Creating Advanced Primitives


You can create parametric primitives and customize them.

  1. From the Creation section of the action bar, click Parametric Primitive .
    The Tools Palette is displayed. The default primitive, a box, is previewed.

      The following icons let you create a  primitive:
     
    • Rectangle Primitive
    • Circle Primitive
    • Polygon Primitive
    • Ring Primitive
    • Sphere Primitive
    • Cylinder Primitive
    • Box Primitive
    • Pyramid Primitive
    • Torus Primitive
    • Tube Primitive
    • Prism Primitive
      The following icons are available in the tools palette:
     
    • Transformation in 1 Direction: Associates the dimension according to one direction. Click to switch to synchronize the transformation in all three directions (for a 3D primitive) and in two directions (for a 2D primitive). This is available for all the primitives.
    • Sharp Attraction: Adds weight to the edges of the primitive. Click to switch to the Smooth Attraction mode.
    • Position on Center: Places the primitive at the center of the reference position. Click to place the primitive at the bottom of the reference position or to place on top. This is available for all three dimensional primitives.
    • Initial Angle: Reverts to the initial angle of the primitive.
    • Cutting Mode: Defines the number of sections or cuts. Press Alt to switch from the manipulation of the size to the selection of the cut. The selection type appears at the level of the help text.
    • Conical Mode: Sets a conical ratio. This is available for only cylinder, box, tube, and prism primitives.
    • Edition: Modifies data specific to each type of primitive.
    •   Mesh View: Hides or shows the mesh.
    • Selection: Lets you select a reference element to position the primitive.
    • Apply (Enter): Applies the command.

  2. Click to create a box primitive.
    The box primitive is previewed. On each surface you can see control points at which dimension is displayed.

  3. Click Transformation in 1 Direction and drag a control point to transform the primitive.

    Original Primitive Transformation in 1 Direction Transformation in 3 Directions
      Tip: Click Edition  in the Tools Palette to open the data dialog box and modify the data of the primitive precisely.

  4. Click Cutting Mode to define the number of sections or cuts. Use the slider to set the number of sections.

      Tip: Click   to open the Cut Primitive dialog box and enter a value precisely.
      Notes: 
     
    • The number of sections for the circle, sphere, cylinder, and torus primitives are always even. This is to avoid generating triangular faces.
    • The maximum number of sections for the polygon, pyramid, and prism primitives is 17.
    • The maximum number of sections for the circle, sphere, and the cylinder primitives is 34.

  5. Click to remove a face. Click to add the face again.

      Note: You cannot remove both the top and bottom faces simultaneously. 

  6. Click Sharp Attraction  to switch to Smooth Attraction mode and remove weight off the edges of the primitive.

    With weight  Without weight
       
  7. Click Conical Mode . Use the slider to set the conical ratio.
      Tip: Click   to open the Conical Ratio dialog box and enter a value precisely.
     
  8. Click Position on Center   to change the position of the primitive with respect to the reference position.
  9. Click Apply to apply the changes.