Lecture Note 09232009

Solid Editing

Command entry: solidedit

Solids editing automatic checking: SOLIDCHECK=current
Enter a solids editing option
[Face/Edge/Body/Undo/eXit] <eXit>: Enter an option or press ENTER

Face

Edits 3D solid faces by extruding, moving, rotating, offsetting, tapering, deleting, copying,
or changing the color of the selected faces.

Enter a face editing option

[Extrude/Move/Rotate/Offset/Taper/Delete/Copy/coLor/mAterial/Undo/eXit] <eXit>:
Enter an option or press ENTER

Extrude

Extrudes selected planar faces of a 3D solid object to a specified height or along a path. You
can select multiple faces at one time.

Select faces or [Undo/Remove]: Select one or more faces or enter an option

Select faces or [Undo/Remove/ALL]: Select one or more faces or enter an option

Undo

Cancels the selection of the faces you added most recently to the selection set and
redisplays the prompt. If all faces have been removed, the following prompt is displayed.

Face selection has been completely undone

Remove

Removes previously selected faces from the selection set. The following prompt is displayed.

Remove faces or [Undo/Add/ALL]: Select one or more faces (1), enter an option, or
press ENTER
Undo
Cancels the selection of the faces you removed most recently from the selection set
and redisplays the prompt. If no faces are currently selected, the following prompt is
displayed.
Face selection has been completely undone
Add
Adds faces to the selection set.
Select faces or [Undo/Remove/ALL]: Select one or more faces (1) or select an
option

 Undo: Cancels selection of the faces you added most recently to the selection set
and redisplays the prompt.

 Remove: Removes previously selected faces and redisplays the prompt.

 All: Selects all faces and adds them to the selection set and redisplays the prompt.
All
Selects all faces and adds them to the selection set.

All

Selects all faces and adds them to the selection set.

After you select faces or choose an option, the following prompt is displayed.

Select faces or [Undo/Remove/ALL]: Select one or more faces (1), enter an option, or
press ENTER

Specify height of extrusion or [Path]: Specify a distance or enter p

Height of Extrusion
Sets the direction and height of the extrusion. Entering a positive value extrudes the
face in the direction of its normal. Entering a negative value extrudes the face in the
direction opposite to its normal.
Specify angle of taper for extrusion <0>: Specify an angle between -90 and +90
degrees or press ENTER

Tapering the selected face with a positive angle tapers the face in, and a negative
angle tapers the face out. The default angle, 0, extrudes the face perpendicular to its
plane. All selected faces in the selection set are tapered to the same value. If you
specify a large taper angle or height, you can cause the face to taper to a point
before it reaches the extrusion height.
Path
Sets a path for the extrusion path based on a specified line or curve. All the profiles
of the selected face are extruded along the chosen path to create the extrusion.
Select extrusion path: Use an object selection method
 Lines, circles, arcs, ellipses, elliptical arcs, polylines, or splines can be paths. The
path should not lie on the same plane as the face, nor should it have areas of high
curvature.
The extruded face starts from the plane of the profile and ends on a plane
perpendicular to the path at the path's endpoint. One of the endpoints of the path
should be on the plane of the profile; if not, the path is moved to the center of the
profile.
If the path is a spline, the path should be perpendicular to the plane of the profile
and at one of the endpoints of the path. If not, the profile is rotated to be
perpendicular to the spline path. If one of the endpoints of the spline is on the plane
of the face, the face is rotated about the point; otherwise, the spline path is moved
to the center of the profile and the profiles are rotated about its center.
If the path contains segments that are not tangent, the object is extruded along each
segment and then the joint along the plane is mitered, bisecting the angle formed by
the segments. If the path is closed, the profile lies on the miter plane. This allows
the start and end sections of the solid to match up. If the profile is not on the miter
plane, the path is rotated until it is on the miter plane.

Move

Moves the selected face on a 3D solid object to a specified height or distance. You can select
multiple faces at one time.

Select faces or [Undo/Remove]: Select one or more faces or enter an option

The descriptions of the Undo, Remove, Add, and All options match the descriptions of the
corresponding options under Extrude. After you select faces or enter an option, the following
prompt is displayed.

Select faces or [Undo/Remove/ALL]: Select one or more faces (1), enter an option, or
press ENTER
Specify a base point or displacement: Specify a base point (2)
Specify a second point of displacement: Specify a point (3) or press ENTER
The two points you specify define a displacement vector that indicates how far the selected
face is moved and in what direction. SOLIDEDIT uses the first point as a base point and
places a single copy relative to the base point. If you specify a single point, usually entered
as a coordinate, and then press ENTER, the coordinate is used as the new location.

Rotate

Rotates one or more faces or a collection of features on a solid about a specified axis.

Select faces or [Undo/Remove]: Select one or more faces or enter an option

The descriptions of the Undo, Remove, Add, and All options match the descriptions of the
corresponding options under Extrude. After you select faces or enter an option, the following
prompt is displayed.

Select faces or [Undo/Remove/ALL]: Select one or more faces, enter an option, or press
ENTER
Specify an axis point or [Axis by object/View/Xaxis/Yaxis/Zaxis] <2points>: Enter an
option, specify a point, or press ENTER

Axis Point, 2 Points

Use two points to define the axis of rotation. Pressing ENTER at the main Rotate prompt
displays the following prompts. Specifying a point at the main prompt skips the prompt for
the first point.

Specify the first point on the rotation axis: Specify a point (1)
Specify the second point on the rotation axis: Specify a point (2)
Specify a rotation angle or [Reference]: Specify an angle or enter r

Rotation Angle
 Rotates the object about the selected axis the specified amount from the current
orientation.
Reference
Specifies the reference angle and the new angle.
Specify the reference (starting) angle <0>: Specify the starting angle
Specify the ending angle: Specify the ending angle
The difference between the starting angle and the ending angle is the computed
rotation angle.

Axis by Object

Aligns the axis of rotation with an existing object. You can select the following objects:

 Line: Aligns the axis with the selected line.

 Circle: Aligns with the 3D axis of the circle (perpendicular to the plane of the circle and
passing through the center of the circle).

 Arc: Aligns with the 3D axis of the arc (perpendicular to the plane of the arc and passing
through the center of the arc).

 Ellipse: Aligns with the 3D axis of the ellipse (perpendicular to the plane of the ellipse and
passing through the center of the ellipse).

 2D polyline: Aligns with the 3D axis formed by the polyline's start points and endpoints.

 3D polyline: Aligns with the 3D axis formed by the polyline's start points and endpoints.

 Spline: Aligns with the 3D axis formed by the spline's start points and endpoints.
Select a curve to be used for the axis: Use an object selection method
Specify a rotation angle or [Reference]: Specify an angle or enter r
Rotation Angle
Rotates the object about the selected axis the specified amount from the current
orientation.
Reference
Specifies the reference angle and the new angle.
Specify the reference (starting) angle <0>: Specify the starting angle
Specify the ending angle: Specify the ending angle
The difference between the starting angle and the ending angle is the computed
rotation angle.

View

Aligns the axis of rotation with the viewing direction of the current viewport that passes
through the selected point.

Specify the origin of the rotation <0, 0, 0>: Specify a point

 Specify a rotation angle or [Reference]: Specify an angle or enter r
Rotation Angle
Rotates the object about the selected axis the specified amount from the current
orientation.
Reference
Specifies the reference angle and the new angle.
Specify the reference (starting) angle <0>: Specify the starting angle
Specify the ending angle: Specify the ending angle
The difference between the starting angle and the ending angle is the computed
rotation angle.

X Axis, Y Axis, Z Axis

Align the axis of rotation with the axis (X, Y, or Z) that passes through the selected point.

Specify the origin of the rotation <0, 0, 0>: Specify a point

Specify a rotation angle or [Reference]: Specify an angle or enter r
Rotation Angle
Rotates the object about the selected axis the specified amount from the current
orientation.
Reference
Specifies the reference angle and the new angle.
Specify the reference (starting) angle <0>: Specify the starting angle
Specify the ending angle: Specify the ending angle
The difference between the starting angle and the ending angle is the computed
rotation angle.

Offset

Offsets faces equally by a specified distance or through a specified point. A positive value
increases the size or volume of the solid, a negative value decreases the size or volume of
the solid.

Select faces or [Undo/Remove]: Select one or more faces or enter an option (1)

The descriptions of the Undo, Remove, Add, and All options match the descriptions of the
corresponding options under Extrude. After you select faces or enter an option, the following
prompt is displayed:

Select faces or [Undo/Remove/ALL]: Select one or more faces, enter an option, or press
ENTER
Specify the offset distance: Specify a distance
Specify a positive value to increase the size of the solid or a negative value to decrease the
size of the solid.

NoteHoles inside a solid object offset smaller as the volume of the solid gets larger.

Taper

Tapers faces with an angle. The rotation of the taper angle is determined by the selection
sequence of the base point and second point along the selected vector.

Select faces or [Undo/Remove]: Select one or more faces or enter an option

The descriptions of the Undo, Remove, Add, and All options match the descriptions of the
corresponding options under Extrude. After you select faces or enter an option, the following
prompt is displayed:

Select faces or [Undo/Remove/ALL]: Select one or more faces (1), enter an option, or
press ENTER
Specify the base point: Specify a base point (2)
Specify another point along the axis of tapering: Specify a point (3)
Specify the taper angle: Specify an angle between -90 and +90 degrees

Tapering the selected face with a positive angle tapers the face in, and a negative angle
tapers the face out. The default angle, 0, extrudes the face perpendicular to its plane. All
selected faces in the selection set are tapered to the same value.

Delete

Deletes or removes faces, including fillets and chamfers.

Select faces or [Undo/Remove]: Select one or more faces

The descriptions of the Undo, Remove, Add, and All options match the descriptions of the
corresponding options under Extrude. After you select faces or enter an option, the following
prompt is displayed:

Select faces or [Undo/Remove/ALL]: Select one or more faces (1), enter an option, or
press ENTER
Solid validation started.
Solid validation completed.

Copy

Copies faces as a region or a body. If you specify two points, SOLIDEDIT uses the first point
as a base point and places a single copy relative to the base point. If you specify a single
point (usually entered as a coordinate) and then press ENTER, SOLIDEDIT uses the
coordinate as the new location.

Select faces or [Undo/Remove]: Select one or more faces

The descriptions of the Undo, Remove, Add, and All options match the descriptions of the
corresponding options under Extrude. After you select faces or enter an option, the following
prompt is displayed:

Select faces or [Undo/Remove/ALL]: Select one or more faces (1), enter an option, or
press ENTER
Specify a base point or displacement: Specify a base point (2)
Specify a second point of displacement: Specify a point (3)

Color
Changes the color of faces.

Select faces or [Undo/Remove]: Select one or more faces

The descriptions of the Undo, Remove, Add, and All options match the descriptions of the
corresponding options under Extrude. After you select faces or enter an option, the following
prompt is displayed:

Select faces or [Undo/Remove/ALL]: Select one or more faces, enter an option, or press
ENTER

The Select Color dialog box is displayed.

Material

Assigns a material to selected faces.

Select faces or [Undo/Remove]: Select one or more faces

The descriptions of the Undo, Remove and All options match the descriptions of the
corresponding options under Extrude. After you select faces or enter an option, the following
prompt is displayed:

Select faces or [Undo/Remove/ALL]: Select one or more faces, enter an option, or press
ENTER
Enter new Material name <ByLayer>: Enter the name of the material, or press ENTER
NoteThe name of a material can be found by opening the Materials window and selecting
the material swatch to display the name in the Name field.

Undo

Reverses actions as far back as the beginning of the SOLIDEDIT session.

Exit

Exits the face-editing options and displays the Enter a Solids Editing Option prompt.

Edge

Edits 3D solid objects by changing the color of or copying individual edges.

Enter an edge editing option [Copy/coLor/Undo/eXit] <eXit>: Enter an option or press

ENTER

Copy

Copies 3D edges. All 3D solid edges are copied as a line, arc, circle, ellipse, or spline.

Select edges or [Undo/Remove]: Select one or more edges or enter an option

After you select edges or enter an option, the following prompt is displayed:

Select edges or [Undo/Remove]: Select one or more edges (1) or press ENTER
Specify a base point of displacement: Specify a base point (2)
Specify a second point of displacement: Specify a point (3)

Undo

Cancels selection of the edges you added most recently to the selection set. The previous
prompt is displayed. If all edges have been removed, the following prompt is displayed:

Edge selection has been completely undone

Remove

Removes previously selected edges from the selection set. The previous prompt is
displayed.

Remove edges or [Undo/Add]: Select one or more edges, enter an option, or press
ENTER
Undo
Cancels selection of the edges you added most recently to the selection set. The
previous prompt is displayed. If no edges are currently selected, the following
prompt is displayed:
Edge selection has been completely undone
Add
Adds edges to the selection set.
Select edges or [Undo/Remove]: Select one or more edges or enter an option

 Undo: Cancels selection of the edges you added most recently to the selection set.
The previous prompt is displayed.

 Remove: Removes previously selected edges. The previous prompt is displayed.

Color

Changes the color of edges.

Select edges or [Undo/Remove]: Select one or more edges or enter an option

The descriptions of the Undo, Remove, Add, and All options match the descriptions of the
corresponding options under Copy. After you select edges or enter an option, the Select
Color dialog box is displayed.

Undo

Reverses actions as far back as the beginning of the SOLIDEDIT session.

Exit

Exits the face-editing options and displays the Enter a Solids Editing Option prompt.

Body

Edits the entire solid object by imprinting other geometry on the solid, separating the solid
into individual solid objects, shelling, cleaning, or checking the selected solid.

Enter a body editing option [Imprint/seParate solids/Shell/cLean/Check/Undo/eXit]

<eXit>: Enter an option or press ENTER

Imprint

Imprints an object on the selected solid. The object to be imprinted must intersect one or
more faces on the selected solid in order for imprinting to be successful. Imprinting is
limited to the following objects: arcs, circles, lines, 2D and 3D polylines, ellipses, splines,
regions, bodies, and 3D solids.

Select a 3D solid: Select an object (1)

Select an object to imprint: Select an object (2)
Delete the source object <N>: Enter y or press ENTER
Select an object to imprint: Select an object or press ENTER

Separate Solids

Separates 3D solid objects with disjointed volumes into independent 3D solid objects.

Select a 3D solid: Select an object

NoteSeparating solids does not separate Boolean objects that form a single volume.
Shell

Shelling creates a hollow, thin wall with a specified thickness. You can specify a constant
wall thickness for all the faces. You can also exclude faces from the shell by selecting them.
A 3D solid can have only one shell. New faces are created by offsetting existing ones outside
their original positions.

Select a 3D solid: Select an object

Remove faces or [Undo/Add]: Select one or more faces or enter an option

The descriptions of the Undo, Remove, Add, and All options match the descriptions of the
corresponding options under Extrude. After you select faces or enter an option, the following
prompt is displayed:

Remove faces or [Undo/Add/ALL]: Select a face (1), enter an option, or press ENTER
Enter the shell offset distance: Specify a distance

Specifying a positive value creates a shell to the inside perimeter of the solid; specifying a
negative value creates a shell to the outside perimeter of the solid.

Clean

Removes shared edges or vertices having the same surface or curve definition on either side
of the edge or vertex. Removes all redundant edges, vertices, and unused geometry. Does
not remove imprinted edges.

Select a 3D solid: Select an object (1)

Check
Validates the 3D solid object as a valid solid, independent of the SOLIDCHECK setting.

Select a 3D solid: Select an object

This object is a valid ShapeManager solid.

Undo

Undoes the editing action.

Exit

Exits the face-editing options and displays the Enter a Solids Editing Option prompt.

Undo

Undoes the editing action.

Exit

Exits the SOLIDEDIT command.

Section Plane

Command entry: sectionplane

Selecting any point on the screen that is not on a face creates a section object independent
of the solid. The first point establishes a point around which the section object rotates. The
second point creates the section object.

Select a face or any point to locate the section line or [Draw section/Orthographic]:
Specify a point or enter an option

Selecting a face on a solid or region aligns the section object parallel to that face.

Selecting any point on the screen that is not on a face creates a section object. The first
point establishes a point around which the section object rotates. The second point creates
the section object.

Draw Section

Defines the section object with multiple points to create a section line with jogs.

Specify start point: Specify a point (1)

Specify next point: Specify a point (2)
Specify next point or ENTER to complete: Specify a point (3) or press ENTER.
 Specify next point in direction of section view: Specify a point to indicate direction of the
cutting plane.

This option creates a section object in the Section Boundary state with live sectioning turned
off.

Orthographic

Aligns the section object to an orthographic orientation relative to the UCS.

Align section to: [Front/Back/Top/Bottom/Left/Right]: Specify an option

A section object is created with the specified orientation relative to the UCS (not the current
view) and contains all 3D objects. This option creates a section object in the Section Plane
state with live sectioning turned on.
Flatshot

Command entry: flatshot

Creates a 2D or “flattened” representation of all 3D objects in the current view.

Destination

Controls where the flattened representation is created.

Insert As New Block
Specifies to insert the flattened representation as a block in the current drawing.

Replace Existing Block

Replaces an an existing block in the drawing with the newly created block.
Select Block
Closes the dialog box temporarily while you select the block you are relacing in the
drawing. When you finish selecting the block, press ENTER to redisplay the Flatshot
dialog box.

Block Selected
Indicates if a block has been selected.

Export to a File
Saves the block to an external file.

Foreground Lines

Contains controls for setting the color and linetype of lines that are not obscured in the
flattened view.
Color
Sets the color of lines that are not obscured in the flattened view.

Linetype
Sets the linetype of lines that are not obscured in the view.

Obscured Lines

Controls whether lines that are obscured in the drawing are displayed in the flattened view,
and sets the color and linetype of these obscured lines.
Show
Controls whether obscured lines are shown in the flattened representation. When
selected, the 2D flattened representation displays lines hidden by other objects.

Color
Sets the color of lines that lie behind geometry in the flattened view.

Linetype
Sets the linetype of lines that lie behind geometry in the flattened view.

Create
Creates the flattened view.

Include Tangential Edges

Creates silhouette edges for curved surfaces.
Slice

Command entry: slice

Select objects to slice: Use an object selection method and press ENTER when you finish
NoteIf you include regions in the selection set of objects to slice, they are ignored.
Specify start point of slicing plane or [planar
Object/Surface/Zaxis/View/XY/YZ/ZX/3points] <3points>: Specify a point, enter an
option, or press ENTER to use the 3 Points option
Specify second point on plane: Specify a point

These two points define the angle of the slicing plane. The slicing plane is perpendicular to
the current UCS.

Select solid to keep or [keep Both sides] <Both>: Select one of the resulting solids or
enter b

Planar Object

Aligns the cutting plane with a circle, ellipse, circular or elliptical arc, 2D spline, or 2D
polyline segment.

Select a circle, ellipse, arc, 2D-spline, or 2D-polyline:

You can retain both halves of the sliced solids or just the half you specify. The sliced solids
retain the layer and color properties of the original solids. However, the resulting solids
don’t retain a history of the original forms that created them.

Specify a point on desired side or [keep Both sides] <Both>: Specify a point or enter b

The descriptions of the Point on the Desired Side and Keep Both Sides options match the
descriptions of the corresponding options under 3 Points.

Surface

Aligns the cutting plane with a surface.

Select a surface:
NoteYou cannot select meshes created with the EDGESURF, REVSURF, RULESURF, and
TABSURF commands.
You can retain both halves of the sliced solids or just the half you specify. The sliced solids
retain the layer and color properties of the original solids. However, the resulting solids
don’t retain a history of the original forms that created them.

Select solid to keep or [keep Both sides] <Both>: Select one of the resulting solids or
enter b

Z Axis

Defines the cutting plane by specifying a point on the plane and another point on the Z axis
(normal) of the plane.

Specify a point on the section plane: Specify a point (1)

Specify a point on the Z-axis (normal) of the plane: Specify a point (2)

You can retain both halves of the sliced solids or just the half you specify. The sliced solids
retain the layer and color properties of the original solids.

Specify a point on desired side or [keep Both sides] <Both>: Specify a point or enter b

The descriptions of the Point on the Desired Side and Keep Both Sides options match the
descriptions of the corresponding options under 3 Points.

View

Aligns the cutting plane with the current viewport's viewing plane. Specifying a point defines
the location of the cutting plane.

Specify a point on the current view plane <0,0,0>: Specify a point (1) or press ENTER
You can retain both halves of the sliced solid or just the half you specify. The sliced solids
retain the layer and color properties of the original solid.

Specify a point on desired side or [keep Both sides] <Both>: Specify a point or enter b

The descriptions of the Point on the Desired Side and Keep Both Sides options match the
descriptions of the corresponding options under 3 Points.

XY

Aligns the cutting plane with the XY plane of the current user coordinate system (UCS).
Specifying a point defines the location of the cutting plane.

Specify a point on the XY-plane <0,0,0>: Specify a point (1) or press ENTER

You can retain both halves of the sliced solids or just the half you specify. The sliced solids
retain the layer and color properties of the original solids.

Specify a point on desired side or [keep Both sides] <Both>: Specify a point or enter b

The descriptions of the Point on the Desired Side and Keep Both Sides options match the
descriptions of the corresponding options under 3 Points.

YZ

Aligns the cutting plane with the YZ plane of the current UCS. Specifying a point defines the
location of the cutting plane.

Specify a point on the YZ-plane <0,0,0>: Specify a point (1) or press ENTER
You can retain both halves of the sliced solids or just the half you specify. The sliced solids
retain the layer and color properties of the original solids.

Specify a point on desired side or [keep Both sides] <Both>: Specify a point or enter b

The descriptions of the Point on the Desired Side and Keep Both Sides options match the
descriptions of the corresponding options under 3 Points.

ZX

Aligns the cutting plane with the ZX plane of the current UCS. Specifying a point defines the
location of the cutting plane.

Specify a point on the ZX-plane <0,0,0>: Specify a point (1) or press ENTER

If a single solid is sliced into more than two objects, one solid is created from the objects on
one side of the plane and another solid is created from the objects on the other side.

You can retain both halves of the sliced solids or just the half you specify. The sliced solids
retain the layer and color properties of the original solids.

Specify a point on desired side or [keep Both sides] <Both>: Specify a point or enter b

The descriptions of the Point on the Desired Side and Keep Both Sides options match the
descriptions of the corresponding options under 3 Points.

3 Points

Defines the cutting plane using three points.

 Specify first point on plane: Specify a point (1)
Specify second point on plane: Specify a point (2)
Specify third point on plane: Specify a point (3)

You can retain both halves of the sliced solids or just the half you specify. The sliced solids
retain the layer and color properties of the original solids.

Specify a point on desired side or [keep Both sides] <Both>: Specify a point or enter b
Point on the Desired Side
Uses a point to determine which side of the sliced solids your drawing retains. The
point cannot lie on the cutting plane.

Keep Both Sides

Retains both sides of the sliced solids. Slicing a single solid into two pieces creates
two solids from the pieces on either side of the plane. SLICE never creates more
than two new composite solids for each selected solid.