew of editing tools for
modifying objects and for
manipulating them in 3D
space.
The Section panel has tools to help
you create 2D documentation
drawings from your 3D model.

The Draw panel includes

Tools on the View nearly every 2D drawing tool
panel enable you to you can imagine from Line,
The Coordinates panel
control visual styles, Arc, and Circle to Hatch and
has tools for controlling
set views, and
the UCS (User Coordinate RevCloud. It also has 3D
create viewports. wireframe tools like 3D
System) and the UCS
icon. Polyline, Spline, and Helix.
 Coordinates relate (as default) to Global Coordinate System, that is fixed and
constant in the model (GCS icon in left bottom corner).
 While creating 2D drawings we operate in XY plane
 While modeling in 3D we create elements typing all 3 coordinates (directly or as
default).
2D 3D
 Active plane is XY plane of currently defined
coordinate system.
 The new element (line or rectangle) will be created on
that plane.
 To create an element on other plane we have to define
new position for XY plane previously – define new
coordinate system.
 We can define any amount of User Coordinate
Systems.
 We shall keep in mind that at a moment there is only
ONE active UCS.
Views control tools – in the top right corner of model space
We have three tools on the right side:

• ViewCube with Home button

• naviagation menu

• Full Navigation Wheel ViewCube tool –

allows 3D model point of view change by
choosing edges, corners or faces of the cube.

Home button – above ViewCube.

NOTE: You can redefine your home view.

 VIEW command (View manager)
 Easy access to commonly used views allows space orientation:
• top and bottom view
• side views
• isometric views
 Models can be viewed with different styles(different accuracy).
 The bigger accuracy the better quality of view, however image generation
becomes more time consuming.
 3D modeling interface

 Navigate panel
 Appearance panel
 Coordinate panel
 Visual Styles panel
 World UCS

• To indicate the location and orientation of the

UCS, the UCS icon is displayed either at the UCS
origin point or in the lower-left corner of the
current viewport. [ view drop-down menu ]

• The UCS icon is displayed in various ways to

help you visualize the orientation of the
workplane.
 With 3D modeling, you can design using solid, surface, and mesh models.
 Create new 3D solids and surfaces, or sweep, combine, and modify existing
objects. Create or convert objects to mesh to obtain enhanced smoothing and
creasing capabilities.
 You can also use simulated surfaces (3D thickness), or wireframe models to
represent 3D objects.
Create procedural and NURBS surfaces using the following methods:
 Create surfaces from profiles. Create surfaces from profile shapes composed of lines
and curves with EXTRUDE, LOFT, PLANESURF, REVOLVE, SURFNETWORK, and SWEEP.
 Create surfaces from other surfaces. Blend, patch, extend, fillet, and offset surfaces to
create new surfaces (SURFBLEND, SURFPATCH, SURFEXTEND, SURFFILLET, and
SURFOFFSET.
 Convert objects into procedural surfaces. Convert existing solids (including
composite objects), surfaces, and meshes into procedural surfaces
(CONVTOSURFACE).
 Convert procedural surfaces into NURBS surfaces. Some objects cannot be
converted directly to NURBS (for example, mesh objects). In that case, convert the
object to a procedural surface and then convert it to a NURBS surface
(CONVTONURBS).
 A solid model is a 3D representation that has such
properties as mass, volume, center of gravity, and
moments of inertia.
• Solid models contain the most information and are the
least ambiguous of the 3D modeling types. You can
analyze solids for their mass properties and export data
to applications that do NC (numerical control) milling or
FEM (finite element method) analysis.
 Use solid models as the building blocks
for your model. You can start with
primitive solids such as cones, boxes,
cylinders, and pyramids. Draw a
custom polysolid extrusion or use
various sweeping operations to create
solids whose shapes conform to a path
you specify. Then modify or recombine
objects to create new solid shapes.

• Complex solid shapes are easier to construct

and edit than legacy wireframe models.
However, if needed, you can explode a solid to
break it down to regions, bodies, surfaces, and
wireframe objects.