Contour 3D - Advanced options

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Select on the  ADVANCED OPTIONS  button to access to the following options:

You can use incremental angle for the construction of each part of the contour by using this drop-down list : .

The list offers you 3 possibilities:

• No protractor: the next line of the contour will not use the protractor and the line can have any value for its angle.

• Incremental protractor: the next line of the contour will be made with a step angle in comparison with the precedent line.

• Absolute protractor: the next line of the contour will be made with a step angle in comparison with the axis of the current coordinate system.

The value of the step angle can be given in the following cell:

When the protractor is activated, it is possible to key the length of the line being drawn along its actual orientation.

The option  Automatic constraints according to= MAIN DIRECTIONS  /  ALL DIRECTIONS  allows you to set the creation conditions of the automatic constraints on the contour segments. These constraints keep the segments in their direction according to the constraints definition coordinate system.

•  MAIN DIRECTIONS  : The constraints are only created according to the main directions (X, Y and Z) of the constraints definition coordinate system.

•  ALL DIRECTIONS  : The constraints are created however the segment is oriented.

Many different constraints can be created; but in the  ALL DIRECTIONS  mode, only the alignment constraints are created because the others become obsolete.

The option  Constraints definition coordinate system= CURRENT COORDINATE SYSTEM  /  DEFINITION COORDINATE SYSTEM  allows you to choose the coordinate system used to create the constraints.

•  DEFINITION COORDINATE SYSTEM  : The constraints are created according to the definition coordinate system selected at the beginning of the function. In this mode, only the alignment constraints are created. However, if the starting point is a coordinate system, the first constraint is created according to it.

•  CURRENT COORDINATE SYSTEM  : The constraints are created according to the green coordinate system. This coordinate system may change all along the contour drawing. At the beginning, the green coordinate system is the current one.  Then it change if you use features from the "Wizard" which create a permanent coordinate system that become the new current coordinate system for the creation of the constraints.

For summing up : the constraints are always applied according to the green coordinate system. In the mode  DEFINITION COORDINATE SYSTEM  , it is always the coordinate system selected at the beginning of the function. In the mode  CURRENT COORDINATE SYSTEM  , it may change according to the operation made.