Using the Clipping Box

The Clipping Box allows you to enhance the visualization of the browsers available in some mesh checker tools by reducing the 3D view to a particular area.

The browsers available in some mesh checker tools (worst element, interference, duplicate elements, duplicate nodes, free edges, and unmeshed domains) and when a mesh execution fails allow you to focus on particular areas that are sometimes not easily visible (for example, inside a volume). Activating the clipping box while you are using one of the mesh checker browsers allows you reduce the visualization to those particular areas.

Visualization tools (rotate, zoom) and surface mesh edition tools (mesh specifications, topology edition, mesh edition) can also be used with the clipping box visualization mode.

  1. Click Clipping Box in the Mesh Visualization Tools toolbar.

  2. If you are in the context of one of the mesh checker tools, click Clipping Box before selecting Autofocus in the mesh checker dialog box. If you are not using a mesh checker tool, position the cursor at one corner of the clipping box you want to define, click and drag the cursor to the opposite corner, and release the cursor.

    The 3D view is reduced to the area contained in the clipping box, and the Define Box tool appears to let you adjust the size and the position of the box.

  3. To modify the clipping box dimensions:

    1. Click Define Box .
      The clipping box appears.

    2. Use the sliders to adjust the size and the position of the clipping box.
      You can also use the robot to move the clipping box.

    3. To deactivate the manipulation mode, click Define Box again.

  4. To restore the default visualization, click Clipping Box again.
 

Example

In the following example, seven elements in intersection have been found by the Intersections / Interferences mesh checker:

When you select Autofocus without using the Clipping Box tool, the visualization focuses on the intersecting elements, but they are not visible because they are located inside the volume:

When you click Clipping Box before selecting Autofocus in the Interferences Check dialog box, the visualization is reduced to the area where elements are in intersection, and other areas are hidden: