Flattening Orientation

This task shows you how to set the orientation of devices and supports during the flattening process.

A CATProduct document is still open from the previous task.

  1. Select the Flattening Orientation tab:

  2. Choose the orientation of the device during the flattening step.

    • By selecting With no device orientation, the device is positioned by a transformation computed by the flattening algorithm. However, there is no specific action on the orientation of the device and it will depend upon the selected active plane.
    • If you select Device placed in the active plane, the local Z axis of the device is positioned perpendicular to the active plane specified in the General tab of this dialog box.
      If the Keep existing tangent between bundle segment and connector during the flattening step option (in the General tab) is selected, then the Device placed in the active plane option (in the Flattening Orientation tab) is ignored.

  3. Choose the support orientation.

    • By selecting With no support orientation, the supports will maintain their 3D orientation.
    • If you select Support placed in the active plane, the support will be orientated with respect to the active plane specified in the General tab of this dialog box.
    • Finally when choosing the third option, Support orientated according to a regular angle, the default orientation behavior of the supports keeps the real position (angle between 0° and 360°). Supports will be placed according to the closest regular angle they have in 3D. It enables you to prevent bundle segments from twisting. They are four regular angles (0°, 90°, 180° and 270°).
      0°: the angle will be applied if the real position is between -45° (or 315°) and 45°.

      		 90°: the angle will be applied if the real position is between 45° and 135°.
      180°: the angle will be applied if the real position is between 135° and 225°.

      		 270°: the angle will be applied if the real position is between 225° and 315°.

  4. Specify the reference plane used when the device was created. This same plane is used to orient the device when flattened.
    The XOY plane is selected by default.
     

     

    XOY plane used to define devices

    YOZ plane used to define devices
     

    ZOX plane used to define devices

    		  

  5. Click OK to validate.

The local references of the supports and devices are used to orientate the components.
Thus the angle is calculated with the local Z axis of the part containing the support and the normal of the active plane.