Basic - Concepts POWER SHAPE

PowerSHAPE
Basic concepts
Disclaimer
Delcam plc has no control over the use made of the software described in
this manual and cannot accept responsibility for any loss or damage
howsoever caused as a result of using the software. Users are advised that
all the results from the software should be checked by a competent
person, in accordance with good quality control procedures.
Information contained in this manual is subject to change without notice
and does not represent a commitment by Delcam plc. The software
described in this manual is furnished under licence agreement and may be
used or copied in accordance with the terms of such licence. No part of
this manual may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording,
for any purpose without the express permission of Delcam plc.
Copyright 1999-2004 Delcam plc. All rights reserved.
Delcam plc
Talbot Way
Small Heath Business Park
Birmingham B10 OHJ
England
Tel: (UK) 0121-766-5544
(Int) +44 (0) 121-766-5544
Version number 5.7 - 02/12/04
PowerSHAPE Basic concepts Contents i
Contents
Basic concepts 1
Introduction...................................................................................... 1
PowerSHAPE 3
What is PowerSHAPE?.................................................................... 3
How do I run PowerSHAPE? .......................................................... 6
User interface 7
What is each area of the screen?...................................................... 7
What is a menu?............................................................................... 7
How do I use the menus?................................................................. 9
What is a toolbar? .......................................................................... 11
How do I use the toolbars?............................................................. 11
What is the Status bar?................................................................... 12
How do I use the Status bar?.......................................................... 12
What is a dialogue box?................................................................. 14
How do I use dialogue boxes? ....................................................... 14
How do I use the Arm? .................................................................. 16
How do I use the mouse?............................................................... 17
How do I use the keyboard?........................................................... 23
What is a graphics window? .......................................................... 24
How do I use a graphics window? ................................................. 24
What is the Intelligent Cursor? ...................................................... 25
How do I use the Intelligent Cursor?............................................. 25
Models 29
What is a model?............................................................................ 29
How do I create a model? .............................................................. 29
How do I save a model?................................................................. 30
How do I save a model with a new name? .................................... 31
How do I save a model with a thumbnail?..................................... 35
How do I close a model?................................................................ 36
How do I open a model? ................................................................ 36
How do I close and open zipped models?...................................... 41
How do I reset a model? ................................................................ 42
ii Index PowerSHAPE Basic concepts
How do I create a template model?................................................43
How do I change the description or password of a model?...........43
How do I delete a model?...............................................................45
How do I keep track of changes made to a model? .......................47
How do I find out what a model contains? ....................................48
How do I find out information about a model?..............................49
How do I compare two models? ....................................................51
How do I find duplicate objects in a model? .................................53
How do I import data into a model? ..............................................55
How do I Import Materials?...........................................................63
How do I export data from a model? .............................................64
How do I use PS-Exchange to translate data? ...............................73
How do I export DXF files?...........................................................80
How do I export materials?............................................................81
How do I create a .csv file for materials? ......................................83
How do I change the view of a model?..........................................85
Objects 87
How do I create an object?.............................................................87
How do I edit an object? ................................................................88
Entering positions 91
What is a coordinate system?.........................................................91
How do I enter positions? ..............................................................92
What is a grid?................................................................................97
How do I use the grid? ...................................................................98
How do I use point-locking?..........................................................99
What is the Position dialogue box?...................................................100
How do I use the Position dialogue box?..........................................100
Selecting objects 111
How do I select objects? ..............................................................111
Calculator and measuring 119
What is the calculator?.................................................................119
How do I use the calculator?........................................................119
How do I measure using the calculator? ......................................125
Parameters 137
What is a parameter?....................................................................137
PowerSHAPE Basic concepts Contents iii
How do I create a parameter? ......................................................138
How do I edit a parameter?..........................................................140
How do I use a parameter?...........................................................140
How do I find out if a value uses parameters?.............................141
Index 143
iv Index PowerSHAPE Basic concepts
PowerSHAPE Basic concepts 1
Basic concepts
Introduction
This manual provides all the necessary operations such as selecting
objects and entering positions. You are also shown how to use the
interface.
You must be familiar with the operations in this manual in order to make
full use of the other manuals.
Other manuals available
Getting started
To get you quickly familiar with the operations of PowerSHAPE, we
strongly recommend that you work through the tutorials in the Getting
started Manual. The tutorials are designed to introduce you to the
concepts of PowerSHAPE.
PowerSHAPE introduces many new ways of working with complex
surfaces. Even if you are familiar with other Delcam products such as
DUCT5, you can also benefit from investing some time in working
through the examples.
Wireframe modelling
Wireframe objects (points, workplanes, lines, arcs and curves) are
described in terms of how to create and edit them.
Menus and toolbars
This manual describes the menus and toolbars available within
PowerSHAPE and how the various functions work.
Solid and surface modelling
This manual covers:
2 Basic concepts PowerSHAPE Basic concepts
Solid creation and editing
Surface creation and editing
Preparation for manufacture
Drafting
This manual covers the creation and editing of:
Drawings
Drawing views
Text
Dimensions
Hatching
Balloons
Symbols
Managing your PowerSHAPE system
This shows you how to manage PowerSHAPE and its data. Topics
include:
installing PowerSHAPE
setting up new users
model database areas
backing up data
archiving models
workgroups
trouble shooting
Training courses
Training courses are available. Please contact your Delcam Sales Partner
for further details.
PowerSHAPE Basic concepts PowerSHAPE 3
PowerSHAPE
What is PowerSHAPE?
PowerSHAPE is a powerful 3D modeller for designing complex shapes.
It is ideally suited to preparing models for manufacture; either from
scratch or by editing a part-complete model, imported from another CAD
system.
PowerSHAPE supports standard Microsoft Windows functionality such
as cut, copy and paste, drag and drop, and rubber-band editing of objects.
Any modelling object (such as line, arc, curve) can also be edited via
pop-up menu - easily raised by clicking the right mouse button. The
menus contain all the main operations available for the selected object.
Power Solution
PowerSHAPE is integrated with all the other Power Solution products.
For example: PowerMILL, which prepares NC data to cut PowerSHAPE
models on a CNC machine tool.
Over the years, DUCT has grown, from its roots at Cambridge University
in England, into the market leading software for the design and
manufacture of moulds, tools and dies around the world.
The Power Solution products retain the power and flexibility of Delcams
DUCT5 CAD/CAM system, but with a modern Microsoft Windows
style interface. The DUCT range of integrated CAD/CAM products have
been continuously developed for over 20 years.
Ease of use
Ease of use is central to the product; most objects can be created with one
or two mouse clicks only. The dimensions are dynamically dragged by
4 PowerSHAPE PowerSHAPE Basic concepts
using the object's editing handles to create the desired size and shape.
Discrete values can also be entered using dialogue boxes.
At the heart of the uncluttered user interface lies the Intelligent Cursor.
This generates construction lines and highlights objects snap points and
tangencies as the cursor passes over.
Modelling for manufacture
PowerSHAPE simplifies the adding of manufacturing features such as
chamfers, fillets, split surfaces and draft surfaces. It is designed to handle
components with complex surface geometry, making it an excellent tool
for designing moulds, dies, electrodes and patterns.
Surfacing tools
PowerSHAPE offers sophisticated surfacing tools, including surface
creation from curves and dynamic surface manipulation, allowing quick
and easy creation and subsequent modification of the CAD surfaces.
PowerSHAPE options
The PowerSHAPE product is sold as four main options:
PowerSHAPE
PowerSHAPE for Designers
PowerSHAPE for Toolmakers
PowerSHAPE for Design to manufacture
The PowerSHAPE option contains the core functionality.
PowerSHAPE for Designers contains:
Core functionality
PS-Assembly
PS-Render
Global surface editing
Solid bulge feature
B-spline sketching
PS-Draft
PowerSHAPE Basic concepts PowerSHAPE 5
PowerSHAPE for Toolmakers contains:
Core functionality
PS-Assembly
PS-Moldmaker
PS-Electrode and electrode set up sheets
PS-Draft
PowerSHAPE for Design to manufacture contains:
Please note: If you have not purchased a licence for any option, you
can still try the functionality using the evaluation licence (Tools -
Evaluation Mode).
The following shortcuts start the modules of PowerSHAPE.
PS-Estimator
-estimator or -e
PS-Draft
-draft or -df
-design or -de
-toolmakers or -t
PowerSHAPE for Design to manufacture
-manufacture or -m
PowerSHAPE
No argument
For example, the following starts PowerSHAPE for Design to
manufacture:
powershape -m
When you start PowerSHAPE, the shortcut determines which licences
you can use. If there is a problem accessing any licence, a message will
appear stating which licence is not available.
6 PowerSHAPE PowerSHAPE Basic concepts
How do I run PowerSHAPE?
1. Log in to a user account.
2. Double click the PowerSHAPE icon on your desktop.
You can also start up PowerSHAPE by typing in an operating
system window:
powershape
You can start up PowerSHAPE and open an existing model at the
same time by typing:
powershape model_name
After a brief wait, the program starts up.
A new large window appears on the screen. This is PowerSHAPE.
To get you quickly familiar with PowerSHAPE, a tutorial introduction is
provided in the Getting started Manual.
PowerSHAPE Basic concepts User interface 7
User interface
What is each area of the screen?
The PowerSHAPE display uses a Windows style interface with pull-
down menus and toolbars.
Each area of the screen and how to use the various components are
described next.
What is a menu?
Virtually every function within PowerSHAPE can be controlled from a
menu. These drop down from the main menu bar, which is permanently
displayed across the top of the PowerSHAPE window.
8 User interface PowerSHAPE Basic concepts
The following provides brief details, but for full information, refer to
How do I use the menus? and the individual menu chapters which
describe the tools and functions available.
File menu - This controls model file related tasks such as Open,
Save, Close, and Delete.
Edit menu - This provides the Undo/Redo commands and tools
for handling the clipboard such as Cut, Copy and Paste. It also
provides general editing tools applicable to most object types, such
as Mirror and Rotate. There is also a button which raises the Edit
Toolbar, providing one click shortcuts to the editing options.
View menu - This controls how the model(s) appear in the
graphics window(s), providing a range of pre-set views. Using
View Layout will display the View Edit dialogue box, which
allows you to customise the view.
Object menu - This provides tools for creating all the available
object types. These include Workplanes, Surfaces, Lines, and
so on. The menu option for each type walks through to a sub-
menu showing the available creation methods for each one.
Format menu - This provides options to change line types,
colours and to assign display levels. Levels are used to reduce
screen clutter on complex models.
Tools menu - This provides miscellaneous tools, including macro
recording, surface splitting and trim region editing. It also allows
you to set the PowerSHAPE options (your preferences on how
PowerSHAPE operates).
Application menu - The Application menu lists all applications
you can run whilst using PowerSHAPE.
Window menu - The Window menu lists all the graphics
windows and allows you to manage them.
Help menu - This controls the dynamic help (pop-up tool tips)
and the online help system. It also contains the software version
and release details.
Pop-up menus - These are raised by clicking the right mouse button
over an object. A menu appears under the cursor containing
commands appropriate for editing the object. Right clicking within
a graphics window, but away from any objects raises a view menu.
How do I use the menus?
The PowerSHAPE main menu is fixed at the top of the program window.
Using the mouse to click on a menu option opens the menu that can
contain commands, sub-menus and/or dialogue boxes. Options are
dimmed when not available.
If you hold the mouse button down and drag the cursor over the menus,
the sub-menus open and close as the mouse passes over. The item under
the cursor is selected when you release the button. If you decide to not
select anything, move the cursor away from a menu before releasing the
button.
A similar effect is achieved by holding the Alt key down and pressing an
appropriate underlined character. For example Alt e opens the Edit
menu.
You can also navigate around the menus with the arrow keys to
pre-select items. Enter selects an item and Esc closes the menus.
Some menus contain walk through options, indicated by the button at
the right of the option. To use these, click the menu option and click
again on the button. The walk-through expands and you can now select
an option in the usual way. The arrow keys also work with walk-
throughs. Just press the arrow when the option is highlighted. You can
then arrow up and down the walk-through list.
Pop-up menus
Pop-up menus are raised by clicking the right mouse button in the
graphics window. The menu options vary according to what you click
over.
If you right click over an object, a pop-up menu is raised and displays the
common edit options for that object. At the top of the menu, the type and
name of the object are displayed. The name of the level on which the
object lies is in brackets.
A click of the right mouse button in the graphics window, but not over an
object, raises the View pop-up menu. This pop-up menu provides the
shading options from the View menu and other common options.
If a mixture of objects is selected and you click the right mouse button on
one of the selected objects, the Selection pop-up menu is displayed.
This pop-up menu provides some common edit commands.
Object dialogue boxes and toolbars
Double clicking over an object raises an object related dialogue box or a
toolbar. The options vary according to the object type.
Refer to:
"How do I edit an arc?" in the Wireframe modelling Manual
"How do I edit a curve?" in the Wireframe modelling Manual
"How do I edit a line?" in the Wireframe modelling Manual
"How do I edit a power surface?" in the Surface modelling
Manual.
"How do I edit a primitive surface?" in the Surface modelling
Manual.
"How do I edit a workplane?" in the Wireframe modelling Manual
Option menus
Option menus are buttons used in dialogue boxes and toolbars. They
show the current selection and expand when clicked to show all the
options in the menu.
Refer to "Option menus in How do I use dialogue boxes?".
What is a toolbar?
The toolbars contain buttons with graphical images (icons) to indicate
their operation. In most cases, these provide shortcuts to options that you
can reach from the menus.
The Main Toolbar shown across the top of the above example picture is
always visible. Other toolbars are displayed or hidden according to the
functions in use. The image above also shows the Edit Toolbar
displaying the Limit Selection tools.
How do I use the toolbars?
The toolbars contain many of the features used in dialogue boxes.
Typically: command buttons, text boxes and option menus. To use a
toolbar, position the mouse pointer over a button and click the left-hand
mouse button. The button appears to press in and the function is
activated.
Most of the toolbar buttons are labelled with an icon to represent its
function. Some have a text description. Many buttons provide shortcuts to
main menu items. A few buttons raise secondary toolbars, for example,
Surface Edits. Other toolbars change according to the function
selected, this occurs on the Edit Toolbar. These have specific purposes
and do not necessarily duplicate main menu options.
If you are not sure what a button does, hover the mouse pointer over it.
After a few seconds, a dynamic help text appears to describe the buttons
purpose.
Toolbars become fixed once they are displayed. To remove a toolbar
from the screen, click the Cross button on the left of the toolbar.
What is the Status bar?
This is the area at the bottom of the PowerSHAPE screen. It allows you
to set the default drawing plane, enter point co-ordinates and open the
Position dialogue box.
How do I use the Status bar?
The Status bar is fixed at the bottom of the PowerSHAPE window. The
picture below shows all the features in the Status bar.
Temporary workplane button - This allows you to create or remove
a temporary workplane. See "Creating a temporary workplane" in the
"Workplanes" section in the Wireframe modelling Manual for further
details.
Workplane drop down list - This allows you to activate and
de-activate workplanes. You can also use it to change the name of the
selected workplane. See "Workplane combo box" in the "Workplanes"
section in the Wireframe modelling Manual for further details.
Origin of the active workplane - This is three boxes, which contain
the X, Y, Z coordinates (in red) of the origin of the workplane.
Principal plane buttons - These allows you to set the principal
plane of the current workspace. Each button displays the label of the axis
that is normal to the principal plane. For example, the button with label Z
represents the XY principal plane. Select one of the buttons to change the
principal plane.
Point lock button - Turns on point-locking, for entering positions
using the mouse. See "How do I use point-locking?" for further details.
Grid on/off button - Turns on and off the grid.
Grid scale - Displays the scale of the grid when it is switched on.
See "What is a grid?" for further details.
Coordinates box - This is three boxes, which contain the X, Y, Z
coordinates of the cursor.
Position button - When you are in object creation mode (such as,
creating lines), this button is available. When you click on this, it displays
the Position dialogue box which gives you various ways of entering
positions.
Refer to "How do I use the Position dialogue box?".
Calculator button - Start the PowerSHAPE calculator. Refer to "How
do I use the calculator?" in the Basic concepts Manual.
Connect/Disconnect the Arm button - Connects or disconnects
the Arm. To connect to the Arm, you need to have a PS-ARM licence file
installed on your computer. See "How do I use the arm?" for further
details.
Tol - This displays the value of the general tolerance. You can use this
text box to change the value.
Data entry box - This is used to enter data or to view previously
entered data.
To enter data, either:
Move the mouse cursor into the Data entry box and click in the
box. Type in the data and press return.
Or
Move the mouse cursor into the graphics window and type in the
data. The data will appear in the Data entry box. Press return to
enter the data.
To view previously entered data:
1. Move the cursor into the Data entry box and click in the box.
2. Use the up and down arrow keys on the keyboard to display the
previously entered data.
The up arrow key will display previously entered data upwards
from the last entry.
The down arrow key will display previously entered data
downwards from the first entry.
If you want to enter any of the data again, press return when it is
displayed in the Data entry box.
What is a dialogue box?
These are movable data input boxes which are raised by PowerSHAPE
when it needs you to provide information. Dialogue boxes contain
various data entry boxes and buttons. Clicking the Accept button causes
PowerSHAPE to use the new information and close the box.
How do I use dialogue boxes?
Most PowerSHAPE operations are controlled by pointing and clicking or
via the menus. Some raise dialogue boxes. For example, when you want
to open a particular model, PowerSHAPE provides a dialogue box for
you to select one from a list. This topic covers the features that can be
found on most dialogue boxes.
Text boxes and data boxes
These allow you to enter text or numbers. Click in the box, keeping the
mouse cursor inside the box, then type the characters. The data is entered
when you press return.
Drop Down Lists
As for Text boxes, click in the box and type in your data. Clicking the
arrow button causes the box to expand showing any previous entries.
You can then click on the one you want.
Option menus
These appear as drop down lists which expand when clicked to show a
menu list.
To use an option menu click on the button, then either click on or drag to
the option you want. The menu shrinks back to the button which always
shows the selected option.
Tabs
Tabs are used in dialogue boxes to show a different work page for each
tab.
Radio buttons
These are small buttons placed next to their options. When one button is
clicked, a dot appears in the button and the other previously clicked
button pops out. Only one radio button can be ON at any time and its not
possible to have them all off.
Toggle buttons
These are fully independent. A group of these can be any combination of
ON and OFF. Just click a button to set ON and click again to set OFF.
Buttons
Each button displays a unique image or text to represent a command.
When clicked, the button appears to press-in and the associated command
is activated. When the command is not available, the icon image or text
appears grey and the button will not press-in when clicked.
Accept button
This causes PowerSHAPE to make the changes required and close the
dialogue box. Note that pressing Enter also accepts a dialogue box.
Apply button
This causes PowerSHAPE to make the changes required, but to leave the
dialogue box displayed.
Cancel button
This removes the dialogue box from the screen, discarding any edits
carried out on the model while it was displayed.
How do I use the Arm?
There is an Arm button on the status bar that connects or disconnects
the Arm. To connect to the Arm, you need to have a PS-ARM licence file
installed on your computer.
If the Arm button is selected, you are connected to the ARM, and
PowerSHAPE is ready to accept the digitised components of the probe.
Using the probe
To digitise any physical geometry, you need to
1. Select a creation option, for example, line or bezier curve.
You can digitise a surface using the arm with Surface Creation
from Patches.
2. Use the probe to pick a point.
Picking a point with the probe is the same as picking a point with
the mouse. The coordinates picked by the probe are in World
workspace.
When using the probe, the following should be noted:
The small green box shows the current X, Y and Z coordinates of
arm probe.
Pressing the right button on the arm paddle, enters the point
selected by the probe.
Pressing the left button finishes entering the command.
Pressing both the buttons simultaneously, cancels the current
command.
How do I use the mouse?
The mouse is the main device for controlling PowerSHAPE. Clicking
buttons or objects with or without certain keyboard modifier keys alters
the way you can create, select, move, edit or view models on the screen.
For simplicity we have used specific instruction conventions within this
manual:
Click means press and release the Left mouse button.
Double click means rapidly click the left mouse button twice.
Drag means hold down the left mouse button and move the mouse
while holding the button down.
When other mouse buttons are to be used we specify the required button
e.g. middle-click, middle-drag or right-click.
The mouse controls such as double click speed and hit radius are set to
default values, but can be controlled from the Mouse page of the
Options dialogue box.
Left-hand mouse button
This is the main mouse button for selecting menu
options, clicking buttons on toolbars and dialogue boxes
and for editing model objects. It has different effects
according to where the cursor is within the PowerSHAPE
window.
Over a menu
Single clicking highlights and selects menu options.
Double clicking has no particular effect over menus.
PowerSHAPE assumes you intended to single click.
Dragging moves the cursor over the different options,
highlighting the ones that are available. When you
release the button over a highlighted option, it is selected.
Over a non-active graphics window
Single clicking in a non-active graphics window
activates the window. The title of the active window is
highlighted.
Over an active graphics window
Single clicking in an active graphics window usually
signifies an attempt to select an object or to enter a
position (see Single clicking in "On an object..." below).
When selecting objects, clicking away from any object
clears the current selection.
When entering positions, clicking away from any object
inputs a position on the principal plane of the active
workplane.
Double clicking has no effect unless you are pointing
at an object. Refer to On an object below.
Dragging draws a rubber band box. Objects within the
box are selected. This is indicated by their yellow
highlight colour and handles. See "Selecting multiple
objects" for further details.
Any other objects already selected and not within the box become
deselected.
If the box contains no objects, the current selection is cleared.
Note: When more than one object is selected, the graphical handles are
not displayed.
Shift-Dragging (holding down the Shift key while
dragging) draws a rubber band box. Objects within the
box are added to the current selection.
Control-Dragging (holding down the Control key
while dragging) draws a rubber band box. Objects within
the box are added to the current selection or deselected if
they are already selected.
Ctrl-Shift-Dragging (holding down both the Control
and Shift keys while dragging) draws a rubber band box.
Objects within the box are deselected from the current
selection.
Shift -Alt-Dragging (holding down the Shift and Alt
keys while dragging) rotates the view around the X axis.
On an object
Single clicking over an unselected object, selects it and
the object turns yellow with its key points shown as
graphical handles. The selected objects key point
closest to the cursor when selected becomes its anchor
point.
Any other objects already selected become deselected.
If the Intelligent Cursor is ON, the cursor changes as you
move over objects and current selections.
Double clicking selects the object, but also sends the
command Edit-Modify. This raises a dialogue box or
toolbar allowing you to edit the objects properties.
When entering a series of points (for example, for a
series of lines or a curve), a double click finishes the
series. A subsequent single click starts a new series.
Dragging on a selected object picks it and while the
button is pressed, the object follows the mouse. The
object is held when picked and placed when you release
the button.
When selected, objects are displayed with additional edit handles. For
example:
Lines have key points at each end.
Curves have key points on arms extending from the selected
control point on the curve.
Arcs have key points at the centre and at the start and end of the arc
sector.
Workplanes have a control rectangle and origin.
If you drag a key point, only the aspect of the object controlled by the
point will move. To move the whole object, be careful to click on the
object itself, but away from any of its key points.
Shift-clicking (holding down the Shift key while
clicking) allows you to add objects to the current
selection.
Toggles the Patch snapping option on the Mouse
page of the Options dialogue box. Patch snapping
allows you to click a position inside a surface patch or a
solid face.
Ctrl-clicking (holding down the Control key while
clicking) allows you to add objects to the current
selection or deselect those already selected.
Alt-clicking (holding down the Alt key while clicking)
allows you to create composite curves. See "Creating a
composite curve" in the Wireframe modelling Manual for
further details.
Ctrl-Shift-clicking (holding down both the Control
and Shift keys while clicking) allows you to deselect
objects from the current selection.
Control-Dragging (holding down the Control key
while dragging) copies the selected objects. The copy is
dropped when you release the mouse button.
Note: This copy does not over-write data already on the Cut/Copy
clipboard.
In a dialogue box
Single clicking selects options and presses buttons.
Note: On slider controls, clicks on the track cause the
slider to step towards the cursor.
Double clicking is not effective on all dialogues.
You can double click in a text box to select all the text. If
you then type new text, the selected text is replaced by
the new text.
You can also double click on items in lists it selects the
item and accepts the dialogue box. For example, double
clicking a file name in the Open Model dialogue box,
accepts the dialogue box and opens the model.
Dragging is used on slider controls to move the slider
button.
Shift-clicking (holding down the Shift key while
clicking) is used to select multiple items in a list. All
items between the last item selected and the current item
clicked become selected.
After a Cut/Copy...
Ctrl-Alt-clicking (holding down the Control and Alt
keys while clicking) inputs an anchor point for Paste
Special. See "Edit - Paste Special" in the Menus and
toolbars Manual for further details.
Middle mouse button
This button with keyboard modifier keys, controls the view of your
model. It is not used within the dialogue boxes and does not alter a
models design.
Note that if you have a two button mouse, operations using the middle
mouse button are available using the other two buttons. See "Right-hand
mouse button" and "Left and right mouse buttons" for further details.
To rotate the view, hold down the middle button and
move the mouse. The model turns as if the cursor is
pushing and pulling on the outer surface of a ball and a
ball graphic appears over the centre of rotation to show
what is happening.
To Pan a particular point to the centre of the view, hold
down the Shift key and click the point in the model you
want to appear in the middle of the view.
down the Control key and click the point in the model
you want to appear in the middle of the view.
To Pan the view, hold down the Shift key and drag the
middle button. The view follows the mouse movements.
To Zoom the view, hold down the Control key and
drag the middle button. Moving up the screen magnifies
the view. Moving down the screen reduces the view
To Zoom to a box, hold down the Shift and Control
keys and drag the middle button. A rubber-band box
appears. When you release the mouse button, the view
zooms to the box size.
Shift -Alt-Dragging (holding down both the Shift and
Alt keys while dragging) rotates the view around the Y
axis.
Right-hand mouse button
Over an object...
Right mouse clicks in the active model window raise a
pop-up menu, containing a number of options including
Cut, Copy, Paste and Delete. Clicks over different
object types or blank space cause the pop-up menu to
show options relevant to the object type.
Refer to "Pop-up menus".
In a text box...
In a numeric text box, this opens the calculator. The
calculation results appear automatically in the text box
when you press the enter key or move the mouse outside
the numeric text box.
In a text box, this displays a pop up menu with options
undo, cut, copy, paste, delete and select all. You can use
these options on the data in the box.
In a numeric text box, this displays a pop up menu with
options undo, cut, copy, paste, delete and select all. You
can use these options on the data in the box.
Over an active graphics window...
down the Shift key and click the point in the model you
want to appear in the middle of the view.
down the Control key and click the point in the model
you want to appear in the middle of the view.
To Pan the view, hold down the Shift key and drag the
right button. The view follows the mouse movements.
To Zoom the view, hold down the Control key and
drag the right button. Moving up the screen magnifies the
view. Moving down the screen reduces the view
To Zoom to a box, hold down the Alt key and drag the
right button. A rubber-band box appears. When you
release the mouse button, the view zooms to the box size.
Ctrl-Shift-Dragging (holding down both the Control
and Shift keys while dragging the right mouse) rotates
the view. The model turns as if the cursor is pushing and
pulling on the outer surface of a ball and a ball graphic
appears over the centre of rotation to show what is
happening.
keys while dragging) rotates the view around the Z axis.
Left and right mouse buttons
keys while dragging) rotates the view around the Y axis.
To rotate the view, hold down both the left and right
buttons and move the mouse. The model turns as if the
cursor is pushing and pulling on the outer surface of a
ball and a ball graphic appears over the centre of rotation
to show what is happening.
How do I use the keyboard?
The keyboard is usually used to enter information into a dialogue box.
This might be when you want to create or edit an object to a specific size
and position.
Certain modifier keys are also used with the mouse to change the way
the mouse behaves. These are covered in How do I use the mouse?.
There are also a number of keyboard shortcuts that allow you to do a
variety of operations such as open and close models. For a full list of the
shortcuts available in PowerSHAPE, see "Shortcuts" in the Menus and
toolbars Manual.
What is a graphics window?
PowerSHAPE runs within its own program window, which contains the
Menu bar, Toolbar, Status bar and a large graphics area. The graphics
area can contain a single graphics window (filling the area) or several
independent graphics windows which overlay each other and the graphics
area. These can be placed anywhere on the screen, not necessarily within
the PowerSHAPE graphics area.
Each graphics window displays views of a single PowerSHAPE model.
You can open as many windows for each model as you like, but closing a
models last window also closes the model.
How do I use a graphics window?
Creating windows, deleting windows and swapping between windows is
achieved via the Window menu. Changing the view shown within a
window is done via the View menu and/or with the mouse middle button.
You can set the graphics area to show a single working window (filling
the whole area) or you can have many overlapping windows. Only one
window is active at any time, being indicated by its highlighted title. To
make a different window active, click in it or select it from the Window
menu.
Single window mode
Clicking the Windows fix/float button causes the active graphics
window to fill the graphics area of the PowerSHAPE program window.
To display a different window, select it from the list on the Window
menu.
Multi-window mode
When the graphics window is filling the graphics area, clicking
Windows fix/float causes each window to be displayed in their own
moveable/resizable frames. Each has a banner across the top which show
the window name. Clicking on the banner (or the border) pops the
window to the top above the other windows. Dragging the banner moves
the window around the screen.
The top left corner of each window contains a button which, when
clicked, closes the window. Windows also have resize handles at the
corners and borders. When dragged, these change the window size. For
more information, refer to your operating system documentation.
What is the Intelligent Cursor?
The Intelligent Cursor provides dynamic assistance when you are
selecting existing objects or positioning new objects. It draws
construction lines and the cursor icon will change to assist you when
selecting and editing objects.
How do I use the Intelligent Cursor?
Turning on or off the Intelligent cursor
1. From the Tools menu, select Options to display the Options
dialogue box.
2. Click the Mouse option.
1. In the Intelligent Cursor section, turn on Active (on by default)
to switch the intelligent cursor ON. Turn off Active to switch OFF
the intelligent cursor.
The intelligent cursor provides the various cursor types,
construction lines, construction labels and construction distances in
the graphics window.
Keypoints on a curve are displayed as small circles when the
intelligent cursor is moved over them. This is to help you find them
more easily and quickly. The keypoint markers display in creation
and edit modes.
For further details on the other options on this page of the dialogue
box, see "Mouse options" in the "Tools - Options" section in the
Menus and toolbars Manual.
2. When you have set the option, click Accept and PowerSHAPE
will use the new Intelligent Cursor settings.
You can also turn on or off the intelligent cursor by right clicking in an
empty space in the graphics window to display the View pop up menu.
From the menu, select Intelligent Cursor.
Object highlighting
This is active when selecting objects. Objects that can be selected are
highlighted when the cursor travels over them.
Refer to "Selection using the Intelligent Cursor" under "How do I select
objects?".
Construction lines
Construction lines are automatically drawn on all models, appearing on
the Construction Level. This level is switched off by default, but the lines
are selectively displayed by the Intelligent Cursor. It shows only the lines
relevant to a particular key point, hiding them again when moved away
from the point.
When adding or editing objects, you can wake up lines by hovering the
cursor over a key point. The lines appear (helping you to correctly align
your object) and disappear when you move away.
Note: You can turn off these construction lines temporarily by holding
down the Shift key.
If you really want to see all the lines as you work, set the Format -
Levels option to show the Construction level (refer to Levels in the
Format Menu chapter in the Menus and toolbars Manual). However,
the construction level is not intended to be visible and the screen will
soon become very cluttered. We strongly recommend that you normally
work with this level switched off.
Construction labels
Construction labels are generated by the Intelligent Cursor to show when
objects key points are within snap range of key positions in the model.
They appear and disappear as the cursor passes over, but are not drawn on
the construction level.
The labels mean that you do not have to be totally precise with the cursor.
Clicking when a label is shown causes the cursor to snap to the labelled
position.
Here is the list of labels:
End indicates the key point at the end of a line or an arc.
Mid-point indicates the mid point of a line or an arc between the
start and end key points.
On indicates the cursor is on a line, but is not within snap range of
an end or mid point.
In indicates a position on the inside of a surface patch or a solid
face (not one of the key points or positions along a curve).
Centre indicates the centre of an arc or circle.
Intersection shows where two objects cross.
Tangent shows when a tangent to an arc can be made. It works
whether you are placing a line to an arc, an arc to a line or an arc to
an arc.
Key-point shows the key points on curves and surfaces. That is,
where they can be manipulated. It can also show the origin of a
workplane.
End sign shows when clicking will complete a curve or
continuous series of lines.
You can set the fonts of the labels using the Proportional Font option
on the Properties page of the Options dialogue box (which is
displayed using the Tools - Options command).
PowerSHAPE Basic concepts Models 29
Models
What is a model?
A PowerSHAPE model is a representation of a real life (usually
engineering) component, built on the computer. You build models from a
set of geometric objects (lines, arcs, curves and surfaces) which together
represent the components.
A PowerSHAPE model can be viewed from any angle and can be colour
shaded to look very similar to the real component. It can also model other
properties such as weight and volume.
How do I create a model?
From the File menu, select New.
This is the same as clicking the New model button on the Main
toolbar.
This creates a new model and opens a new graphics window for it.
The new window automatically becomes the active window. The window
title shows the model name (in this case New_Model) and a sequential
number.
The first time you save this model, the Save Model As dialogue box
will appear prompting you to enter a name for your model. Refer to
How do I save a model with a new name? for further details.
30 Models PowerSHAPE Basic concepts
How do I save a model?
When you want to keep your work:
From the File menu, select Save.
This is the same as clicking the Save button on the Main toolbar.
If a model was originally opened with write access, it is automatically
saved, overwriting the stored version.
For a new or read-only model, the Save Model As dialogue box is
displayed allowing you to enter a new model name.
Read-only models cannot be saved using the same name.
Checking for corruption
To spot any corruption as soon as possible after it has occurred, the File
Doctor is run whenever you save a model. For further details on the File
Doctor, see "Tools - File Doctor" in the Menus and toolbars Manual for
further details.
If the File Doctor finds any problems, you are asked to save the model
under a new name or run the File Doctor in fix mode to correct the
problem.
To stop running the File Doctor on every save, turn off the Check
Model Before Save option on the Model page of the Options
dialogue box (this dialogue box is displayed using the Tools - Options
command).
A set of options is available from the Model page of the Options
dialogue box. You can select which ones to use when using the File
Doctor. For further details, see "Model options" in the "Tools - Options"
section in the Menus and toolbars Manual for further details.
How do I save a model with a new
name?
When you want to keep your work but dont want to overwrite an
existing model, you can save the model using a new name.
1. From the File menu, select Save As to display the Save Model
As dialogue box.
2. Use the dialogue box to save your model using a new name.
See "Save Model As dialogue box" for further details.
Note: If your models are single files and stored outside the database, you
can always display the Save As dialogue box instead of the Save
Model As dialogue box.
To do this, turn on the Always save and open from outside the
database option on the Model page of the Options dialogue box.
Save Model As dialogue box
This dialogue box is used to save a model using a new name.
Each item on the dialogue box is discussed below.
Model Name - Type a suitable name for your model. If there is already
a model with the name that you enter, a warning message is displayed, to
avoid you accidentally overwriting an existing model. You can choose to
continue saving your new model to an existing filename, in which case
the existing model will be overwritten.
If you import files into a new model, the name of the last one imported
minus its extension is automatically displayed as the Model Name when
you save the model. For example, if the name of the last file imported is
handle.igs, the Model Name is handle.
Named - This determines how you name the model. It is only available
if you have a naming_convention.mac file in your shareddb folder.
The naming_convention.mac file allows you to save vault and temporary
models. See "Defining your naming scheme" in the Managing your
PowerSHAPE system Manual for further details.
Explicit - With this option, you must type in the name of the model in
the Model Name text box.
By fields - If you select this option, the Location and Saving by
Fields sections appear on the dialogue box. These make it easier to name
the model as a temporary or vault model.
If you use the Explicit option and the name matches the pattern of a
temporary or vault model, it is saved as one of those models.
Location - Use this option to select whether the model is saved as a
temporary or vault model.
Saving by Fields - These fields are used to name temporary and vault
models. When you change the Location option, different fields are
greyed and ungreyed, depending on how you define them in the
naming_conventions.mac file.
You can change these fields for temporary and vault models by changing
your naming_conventions.mac file.
Note: If you save the model as a vault and a model using that name
already exists, the revision number field automatically displays the next
available number.
Description - Type a suitable descriptive message. This is to help you
find specific models that might have similar names.
You can leave this box blank if you do not need a description.
Password - If you want to protect the model, enter a password.
However, dont forget it, because you may not be able to open the model
when you need to.
Store outside Database - This allows you to store models anywhere
on the local disk or network. Click the button to display the Save As
dialogue box. Use the Save As dialogue box to select where to save the
model and then click Save to store the model.
If models are stored in the database, PowerSHAPE saves and organises
models on the local disk or network. When you want to open the model,
you only need to remember the model name and PowerSHAPE will find
the appropriate files.
Save - This saves the model and removes the dialogue box from the
screen. The model is saved in the default format. See "Changing the
default format for saving models" for further details.
Temporary models are saved in the same folder as any other model.
Vault models are saved in the same folder if their database field is the
same. In our dialogue box, the ProjectNumber is the database field.
Models with the same ProjectNumber are stored in the same folder.
The database field is specified in the naming_convention.mac file.
If you saved a vault model with a new name in the database field, the
following dialogue box appears, prompting you to provide a path.
Use this dialogue box to define the folder for storing the vault model.
Select the folder and then click OK.
Cancel - This removes the dialogue box from the screen without saving
the model.
Note: On a new or read-only model, File - Save raises the Save
Model As dialogue box.
Changing the default format for saving
models
When you install PowerSHAPE, you can select the default format for
storing models as follows:
a single file (psmodel).
a set of files in a folder.
In the current session of PowerSHAPE, you can change the default
format for storing models.
dialogue box.
2. Select the Model option.
3. In the Model Save As Format section, select the default method
for storing models.
Directory - Stores your model using the directory structure.
Single - Stores your model as a single file.
4. Click Accept.
Note: With the File Save command, a model is always saved using the
same structure regardless of the Model Save As Format option.
How do I save a model with a
thumbnail?
By default, a new thumbnail of your model is automatically created
whenever you save your model.
You can choose to save the thumbnail when you want by changing the
settings as follows:
1. Open the model.
dialogue box.
3. Click the Model option to display the Model page of the Options
dialogue box.
4. Change the Save Mode setting to Manual.
5. Click on Accept.
To save the thumbnail,
1. Change the view of the model to the one you want to appear in
your thumbnail.
2. From the File menu, select Save Thumbnail.
3. From the File menu, select Save or Save As to save the model
and the thumbnail. The Save mode setting is also saved so
whenever you open the model you can manually update the
thumbnail.
How do I close a model?
Close a model as follows:
1. If you have more than one model open, make active the model you
want to close by clicking in its graphics window or selecting the
model from the Window menu.
2. From the File menu, select Close and the active graphics window
closes.
If the model contains unsaved edits, you will be prompted that you
are about to lose those edits.
Clicking Yes on the dialogue box closes the file and unsaved edits
are lost.
Clicking No on the dialogue box stops the close routine. You can
then save the model and repeat the close routine when ready. See
"How do I save a model?" for details on how to save a model.
Other ways to close a model
Close the last open graphics window of the model (by selecting
Close from the Window menu).
Exit PowerSHAPE.
Using the File - Close and Zip command.
How do I open a model?
Each model you open is displayed in a separate graphics window on the
screen. You can also show each model in a number of windows and can
have up to 20 models open at the same time.
You can open a model and select its read/write status.
1. From the File menu, select Open to display the Open Model
dialogue box.
This is the same as clicking the Open model button on the
Main toolbar.
2. Use the dialogue box to open a model.
See "Open Model dialogue box" for further details.
Note: If your models are single files and stored outside the database, you
can always display the standard Windows Open Model dialogue box
instead of PowerSHAPE's Open Model dialogue box.
To do this, turn on the Always save and open from outside the
database option on the Model page of the Options dialogue box.
Open Model dialogue box
This dialogue box is used to open models.
Models - Select a model name from the list.
If you select any item, you can use the keyboard arrow keys to move
to the next model.
Note: Models of the form NEW_MODEL_<number> are created when
File - New is selected. These only appear in the Models list if you have
system administrator security.
Filter - When the list of model names becomes very long, it can be
difficult to find the model you want. Entering a filter reduces the list to
only those models which match the filter pattern, for example, entering a
filter of *.rg will list only those models which have the extension .rg.
We suggest that you use a designers initials for model name extensions.
For example, mymodel.vnl.
The filter is not case sensitive. Entering a filter of *.rg will list models
that have the extension .RG as well as those with the extension .rg.
Further detail is contained in "Filter options" under the "Tools - Options"
menu in the Menus and toolbars Manual.
Clear - This clears the text in the Filter box.
Password - If the model is protected by a password, enter it in the text
box.
Read Only - If you want to open the model, but prevent it from being
overwritten, click the Read Only box until it shows a tick.
If you decide to save any changes, you will need to save the model under
a new name using File - Save As. See "How do I save a model with a
new name?" for further details.
Check & Fix - When ON, File Doctor examines the selected model and
corrects any errors before opening the model. Refer to "Tools - File
Doctor" in "Tools menu" in the Menus and toolbars Manual.
Preview Picture and Properties - If a thumbnail of the model has
been saved, it is displayed in the top window. Information about the
model appears in the bottom window, including file dates, size and
description.
Browse - This opens models stored as single files and not in the
database. Click the Browse button to display the standard Windows
Open Model dialogue box. Use this dialogue box to select and open a
model.
Models stored in the directory format and not in the database must be
imported.
Search - This allows you to create a filter based on the fields used for
temporary and vault models. It is only available if you have a
naming_convention.mac file in your shareddb folder.
The naming_convention.mac file allows you to save vault and temporary
models. See "Defining your naming scheme" in the Managing your
PowerSHAPE system Manual for further details.
Click the Search button to display the Search for files dialogue box.
See "Search for files dialogue box" for further details.
Recover - This button only appears if you select a model that was not
closed properly, for example, if there was a power failure while working
on the model. Recover opens the model and restores it back to its state
before the failure.
Open - The selected model is opened. If the model you are opening is
shaded, you can open the model in wireframe mode by pressing the
button next to the progress bar on the status bar.
Cancel - Removes the dialogue box from the screen without opening a
model.
Search for files dialogue box
Creates a filter in the Open Model dialogue box to search for temporary
and vault models.
Each option on the dialogue box is discussed below.
Get the Latest from the Vault - This finds the vault models with the
highest revision numbers, which match the Filter in the Open Model
dialogue box.
Note that you can open any one of the copies of a vault model.
All the fields - These fields are those used to name temporary and vault
models. In one or more of the fields, type in the text of the model you are
searching for.
As you type in strings in the fields, the Open Model dialogue box
changes:
A filter appears in the Filter text box.
Only models, which match that filter, are displayed in the Models
list.
Dismiss - Removes the dialogue box.
Starting up PowerSHAPE and opening a
model
When you start up PowerSHAPE at the command prompt, you can open
an existing model at the same time by typing:
powershape model_name
See also "Other ways of opening psmodels in PowerSHAPE".
Note: For the above commands to work, you must have FILE OPEN
IFNONE in your login macro. For further details on the login macro, see
"What is the login macro?" in the "PowerSHAPE users" section of the
Managing your PowerSHAPE system Manual.
Other ways of opening psmodels in
PowerSHAPE
As well as using the File Open command to open models in the single
file format (psmodel), you can also:
Double-click a psmodel file. If PowerSHAPE is not running, it will
start up and then open the model.
Right click the .psmodel file in Windows Explorer and select
Open. You can open a selection of models in this way.
Drag and drop one or more .psmodel files into the PowerSHAPE
window.
Double-click a PowerSHAPE.EXE shortcut.
Double-click a .psmodel shortcut.
In a web browser, click on a URL to a psmodel, for example,
file://pshape/models/bottle_example.psmodel. You can either open
the model immediately or download it and open it later.
Recently opened models
Up to four recently opened models are listed at the bottom of the File
menu. The read or write status when they were opened is also shown.
To open a recently opened model, select the File menu and click the
model name you want. It will open with the same read or write status as
last time.
If the model is not listed or you want a different read/write status, use the
File - Open option. Refer to How do I open a model? for further
details.
How do I close and open zipped
models?
Files in windows can be compressed to make them take less disk space.
This is known as zipping a file.
By zipping a model, you can save about 60% of disk space, but it takes
longer to open as it needs time to unzip.
1. Save the model if you haven't already done so.
2. From the File menu, select Close and Zip.
The model file is stored in a zip file and the original file of the
model is deleted.
To open a zipped model:
1. From the File menu, select Open to display the Open Model
dialogue box.
2. Select the model using the dialogue box.
If the model is stored outside the model database, click the
Browse button to display the Open dialogue box. Use this
dialogue box to select and open the zipped model. You may need
to select Zip from the Files of type menu.
3. Click Open.
A copy of the model is extracted from the zip file and stored in the
same folder as the zip file. While the model is open, PowerSHAPE
saves changes to the copy.
Note that zipped directory models are opened using File Import.
When you finish working on the model, you can close it using:
File - Close - This saves the copy you are working on and deletes
the zip file.
File - Close and Zip - This adds the copy to the zip file and then
deletes the copy.
How do I reset a model?
You can delete all the changes you have made to a model since you last
saved it.
Caution:
Reset permanently removes all unsaved edits from the active model. It
raises a warning, but once accepted, it cant be undone.
From the File menu, select Reset. PowerSHAPE raises a warning
dialogue.
If you want to lose the edits, click YES and the model is reset.
If you do not want to lose them, click NO and the reset command is
ignored.
How do I create a template model?
You can create a model from which all new models are created. This
model is called:
NEW_MODEL_MASTER_10
This model is known as the template model.
Each time you create a new model using the File - New command, if the
template model exists, a copy of the template model is created, ready for
you to use.
In your template model, you can store all your company defaults for
model dependent options on the Options dialogue box such as tolerance.
It can contain your standard level settings and names, and/or line styles.
Even standard geometry (such as symbols) can be included in this model.
Note: You must have system administrator security to create and edit the
template model.
To create a template model:
1. Make sure no one else is using PowerSHAPE.
You must have system administrator security.
2. Create a model containing all the required settings.
3. Save the model with the name NEW_MODEL_MASTER_10.
4. Delete all existing models with names of the form
NEW_MODEL_<number>_10, for example
NEW_MODEL_1_10.
You can edit the template model as you would any other model.
How do I change the description or
password of a model?
You can change the description and password of a model as follows:
1. Open the model with read-write permissions.
2. In a graphics window of the model, click in an empty space to
make sure nothing is selected.
3. From the Edit menu, select Modify to display the Edit Model
dialogue box.
4. Use this dialogue box to edit the description and password of the
model.
See "Edit Model dialogue box" for further details.
Edit Model dialogue box
This dialogue box is used to edit the description and password of a
model.
Description - This gives the current description of the model. You can
change the description.
Current Password - You must enter the current password here if one
exists. If you don't, you cannot make any changes using this dialogue
box. The password is not displayed as you type in the characters.
New Password - Type in a new password here. The new password will
not be displayed as you type in the characters. To remove a password
from a model, put a space character in this textbox.
Accept - Checks if the Current Password matches the model. If it
does, then changes as defined on the dialogue box are made and the
dialogue box is removed from the screen.
Cancel - No changes are made to the model and the dialogue box is
removed from the screen.
How do I delete a model?
You can delete unwanted models, which are stored in the database.
Models stored outside the database can be deleted like any other file
using Windows Explorer.
1. From the File menu, select Delete to display the Delete Model
dialogue box.
2. Use the dialogue box to delete the model.
WARNING:
Deleted models are permanently removed and cannot be recovered.
Delete Model dialogue box
This dialogue box is used to delete models.
Models - Click on a listed model name (to select it) and the item is
highlighted.
If you select any item, you can use the keyboard arrow keys to move
the highlight and scroll the list.
Note: Models of the form NEW_MODEL_<number> are created when
File - New is selected. These only appear in the Models list if you have
system administrator security.
Filter - When the list of model names becomes very long, it can be
difficult to find the model you want. Entering a filter reduces the list to
only those models which match the filter pattern, for example, entering a
filter of *.rg will list only those models which have the extension .rg.
The filter is not case sensitive. Entering a filter of *.rg will list models
that have the extension .RG as well as those with the extension .rg.
Further detail is contained in "Filters options" under the "Tools -
Options" menu in the Menus and toolbars Manual.
We suggest that you use a designers initials for model name extensions.
For example, mymodel.lal.
Password - If the model is protected by a password, enter it in the text
box.
Delete - When you click this button, the following warning dialogue box
appears:
Click Yes to remove the model from the database and return to the
Delete Model dialogue box. If the Use Recycle Bin option is selected
on the Model page of the Options dialogue box, the model is sent to the
Recycle Bin (providing the bin is not full). Otherwise, the model is
permanently removed from the system.
Click No to do nothing and return to the dialogue box.
Close - When you have finished deleting models, click Close to remove
the Delete Model dialogue box from the screen.
How do I keep track of changes made
to a model?
If PS-Team is installed on a server and visible from your PC, you can set
up a topic to keep track of the changes made to your models.
On the PS-Team page of the Options dialogue box, you can specify the
names of the topics to use for models named explicitly or by fields. We
refer to vault and temporary models as models named 'by fields' and all
other models as 'explicitly'. You can also specify the server and the URL
for PS-Team.
PS-Team is an Internet-based software tool, provided by Delcam, to
support communication between teams of people.
To start PS-Team, select PS-Team from the Application menu to
display PS-Team in the browser window. If the server and URL for PS-
Team are not set up on the PS-Team page of the Options dialogue box,
a dialogue box appears asking for them.
If the browser window is displayed, you can click:
the PS-Team tab to display the PS-Team page
the History tab to display the task associated with the
current model.
When a model is saved with a new name, a new task is automatically
created in PS-Team.
In the task for the model, you can manually add information to the task
associated with a model to record any changes.
When you import and export data, the task is automatically updated
giving details of the import and export files.
If you delete a model, the status of the task is changed to complete.
For further details on how to use PS-Team, click Help in the PS-Team
window.
How do I find out what a model
contains?
You can find out how many objects are stored, details of current levels
and levels of objects in the selected model.
From the File menu, click Properties to display the File Properties
dialogue box.
File Properties dialogue box
This dialogue box contains information about levels and objects for the
current model in PowerSHAPE.
This dialogue box tells you the following:
Which levels are turned on and off.
The current creation levels for objects.
The number of objects of a particular type in the model.
The levels on which particular types of objects lie.
Totals for objects if they lie on more than one level,
Details about when the model was created, last modified and last
accessed.
Path of the model.
Close - This removes the dialogue box from the screen.
Note:
To print the information that is displayed, right click in the dialogue box
and select Print.
To save the information that is displayed, right click in the dialogue box
and select Save To File.
When you right click in the dialogue box, a pop up menu appears with
various options to copy, print and save the information given.
How do I find out information about a
model?
You can find certain information about a model, without opening it in
PowerSHAPE.
1. In Windows Explorer, select a psmodel.
2. From the File menu, select Properties to display the File -
Properties dialogue box for the model.
On this dialogue box, the following are stored whenever a model is saved
as a psmodel:
Date of creation
Company
Application name
The name of the model and its description
The names of the drawings (contained in the model) and their
descriptions
When saving a psmodel for the first time (with a save as), the following
are stored on the Windows Explorer's Properties dialogue box:
Current user as the Author (on the Summary page)
Version of PowerSHAPE in the Comments section (on the
Summary page)
Revision is set to 0 (on the Statistics page)
When opening a psmodel, the following will be read from the Windows
Explorer's File - Properties dialogue box and stored by PowerSHAPE:
title
subject
author
keywords
comments
last saved by
revision number
manager
company information
This information can be used when creating text. See "How do I insert
strings from the File Properties?" in the Drafting Manual for further
information.
How do I compare two models?
You may have two models of the same component and want to see what
the differences are between the two models.
1. Open the two models you wish to compare.
Suppose we have the following two models.
2. Click in the graphics window of the model in which you want to
display the differences. This makes the graphics window active.
In our example, we made Model_1 the active model.
3. From the Tools menu, select Model Compare to display the
Model Compare dialogue box.
4. Use the dialogue box.
See "Model Compare dialogue box" for further details.
Model Compare dialogue box
This dialogue box is used to compare models.
Primary selection - This is used to choose the model in which the
differences are shown. On the right of this, the name of the model is
displayed. When you first display this dialogue box, the Primary
selection is the model of the active graphics window. You can change the
Primary selection if you want. Do this by pressing down the button on
the left of Primary, if it not already pressed down, and then clicking in
another graphics window. The name of the model of the new selection is
displayed. We will call this model the primary model.
Secondary selection - This is used to choose the second model in the
comparison. On the right of this, you can see a cross. This indicates that
no model is selected yet. To select the second model, press the button to
the left of the Secondary button and click in the graphics window of the
model you want to compare. We will call this model the secondary
model.
Surface Trimming Comparison - You can choose how to compare
surfaces with trim boundaries and p-curves. There are three options:
Exact - This option finds surfaces with exactly the same pcurves
and trim boundaries.
Boundaries - This option finds surfaces with exactly the same
trim boundaries. Any p-curve not part of a trim boundary is
ignored in the comparison.
None - This option treats two surfaces as the same if the
untrimmed surfaces are the same - even if they have different
trimmed regions.
Accept - Compares the two models. All objects, which are in the
primary model and not in the secondary model, are highlighted as
selected in the primary model.
Note that objects that are in the secondary model but not in the primary
model are not shown. To show these objects, simply carry out the above
steps with the secondary model as the primary model and the primary
model as the secondary.
Warning: Models are compared on the basis of positional information
(XYZ coordinates) only. Differences, for example, in tangent direction,
colour and level, are not picked up. This is done for reasons of speed.
This command can be a useful tool to aid comparison of models, but you
must use it with care and check manually for small differences that the
command may not pick up.
How do I find duplicate objects in a
model?
Sometimes, you may have a copy of an object on top of itself. This
command allows you to check if you have any duplicate objects by
highlighting them in the model.
1. Click in the graphics window of the model in which you wish to
check for duplicate objects. This makes the graphics window
active.
2. Select objects if you want to check for duplicates in the current
selection.
3. From the Tools menu, select Find Duplicates to display the
Find Duplicates dialogue box.
4. Use the dialogue box.
See "Find Duplicates dialogue box" for further details.
Find Duplicates dialogue box
This dialogue box is used to find duplicate objects within a model.
Selection - This displays the name of the model to find duplicates
objects in. By default, it is the active model. You can choose another
open model by either clicking in its graphics window or selecting it from
the Window menu to make it active.
Find duplicates in the current selection - If on, duplicates are
found only in the objects which are currently selected. Otherwise, the
whole model is checked.
Select first instances - If on, any instance of the object before the last
is considered to be a duplicate. If off, any instance of the object after the
first is considered to be a duplicated.
Find Duplicates Method - Duplicate surfaces are selected depending
on the two options below.
All - This selects duplicate surfaces depending on the Surface
Trimming Comparison option.
Untrimmed - If all duplicate surfaces are untrimmed, this option
selects all the duplicates. If some of the duplicate surfaces are
trimmed, it selects all of those duplicates which are untrimmed.
In some imported models, each surface is supplied untrimmed and
trimmed. This command allows you to select all the untrimmed
surfaces.
Surface Trimming Comparison - You can choose how to compare
surfaces with trim boundaries and p-curves. There are three options:
Exact - This option finds surfaces with exactly the same pcurves
and trim boundaries.
Boundaries - This option finds surfaces with exactly the same
trim boundaries. Any p-curve not part of a trim boundary is ignored
in the comparison.
None - This option treats two surfaces as the same if the
untrimmed surfaces are the same - even if they have different
trimmed regions.
Accept - The dialogue box is removed from the screen. All duplicated
objects are highlighted as selected. Note that for each set of duplicate
objects, one is not selected. This allows you to operate on all duplicates
within a model. For example, you can now delete them all by pressing the
Delete button .
Warning: Duplicates are detected on the basis of positional information
(XYZ coordinates) only. Objects may be selected as duplicates even if
they differ in level, colour, tangent direction, or other non-positional
ways.
How do I import data into a model?
When you import a PowerSHAPE model, it is automatically opened as a
new model. However if you import any other file, it is opened in the
current model window.
You can use one of the following commands to import data:
File - Import command.
Import Wizard - This is similar to the File - Import command
except it gives options to set up the data once it is imported.
You can also import files by dragging and dropping them into the
PowerSHAPE window.
Using the File - Import command
1. From the File menu, select Import to display the Import dialogue
box.
This is the same as clicking the Import button on the Main
toolbar.
2. Use the dialogue box to choose a file.
See "Import dialogue box" for further details.
3. Click Open.
Import dialogue box
This dialogue box is used to select files.
Look in - Select the correct directory.
Up one level button - Click this button to go up one level in the
folder structure.
Create new folder button - Click this button to create a new folder.
View menu button - Click this button to display a menu containing
options on how to display the files in the dialogue box.
File name - Select or type the name of the file.
Files of type - This displays the filter pattern which filter the file names
of the current directory. By default, the pattern is *.* which displays all
files. This selector lists the default filters for the file types that can be
imported. You can select a filter from the pull down list. Once a filter is
selected, files satisfying that filter are displayed.
Note that Files of type is only used to help find files more easily. It
does not determine the type of file to be imported. When a file is
imported, PowerSHAPE looks at the contents of the file to determine its
type and not its name. For example, if Files of type is set to *.pic, you
can still import an IGES file by typing in the name in the File name text
box. If an IGES file is called file.pic, this filter will help find it, but the
file will still be imported as an IGES file.
The types of files that can be imported are given below.
PowerSHAPE Model
(*.psmodel)
This is the PowerSHAPE model using the
single file format. If you have a model on
removable media (tape or disk) which does
not appear in your model database, it can
be imported into your model database.
Each model is held in a directory that
contains the model files.
Model (doc.det) This is the PowerSHAPE and DUCT5
model using the directory format (a set of
files in a folder). If you have a model on
removable media (tape or disk) which does
not appear in your model database, it must
be imported. Each model is held in a
directory that contains the model files.
DUCTdraft drawing
(drawing.det)
This is the DUCTdraft drawing format.
The contents of the drawing are imported
into a new model with the same name as
the drawing.
Delcam Geometry
(*.dgk)
This is a special format that defines
PowerSHAPE and PowerMILL data in a
single file.
Delcam Machining
Triangles (*.dmt)
This file is imported as a symbol. The
symbol definition is also stored in the
model and has the same name as the file.
See "Symbols" in the Drafting Manual for
further details.
IGES (*.ig*) This defines the model according to the
IGES (International Graphics Exchange
Standard) specification. Most high level
CAD systems can provide models in this
model format.
You can set how data is imported from
IGES files using the Options dialogue
box. See "IGES options" in "Tools -
Options" in the Menus and toolbars
Manual for further details.
Blanked IGES surfaces are imported as
blanked.
PS-Exchange may not import drafting
objects from an IGES file. If you try to do
so, a message is displayed explaining the
drawbacks of using PS-Exchange. The
message asks you if you want to continue
to use PS-Exchange. If you say no, the
PowerSHAPE translator is automatically
used instead.
DWG Files (*.dwg) This format defines the model as DWG
data (usually exported from AutoCAD).
DXF Files (*.dxf) This format defines the model as DXF data
(usually exported from AutoCAD).
Rhino (*.3dm) This format defines the model as a Rhino
file.
Catia Files (*fic*),
(*mod*), (*.cat),
(*.exp)
Catia5 (*.CATpart)
These define the model as a Catia file.
The Catia export files *.cat and *.exp are
made up of a number of Catia fic files. By
default, each fic file is imported into a
separate new model. You can import the
fic files into the same model by turning off
the Open a new file for each fic option
on the Import/Export page of the
Options dialogue box.
CADDS (_pd*),
(*.C4X)
This format defines the model as a
CADDS file. CADDS files of version 4
and 5 can be imported into PowerSHAPE.
Cimatron (*.pfm) This format defines the model as a
Cimatron file.
Ideas (*.mf1) This format defines the model as an Ideas
file.
PDF Files (*.pdf) PDF files are imported using pdf2vector.
Note: pdf2vector is a third party
product supplied by Square One. If this
software is not installed on your system, a
message is displayed referring you to the
Square One website www.square1.nl
Picture (*.pic) This format defines the model as a
wireframe using arcs, lines and curves.
PowerSHAPE can read DUCT5 pictures.
ProE Files (*.prt*) This format defines the model as a Pro-
Engineer file.
Unigraphics (*.prt) This format defines the model as a
Unigraphics file.
Solidedge (*.par) This format defines the model as a
SolidEdge file.
ACIS (*.sat) This format defines the model as an ACIS
file.
Solidworks (*.sldprt) This format defines the model as a
SolidWorks file.
Step files (*.step),
(*.stp)
This format defines the model as a Step
file.
Stereo lithographic
file STL format (*.stl)
This format imports the triangulated
representation in STL (Stereo Lithography)
format. STL files normally represent
closed solids as they are primarily used for
rapid prototyping and many rapid
prototyping machines require a fully closed
triangular mesh.
Duct triangles (*.tri) This file is imported as a symbol. The
symbol definition is also stored in the
model and has the same name as the file.
See "Symbols" in the Drafting Manual for
further details.
VDA-FS (*.vda) This format defines the model as a VDA-
FS file. VDA-FS version 2 files can be
imported directly. All VDA-FS entities are
supported, with the following constraints:
curves of a degree higher than 3 are
approximated by cubic beziers to tolerance.
UG Parasolid
(*.xmt*), (*.x_t),
(*.x_b)
This format defines the model as a UG
Parasolid file.
Zipped files (*.zip) You can import a zip file if it contains one
of the following:
a single file such as IGES or dgk
a single psmodel file
a single directory model
Note that PowerSHAPE uses its own default tolerance values when
importing an IGES file. If you dont want to use the defaults, change
them in the Options dialogue box before importing. The new values
affect only the current model. Remember large tolerances produce poor
quality surfaces and small tolerances make the application run slowly.
You may need to experiment to find the best balance for your models.
Open - This closes the dialogue box and imports the selected file.
When you import certain files, a log file is generated containing details
about what is imported. This log file is added to either the directory
containing the imported file or the temp directory.
If you import files into a new model, the name of the last one imported
minus its extension is automatically displayed as the Model Name in the
Save Model As dialogue box when you save the model. For example, if
the name of the last file imported is handle.igs, the Model Name is
handle in the Save Model As dialogue box. This name also appears in
the banner of the model's window, next to the new model's name. For
example, NEW_MODEL_1(handle).
If you import a model that has the same name as one already in the model
database, its name is appended with [n] where n is an integer. The integer
starts at 1 and increases as other models with the same name are
imported. Once such a model is imported, you need to open it in
PowerSHAPE using the Open Model dialogue box.
Generally, models are automatically opened in PowerSHAPE when they
are imported.
Cancel - This removes the dialogue box from the screen without
importing any files.
Note: You can use either PowerSHAPE's internal translators or PS-
Exchange to import data. See "How do I use PS-Exchange to translate
data?" for further details.
Using the Import Wizard
1. From the File menu, select Import Wizard to display the first
page of the Import Wizard.
2. Choose whether you want to automatically orientate surfaces. This
points the normals of surfaces on each level in the same direction.
3. Click Next to display the next page of the Import Wizard.
4. Choose whether you want to automatically view the model. This
turns on all the used levels and displays the model using zoom full.
5. Click Finish to display the Import dialogue box.
6. Use the dialogue box to choose a file.
7. Click Open.
Starting up PowerSHAPE and importing a
file
When you start up PowerSHAPE, you can open a model and import a file
at the same time by typing:
powershape -file f1 -import f2
where f1 is the name of the model and f2 is the path of the imported file.
You can also used the following commands.
Powershape f1 f2
powershape -import f2 -file f1
To import a file into a new model, type one of the following commands:
powershape -import f2
powershape f2
Note: For above commands to work, you must have FILE OPEN
IFNONE in your login macro. For further details on the login macro, see
"What is the login macro?" in the "PowerSHAPE users" section of the
Managing your PowerSHAPE system Manual for further details.
How do I Import Materials?
In order to import materials you must have a.csv file that has been created
previously. A .csv file is created automatically when you export materials
using the Export Materials option (File menu). If you want to import
user-created materials into PowerSHAPE you must create a .csv file
manually.
1. From the File menu, Select Material Import/Export.
2. Select Import Material.
The Label Select File to Import Material dialogue box is displayed.
Label Select File to Import Material
dialogue box.
Select Material File - Enter the path to a valid .csv file containing the
materials data that will be imported into your PowerSHAPE database. For
example, if the .csv file and corresponding image is stored on your "D"
drive, the path will be D:/file_name.csv. You can either type the path in
or select Browse and use the dialogue box that is displayed.
Note: In order to import materials you must have a.csv file that has been
created previously. A .csv file is created automatically when you export
materials using the Export Materials option (File menu). If you want to
import user-created materials into PowerSHAPE you must create a .csv
file manually.
Import - The materials data contained in the .csv file is imported into
PowerSHAPE.
Note: You must restart PowerSHAPE after importing materials in order
to make the materials available for use.
How do I export data from a model?
You can export models to formats other than PowerSHAPE.
You can use the following command to export data:
File - Export.
Using the File - Export command
1. Select the model or the specific objects you want to export.
2. From the File menu, select Export to display the File Export
dialogue box.
3. Use the dialogue box to select the target system and settings for
exporting files.
See "File Export dialogue box" for further details.
File Export dialogue box
This dialogue box allows you to select the target system and settings for
exporting files.
Target - Select a target system for exporting files from the list. The
settings for the target system selected are set automatically on the Data
Exchange pages of the Options dialogue box.
Export using settings for - Select this option, then select a
target system from the list. Unknown is the default export setting.
AutoCAD
Cadkey
Camax
CamtexPeps
Catia
Cimatron
Cimlink
DeltaMESH_Stamping
Ideas
Mastercam
Parasolid based modellers
Rhino
PowerSolution
Pro-Engineer
SolidEdge
SolidWorks
Unigraphics
Unknown
Unknown solid modeller
Export, re-setting to default settings - select this option to reset all
export settings on the Data Exchange pages of the Options dialogue
box to the default PowerSHAPE settings.
Export - Exports your file using the selected Target System.
See "Export dialogue box" for further details.
Options - Opens the Data Exchange pages of the Options dialogue
box where the settings for the selected Target System are displayed.
Export dialogue box
This dialogue box allows you to export files in various formats.
Each item on the dialogue box is described below.
Save in - Select the correct directory.
Up one level button - Click this button to go up one level in the
folder structure.
Create new folder button - Click this button to create a new folder.
View menu button - Click this button to display a menu containing
options on how to display the files in the dialogue box.
File name - The file is given the default name mymodel plus the
extension. You can change it by selecting or typing the name of the file.
If you enter a filename with no extension, then the extension for the
selected Files of type is automatically added. For example, you select
Files of type '*.pic (Picture Files)' and enter the filename my_picture, a
file my_picture.pic is created.
If you enter a filename with a valid export extension, then the type
specified by the extension overrides the type selected in the Files of
type selector. For example, when you first raise the dialogue box the
Files of type selector displays '*.dgk (Surface Files)'. If you then type in
the filename my_file.iges without changing the Files of type selector to
'*.ig* (IGES)', an IGES file my_file.iges is created.
Save as type - This shows the current file type to export to. Click on
the arrowhead at the end of the Save as type to display the list of
export file types available. The file types you can export to are given
below.
Delcam Geometry
(*.dgk)
This is a special format that defines
PowerSHAPE and PowerMILL data in
a single file.
If objects are selected, only symbols,
points, surfaces, solids, and wireframe
objects in the selection are exported. If
a workplane is active, it is
automatically exported.
If nothing is selected, PowerSHAPE
exports symbols, points, surfaces,
solids, wireframe objects and
workplanes on levels which are ON.
Note that a symbol is exported as its
individual objects.
Symbol triangles are exported as a dmt
file during dgk export. It will have the
same name as the dgk file but with an
extension .dmt.
.dgk + features Features will be in .mac and .xml files.
Note: This works in the same way as
exporting with the Create Hole
Features for all DGK option on the
Maufacturing page of the Options
dialogue box set ON.
Delcam Machining
Triangles (*.dmt)
When you export to this type of file,
only selected triangles are exported.
These triangles can be read into any of
the other Delcam products.
You can set the tolerance for exporting
triangles on the Data Exchange
pages of the Options dialogue box.
DXF Files (*.dxf) This format defines the model as DXF
data (AutoCAD data).
To export DXF files, you can use either
the DXF translator called Part Export
or the internal translator.
See "How do I export DXF files?" for
further details.
DWG Files (*.dwg) This format exports only the drawings
in the model.
IGES (*.ige), (*.igs),
(*.iges)
This defines the model according to the
IGES (International Graphics
Exchange Standard) specification.
Most High level CAD systems can
provide models in this model format.
Only selected objects are exported. If
nothing is selected, you are asked
whether you want to export the entire
model.
Note that if a drawing window is
selected, only this drawing is exported.
Otherwise the model and all its
drawings are exported.
You can set how data is exported to
IGES files using the Options dialogue
box. See "IGES options" in "Tools -
Options" in the Menus and toolbars
Manual for further details.
PS-Exchange may not export drafting
objects to an IGES file. If you try to do
so, a message is displayed explaining
the drawbacks of using PS-Exchange.
The message asks you if you want to
continue to use PS-Exchange. If you
say no, the command is cancelled.
Catia 5 (*.CATPart) This exports Catia5 files using PS-
Exchange for exporting surfaces.
CADDS (*.c4x) This format defines the model as a
CADDS file. CADDS files of version 4
can be exported from PowerSHAPE.
The entire model is exported regardless
of what is selected.
Picture (*.pic) This format defines the model as a
wireframe using arcs, lines and curves.
PowerSHAPE can write DUCT5
pictures.
Only selected wireframe objects and
surfaces are exported.
ACIS (*.sat) This exports selected surfaces and
solids to this format. If nothing is
selected, all the solids and surfaces in
the model are exported.
Note that solids are exploded into
surfaces when you export.
STEP (*.step) This exports selected surfaces and
solids to this format. If nothing is
selected, you are asked whether you
want to export the entire model.
Stereo lithographic file
STL format (*.stl)
This format exports a triangulated
representation of each selected solid or
surface in STL (Stereo Lithography)
format. STL files normally represent
closed solids as they are primarily used
for rapid prototyping and many rapid
prototyping machines require a fully
closed triangular mesh.
PowerSHAPE attempts to produce a
closed mesh from the selected model.
If it fails, you are prompted to use
CopyCAD to close the mesh manually
or save an 'open' STL file which may
not be suitable for rapid prototyping.
You can set options for exporting
triangles on the STL page of the
Options dialogue box. See "STL
options" in "Tools - Options" in the
Menus and toolbars Manual for further
details.
You can also set the tolerance for
exporting triangles on the
Import/Export page of the Options
dialogue box. See "Import/Export
details.
VDA-FS Files (*.vda) This format defines the model as a
VDA-FS file. VDA-FS version 2 files
can be exported directly. All VDA-FS
entities are supported, with the
following constraints: curves of a
degree higher than 3 are approximated
by cubic beziers to tolerance.
Only selected surface, solid and
wireframe objects are exported.
Virtual Reality Markup
Language (*.wrl)
This exports the selected surfaces and
solids to this format. Any VRML
reader can then view these.
By default, the material, lighting and
view data are exported with the model.
To export just the view data with the
model, change the Output Mode
option to model on the Options
dialogue box. See "Import/Export
details.
UG Parasolid
(*.xmt_txt), (*.xmt_bin),
This exports the selected surfaces to
this format. If no surfaces are selected,
then all the surfaces are exported.
Duct5 format part
(*.DUCT5)
This exports the model to this format.
PowerSHAPE model
version 1
(*.PSModelVer1)
PowerSHAPE versions from 2000 to
2731 use this format.
PowerSHAPE model
version 2
(*.PSModelVer2)
PowerSHAPE model
version 3
(*.PSModelVer3)
PowerSHAPE model
version 5
(*.PSModelVer5)
PowerSHAPE model
version 6
(*.PSModelVer6)
PowerSHAPE model
version 7
(*.PSModelVer7)
PowerSHAPE model
version 8
(*.PSModelVer8)
PowerSHAPE model
version 9
(*.PSModelVer9)
Save - Exports data as specified on the dialogue box and removes the
dialogue box from the screen. Note that if you selected the File Type as
'*.vda* (VDA-FS Files)', the VDA-FS File Export dialogue box is
displayed for you to enter the header data for the VDA-FS file. See
"VDA-FS File dialogue box" for further details.
Cancel - This removes the dialogue box from the screen without
exporting any files.
Note: You cannot export badly trimmed surfaces. PowerSHAPE tells you
if badly trimmed surfaces are detected on export and gives you two
options:
export the selection with the offending surface(s) untrimmed.
abandon the export. This allows you to fix the surfaces using the
trim region editing tools. For further details on these tools, see
"Trimming surfaces" in the Surface modelling Manual for further
details.
Note: You can apply certain operations (such as link solids) while
exporting a model to any file type. See "Import/Export options" in "Tools
- Options" in the Menus and toolbars Manual for further details.
Note: You can use either PowerSHAPE's internal translators or PS-
Exchange to export data. See "How do I use PS-Exchange to translate
data?" for further details.
VDA-FS File Export dialogue box
This dialogue box is used to enter the header data for the VDA-FS file.
Fill in the text boxes on the dialogue box.
Accept - Adds the data on the dialogue box to the header of the VFA-FS
file, exports the VFA-FS file to location specified on the Export
dialogue box and removes the dialogue box from the screen.
Cancel - No data is exported and the dialogue box is removed from the
screen.
How do I use PS-Exchange to translate
data?
PS-Exchange is a stand-alone program which is linked to PowerSHAPE
to allow you to translate certain types of data. It can also be used on its
own.
We will show you how to use PS-Exchange within PowerSHAPE to
translate data, but not how to use PS-Exchange stand-alone.
You can use either PowerSHAPE or PS-Exchange to translate data. The
file types you can import using PS-Exchange are listed in "Importing files
using PS-Exchange" and those you can export in "Exporting files using
PS-Exchange".
PS-Exchange understands the same licence options as PowerSHAPE's
built-in translators. For example, if you have a licence for importing
CATIA files, you can use this to import CATIA files using PS-Exchange.
However, if you have not purchased a licence for importing CATIA files,
for example, you can still use PS-Exchange to import the file by
purchasing a 'pay-per-use' voucher from Delcam's web site.
Importing files using PS-Exchange
A list of files you can import using PS-Exchange are given below. We
also give the benefits of using PowerSHAPE and PS-Exchange (if any).
File type Benefits using
PowerSHAPE
Benefits using
PS-Exchange
ACIS SAT Not available Can import file.
Catia
(exp/fic/model)
PowerSHAPE imports
3D wireframe and
drafting objects.
Solids are imported as
solids.
Blanked objects are only
imported from the file if the
Import blank entities
option is turned on (option
on the PS-Exchange page
of the Options dialogue
box).
Catia5 Not available. Can import file.
Cimatron Not available. Can import file.
DWG Not available. Can import file.
DXF None. Recommended as it is more
flexible.
Ideas Not available. Can import file.
IGES PowerSHAPE can
import drafting objects,
but not solids. To
import solids, you must
first run igstoigs to
convert them to
surfaces and then
import them.
Note that igstoigs will
remove drafting
annotation (such as
text) from the file.
This imports surfaces, solids
and wireframe.
Note that wireframe
converts to composite
curves and solids can be
converted to surfaces.
Pro-E Not available. None.
Rhino Not available Can import file.
SolidEdge Not available. Can import file.
SolidWorks Not available. Can import file.
STEP Not available. Can import file.
UG Parasolid/
Unigraphics
Not available. Can import file.
VDA-FS This imports solids. None.
PS-Exchange is the default translator of all files.
See "Translating data using PS-Exchange or PowerSHAPE" for
instructions.
For full details on what objects are imported using PS-Exchange, see the
on-line help available within PS-Exchange.
Exporting files using PS-Exchange
A list of files you can export using PS-Exchange are given below. We
also give the benefits of using PowerSHAPE and PS-Exchange (if any).
File type Benefits using
PowerSHAPE
Benefits using
PS-Exchange
ACIS SAT Not available This exports files.
DMT PowerSHAPE can
export triangles which
exist within the model.
None.
DWG Not available This exports: wireframe,
annotation, views
DXF: None Recommended as it is more
flexible
IGES PowerSHAPE exports
the same entities as PS-
Exchange plus drafting
entities.
This exports surfaces, solids,
wireframe and symbols which
don't contain drafting objects.
Objects are exported relative
to the active workplane. If no
workplane is active, they are
exported relative to the world
workspace.
Note that wireframe converts
to composite curves. Solids
can be converted to either
surfaces or B-rep entities.
Rhino Not available This exports files.
STEP Not available. This exports wireframe,
surfaces and solids.
UG Parasolid Not available. This exports surfaces only.
PS-Exchange is the default translator of all files, except DMT files.
See "Translating data using PS-Exchange or PowerSHAPE" for
instructions.
For full details on what objects are exported using PS-Exchange, see the
on-line help available within PS-Exchange.
Translating data using PS-Exchange or
PowerSHAPE
dialogue box.
2. Select the Data Exchange option and then PS-Exchange.
3. In the Import and Export sections, select the type of files you
want to import and export using PS-Exchange. De-select the type
of files you want to import and export using PowerSHAPE.
4. Click Accept.
5. From the File menu, select Import or Export to display the
required dialogue box.
Note that PS-Exchange may not export or import drafting objects
to or from an IGES file. If you try to do so, a message is displayed
explaining the drawbacks of using PS-Exchange. The message asks
you if you want to continue to use PS-Exchange. If you say no and
you are exporting, the command is cancelled. If you say no and you
are importing, the PowerSHAPE translator is automatically used
instead.
6. Fill in the dialogue box and select the type of file.
7. Click Open or Save.
If you want to use PS-Exchange and don't have a licence to
translate a particular type of file, the Voucher Required
dialogue box is displayed. See "Voucher Required dialogue box"
for further details on this dialogue box.
Note: You must install PS-Exchange to use it.
Voucher Required dialogue box
This dialogue box is used to insert vouchers to use PS-Exchange.
Important: Before you can insert vouchers, you must register PS-
Exchange. If you have not registered PS-Exchange, see "How do I
register PS-Exchange?" for details.
If you don't have a PS-Exchange licence for a given file type, you must
purchase a voucher for each file you translate. Once you have purchased
a voucher, you can translate the same file as many times as you like
(providing its contents have not changed).
1. Click the link https://www.delcam.com/ps-
exchange/PSX10gen.html to display the application form on the
web page.
2. Fill in the form.
User Id - You were given this when you registered PS-Exchange.
Password - This is the name password you entered when you
registered PS-Exchange.
File Signature - Copy the text from the Voucher Required
dialogue box and paste it here.
3. Click Generate Voucher to display the next page.
4. Copy the text between ----cut here--- from the web page and paste
it into the Translation Voucher section of the Voucher
Required dialogue box.
5. Click Accept to import the data.
Tip: PS-Viewer (the free version of PowerSHAPE) uses PS-Exchange to
import data. You can use PS-Viewer to import the data and check it. If
you are happy with the data, you can get a voucher to import it into
PowerSHAPE.
How do I register PS-Exchange?
You only need to register PS-Exchange once.
1. Go to the web page https://www.delcam.com/ps-
exchange/PSX10reg.html. to display the PS-Exchange Registration
Form.
2. Fill in the Registration Form.
Note that the password can be anything you choose.
Write down your password and keep it safe.
3. Click Register Now to display the next page.
4. Follow the instructions given below.
5. Use a text editor such as Notepad to open a new file.
6. Copy the text between ----cut here--- from the web page and paste
it into the file.
7. Make a note of your User Id. You will need it when filling out the
application form for vouchers.
8. Save the file as:
C:\dcam\config\vdb
How do I export DXF files?
To export DXF files you can use, PS-Exchange, the DXF translator called
Part Export or PowerSHAPEs built in DXF translator.
PS-Exchange is the default translator for exporting DXF files. You can
switch off PS-Exchange by selecting the DXF option on the PS-Exchange
dialogue box (from the tools menu). The built in translator will then be
used. However, if the option Export using Part Export on the DXF
option dialogue box is selected, the Part Export translator will take
priority over PowerSHAPEs built in DXF translator.
Part Export DXF is intended to be used primarily for exporting
PowerSHAPE drawings into AutoCAD. The Part Export DXF translator
can export wireframe, surfaces, text, symbols and dimensions, whereas
the internal translator can only export wireframe.
If you export a DXF file called output using Part Export, a number of
files will be created. Depending on the contents of the input file, Part
Export will create the following files:
output.dxf This file will contain all the wireframe,
text, dimension and symbol data.
output_surf.dxf This file will contain all the surface data.
output_sheet1.dxf This file will contain all the data from
sheet 1
output_sheet2.dxf This file will contain all the data from
sheet 2.
and so on.
Note: You must install Part Export in order to use the Part Export DXF
translator. It is available on the installation CD.
To export DXF files using Part Export:
dialogue box.
2. Select the DXF option.
3. Turn on or off the Export using Part Export option.
If this option is ON, Part Export is used to export DXF files.
4. Click Accept.
5. From the File menu, select Export to display the Export dialogue
box.
6. Click Export.
7. In the Select a File to Export to dialogue box, select the type of
file and filename.
8. Click Save.
How do I export materials?
1. From the File menu, Select Material Import/Export.
2. Select Export Material. This option exports the following:
A group of materials.
A single material.
All materials.
The Label Select Materials to Export dialogue box is displayed.
Label Select Materials to Export dialogue
box
Export Group - Select this option to export a group of materials.
1. From the Select Group Name drop down list, select the group of
materials that you want to export.
2. In Export To, browse or specify the path to the destination folder
that you want to export the group of materials to.
3. Select Export.
Export Single Material - Select this option to export a single material.
1. From the Select Group Name drop down list, select the group of
materials that you want to export from.
2. From the list of corresponding materials displayed in the dialogue
box, select the specific material you wish to export.
that you want to export the material to.
4. Select Export.
Export All - Select this option to export all materials.
that you want to export all the materials to.
2. Select Export.
Select Group Name - This lists the names of the groups of materials
available to be exported.
Export To - The export data is stored in the location specified. To enter
the path, you can either type it in or select Browse and use the dialogue
box that is displayed.
Export - This exports the selected materials. A new ExportMaterials
directory is created at the location specified in Export To, containing the
materials images and the .csv file.
Note: Care must be taken if you modify the .csv file, as the Import
Materials functionality to import the images into PowerSHAPE by
another user will fail if the .csv file is damaged.
How do I create a .csv file for
materials?
In order to use the Import Materials functionality you must have a .csv
file that has been created previously. The .csv file is created automatically
with the Export Materials option and can be viewed with Microsoft
Excel or other editor.
If you want to import user-created materials into PowerSHAPE you must
create a .csv file manually.
Note: To create or modify a .csv file you will be working with
PowerSHAPE's database, and it is advisable to be familiar with the
attributes of materials in the "Materials" table in the PowerSHAPE
database.
1. Create and name the .csv file. There are specific names for .csv
files, as follows:
Importing a group of materials
GroupName_MaterialGroup.csv
Importing a single material
MaterialName_Material.csv
Importing all materials
Material_all.csv
2. Enter the following lines as the top two lines in the file.
Material File
UserCreated
3. Make entries in the file on the following lines in the sequence:
Material name, Group Name, Red, Green, Blue, Polish, Emission,
Translucency, reflect, shader_scale
4. You must also keep image files of the corresponding materials in
the same folder where the .csv file is stored. The file names must
follow the example below:
Material_Name.extension
where extension refers to ".jpg", ".bmp", ".tif" or ".rgb".
Viewing the .csv file for materials
1. Locate the .csv file in the directory you specified as the directory to
Export to on the Label Select Materials to Export dialogue
box.
2. Double click the filename to open the spreadsheet. It shows all the
details for all the materials selected to be exported, as shown in this
example.
How do I change the view of a model?
Each window can contain:
A single view of the model.
Two views of the model splitting the model window vertically.
Four views of the model splitting the model window vertically and
horizontally.
Each of these views can be from any direction, at any scale, and can be
parallel, isometric or perspective projections. Surfaces can be drawn as
wireframe or shaded and objects can be blanked from specific views to
reduce clutter.
The Window menu is used to create, delete and select windows. The
View menu contains commands to alter the view of the model in the
active window. View - Layout displays the View Edit dialogue box,
which allows you to set up customised view arrangements. View -
Views Toolbar displays the Views toolbar, which provides many
options to change the view.
In addition to the View menu commands, which allow you to choose
specific view directions, PowerSHAPE allows you to dynamically alter
the view. The middle mouse button (used with certain keyboard modifier
keys) provides rotating, zooming and panning.
Refer to the chapter on View menu in the Menus and toolbars Manual.
PowerSHAPE Basic concepts Objects 87
Objects
How do I create an object?
The PowerSHAPE philosophy has a two-step creation process:
1. Initial creation produces an object in the model. At this stage, the
object may not be exactly the shape you want.
2. The second step involves adjusting the object until it is exactly the
shape you want.
To create an object:
1. Select the object type and creation method from the Object menu
or from the Main toolbar.
2. Enter one or more positions and/or selections as necessary.
3. Drag the edit handles at the objects key points to resize it.
As the cursor can only operate in two dimensions, all the positions it
creates will fall on the active plane. If the point you want is not on that
plane, you will need to use the Status Bar to change the current active
plane and/or enter a specific position. For more complex positions, you
can use the Position dialogue box.
In some infrequent cases, you may need to provide more information
about how the object is to be modified. This is achieved by using Edit -
Modify which provides appropriate tools for each object type. It is raised
by double clicking the object or by selecting Modify from the Edit
menu.
Refer to the Edit menu topics in the Menus and toolbars Manual.
88 Objects PowerSHAPE Basic concepts
How do I edit an object?
To edit object(s), first select those you want to change. If you select only
one, then graphical handles appear which are specific to that type of
object. If you select more than one object, the handles are not displayed.
You can now:
1. Delete the object -
Press the keyboard Delete key, click on the main toolbar or
choose Delete from the Edit menu. This works on any number of
objects.
2. Drag move an object -
Select an object by positioning the cursor over it, but away from
any of its edit handles or key points. Press and hold the left-hand
mouse button. The object is picked by its key point closest to your
click position and dragged as you move the mouse. The object is
dropped when you release the button. This works with any number
of objects.
3. Drag Copy an object -
Hold down the Control key while drag moving an object. A copy
of the original is moved to the new position.
4. Cut or Copy an object -
Click or from the Main toolbar or choose Cut or Copy
from the Edit menu. The object is held in a temporary store from
where it can be Pasted into another position, another model
window or another model.
5. Reshape an object -
Drag edit handle(s) to alter the objects size and/or shape.
Lines
Arcs
Curves
Surfaces
Solids
Workplanes
Refer to the object chapters in the Wireframe modelling Manual,
the Solid Modelling Manual and the Surface Modelling manual.
6. Trim or transform an object using the editing tools.
PowerSHAPE Basic concepts Objects 89
Limit
Rotate
Mirror
Move/Copy
Scale
Refer to the "Edit - General Edits" section in the Menus and
toolbars Manual.
7. Modify the objects parameters:
Choose Modify from the Edit menu or double click the object.
This raises an object-specific dialogue box or toolbar.
Editing objects using the Intelligent Cursor
If the Intelligent Cursor is switched on (refer to Tools -Options - Mouse
in the Menus and toolbars Manual), it provides additional information
during point input and selections.
Once you start to drag an object, a group of objects or an edit handle of
an object, the cursor feeds back information about points you can snap to.
The Intelligent Cursor:
Finds intersections between wireframe items and a surface or solid.
Snaps to the projected intersection of wireframe items and surfaces.
The Intelligent Cursor button is displayed on the Views toolbar.
This toggles the Intelligent Cursor on and off. Selecting this button is the
same as selecting the Intelligent Cursor option from the Options
page.
Refer to "Using the Intelligent Cursor to enter positions" and "Selection
using the Intelligent Cursor".
90 Objects PowerSHAPE Basic concepts
PowerSHAPE Basic concepts Entering positions 91
Entering positions
What is a coordinate system?
All models are created within the global workspace. The coordinate
system defines the position of every object within that workspace.
The coordinate system contains the three axes X, Y and Z which meet in
the centre of the workspace, at a position called the origin.
Every position in a model is defined as three coordinates. For example: a
position of 9 5 3 means 9 along the X axis, 5 along the Y axis and 3 along
the Z axis.
You can create a model while working entirely within the global
workspace, selecting the default drawing plane (also known as the
principal plane) and entering co-ordinate values when necessary.
However, models can contain many angled faces and it is often easier to
specify co-ordinates relative to a face rather than to the model as a whole.
Workplanes allow you to do this. For further information on workplanes,
look in the Wireframe modelling Manual.
92 Entering positions PowerSHAPE Basic concepts
A workplane is a graphical object, which defines a local co-ordinate
system. You can have as many as you like, placed anywhere in the model,
with axes rotated to align conveniently with features of the model.
Only one workplane can be active at a time. Any specified co-ordinates
apply to this workplane, not to the global workspace. PowerSHAPE
automatically and invisibly converts the local values to global values.
The three axes of a workspace define three planes:
the XY plane lies through the X and Y axes,
the ZX plane lies through the X and Z axes,
the YZ plane lies through the Y and Z axes.
The Principal plane buttons on the Status bar define which
plane is the principal plane of the workspace. When clicking the mouse to
enter positions in an empty space, the positions lie on the principal plane.
Each button displays the label of the axis which is normal to the
principal plane.
How do I enter positions?
To create an object, you need to specify its position in the workspace.
Consequently, entering positions is one of the most common and
important operations within PowerSHAPE.
You can create point objects to mark locations in your model. See
"Points" in the Wireframe modelling Manual for further information.
Entering positions via the cursor
As the cursor moves across the principal plane (e.g. XY of the active
workplane or global workspace), its coordinates with respect to the active
workplane are shown in the status bar. To enter a new position, move the
cursor and click.
If the cursor is clicked within a certain radius of an existing object, the
cursor will snap to the closest key point actually on the object or to a
point of intersection between objects. This radius is known as the hit
radius.
Using the Intelligent Cursor to enter
positions
The Intelligent Cursor is switched on by default (but can be turned off). It
shows additional information, which helps you to define the position you
want. When the cursor is over an object, labels appear and disappear to
indicate what will happen if you click while the label is shown.
The list of labels is as follows:
End
Shows that the position will snap to the end point of a line, arc,
curve or profile.
Mid-point
Shows that the position will snap to a point mid way between the
start and end points of a line or arc.
Centre
Shows that the position will snap to the centre of an arc or circle.
Key-point
Shows that the position will snap to the nearest key point on the
object under the cursor (e.g. a surface patch corner or a curve key
point).
On
Shows that the position will snap to a point which lies exactly on
the object, but not at one of its key points (for example, end,
corner, centre points).
If Intelligent Cursor Gridding is switched on, a number
representing a distance along the object from the last key point
visited by the cursor is displayed. The values are rounded to the
nearest sensible value. Zoom out to see coarser increments. Zoom
in to see finer increments.
In
Shows that the position will snap to a point on the inside of a
surface patch or a solid face (not one of the key points or positions
along a curve).
Intersection
Shows that the position will snap to the intersection between the
two objects under the cursor.
Tangent
Shows that the position will be calculated so that the line or arc
being created is tangential to the line or arc under the cursor. The
position will not necessarily be under the cursor.
End sign
This is a sign which shows that clicking will complete a curve or
continuous series of lines.
Construction lines
If you hover the cursor over an important key point (one which raises any
of the construction labels), construction lines are created from that key
point. You can now drag the cursor along a construction line and see the
appropriate labels appear. Clicking causes the position to snap to that
point. For example, to draw a box:
1. Select Lines and choose Continuous line mode .
2. Click to start a line
3. Drag along a construction line and click
4. Drag along a 90 degree construction line and click. The line snaps
to give a square intersection.
5. Drag the cursor down to the original start point and hover. The
cursor shows End and the construction lines appear.
6. Drag along the vertical construction line until Intersection is
shown.
7. Snap to the start and finish with one more click when End is
displayed.
If the Intelligent Cursor Gridding is switched on, the label ON in the
above diagrams is replaced by a distance from the last point selected. For
example:
This provides a convenient way to enter accurate dimensions.
Note: You can turn off these construction lines temporarily by holding
down the Shift key.
Entering positions from dialogue boxes
Where a dialogue box expects a position to be entered, separate text
boxes for the X, Y and Z axes and a Position button are provided. An
example of this appears on the Workplane dialogue box.
You can enter a position as three co-ordinate values or for more complex
constructions, raise the Position dialogue box. To enter position co-
ordinate values, click in the first box to select it, enter the value and then
either press the tab key to select the next box or click in it. The values
are stored when you accept the dialogue box.
The Position dialogue box is covered in How do I use the Position
dialogue box?.
Using the status bar
You can enter Cartesian and polar positions in the Data entry box on
the Status bar.
You can also type the coordinates in the graphics window and they are
automatically entered into the Data entry box on the status bar. When
you press return, coordinates are read into PowerSHAPE.
Entering Cartesian positions
The syntax for entering Cartesians positions is as follows:
[workspace] X [Y [Z]] [units]
Square brackets [] show elements which are optional.
workspace - This specifies the origin from which to measure the
coordinates. You can use the following options:
world = world workspace. Note that you can abbreviate world
to w.
absolute or @ = absolute workspace. This uses the origin of the
current workspace. Note that you can abbreviate absolute to
abs.
relative = relative workspace. This uses the last point entered
as the origin. Note that you can abbreviate relative to re.
X [Y [Z]] - These are the X Y and Z coordinates and, by default,
entered in this order. If the second and third values are not given, they are
treated as zeros.
Note that the order of the X Y and Z coordinates is determined by the
option Local point input on the Workplane page of the Options
dialogue box. See "Tools - Options" in the Menus and toolbars Manual
for further details.
units - You can enter the type of units, for example, mm or inches.
Default units are used if none are specified.
Examples of Cartesian coordinates are given below.
20 30 40
w 15
@ 25 60.8 mm
abs 50 mm
re -30.7 0 90
Entering polar positions
The syntax for entering polar positions is as follows:
> angle [angle_units] length [length_units]
Square brackets [] show elements which are optional.
> - This indicates that polar coordinates are being entered.
angle - This is the value of the angle.
angle_units - You can enter the type of units, for example,
degrees.
length - This is the value of the length.
length_units - You can enter the type of units, for example, mm.
Examples of polar coordinates are given below.
> 45 30
> 45 degrees 30 mm
> 30 2.5 inches
What is a grid?
A grid is an array of points joined by lines. You can use the grid as a
guide to quickly enter positions by snapping to its points.
How do I use the grid?
To turn on the grid:
From the Status bar, click the Grid on/off button to draw the grid
on the screen.
The grid is drawn on the principal plane.
On the grid, you will see the name of the current workspace and the
principal plane. You may also see an arrow at the origin of the current
workspace. This shows the axis normal to the principal plane.
You can snap to the intersections of grid lines as if they are key points.
You can view the grid as either ruled or dotted lines by changing the
Grid type option on the View page of the Options dialogue box.
In the Status bar, you can see a text box which shows the scale of the
current grid. You can change the scale of the grid by zooming in and out.
To increase the scale, zoom out, and to decrease the scale, zoom in. The
scale is locked by default to a value of 10. To unlock the scale, deselect
the Lock Grid Scale option on the Views page of the Options
dialogue box.
To set your own grid scale, type your value into the grid scale text box.
The grid scale is automatically locked to that value.
If you change the principal plane, the grid automatically redraws on the
new plane.
To turn the grid off:
From the Status bar, click the Grid on/off button to remove the
grid from the screen.
How do I use point-locking?
When point-locking is ON, every position you enter using the mouse is
locked onto the principal plane. For example, if the principal plane is XY,
every point you enter using the mouse will have a Z coordinate of zero.
To turn point-locking on:
From the Status bar, click the Point lock button (which changes to
a shut lock ).
Note that point-locking only affects points entered using the mouse. If
you want to enter a position that is not on the principal plane, you can still
do so, by either using the Position dialogue box or typing in the
coordinates.
If you snap to a key point which does not lie on the principal plane (as
shown below),
then the new position is projected onto the principal plane.
When you hover the intelligent cursor over such a key point, it changes to
show that clicking the key point will project any new position onto the
principal plane.
To turn point-locking off:
From the Status bar, click the Point lock button (which changes to
an open lock ).
What is the Position dialogue box?
The Position dialogue box provides you with tools allowing you to
define positions and constructions that would be difficult (if not
impossible) by any other method. It can be opened by clicking the
Position button located on the Status bar or on any of the object
menus (double click objects to raise these menus).
How do I use the Position dialogue box?
Entering positions (X, Y, Z) values via a dialogue box or the Status bar or
clicking positions with the mouse is not always sufficient. For example,
you may want to specify a point at a particular proportion along an object.
The Position dialogue box offers many tools to assist with such
constructions.
To access the Position dialogue box, click the Position button .
Note: The Position button is only active when positions are required by
the program. For example, when in object creation mode or when editing
objects.
Position dialogue box
The above shows the default page of the Position dialogue box. It
actually has several pages that can be accessed by selecting the relevant
tabs. Pages for each tab are discussed later.
Items which are common to all the pages are covered here.
Workspace - This option menu allows you to select which workspace
you are working in. The available options are:
Relative - The position being defined is relative to another
position which becomes the origin of the workspace. The positions
are aligned with the active workplane or the global workspace if no
workplane is active.
Relative mode is not always available since there may not be a
suitable relative co-ordinate. In this case, select a suitable position
(such as the intersection of two lines) and make it the origin of a
relative workspace with the Become Origin option.
Workplane - The position being defined is relative to the active
workplane if one exists.
World - The position being defined is relative to the global
coordinate system.
NOTE: If any items are locked, the locks are discarded when you select a
different workspace.
Current Plane - This menu allows you to select one of the three
principal planes. The current plane is relative to the selected Workspace
option.
Many of the Position dialogue box options contain a button to fix (or
lock) the component value. This button can be switched between
Locked and Unlocked . Locking a value ensures that it remains
fixed regardless of what happens to other components. The lock remains
ON until you click the button again to unlock it. Dialogue box editing
fields affected by a lock are greyed out.
Many tools available from the Position dialogue box involve using the
mouse to select objects in the model. You make these selections in the
normal way.
All the Position dialogue box functions show the current position as an
icon in the model. When you adjust the position controls (such as the
slider in Along and Between) you can see the icon move in the model.
This allows you to confirm the position is where you want it before
accepting the dialogue box.
Become Origin - If you click this button, then the coordinates of the
position defined by the dialogue box become the origin. Any relative
coordinates are measured from this origin.
Apply - Inputs the position. If the current operation allows multiple
points, the dialogue box remains on the screen, ready for you to input
more points. Otherwise, it is removed from the screen.
Accept - Inputs the position and removes the dialogue box.
Cancel - Aborts the position entry.
Cartesian page
This page provides separate fields for each axis. Each can be
individually locked using the appropriate lock button.
Usually you can enter a value into a field without affecting the other
values. However if you have locked some components using the polar
page, then the values of the other fields may change to comply with the
constraints created by the locks.
If you click a position in the graphics window, its Cartesian coordinates
are read into the dialogue box.
Polar page
This page is affected by the Current Plane setting, which determines
how the coordinates are calculated from the Angle and
Elevation/Height fields.
The Angle field refers to the polar angle from the origin in the currently
selected plane in the selected workspace.
The option menu displaying Distance contains:
Distance, which is the distance from the workplane origin.
X, Y or Z options, these allow you to enter a distance on either of
the axes on the currently active plane.
The option menu displaying Elevation contains:
Elevation, which is the angle of elevation above the active plane
from the origin of the workspace.
Height, which is the distance perpendicular to the selected plane.
For example, the Z component when the XY plane is selected.
If you click a position in the graphics window, its polar coordinates are
read into the dialogue box.
Along page
This creates a position at a chosen parameter along an object. I t
contains a measurement method option menu.
Object - Select an object using the mouse. Once an object is selected, its
name appears in the text box.
Option menu displaying Proportion - When Proportion is shown on
the menu, the number in the adjacent text box refers to the proportional
distance from the start of the object. In this case, 0.5 indicates half way
along. 0.25 would mean a quarter (or 25%) from the start of the object.
When Distance is shown on the menu, you can enter a measurement
from the start of the object.
You can either type in a value in the text box next to the option menu or
used the slider below it. The slider indicates the portion from the start of
the object. By default, the slider has 10 graduations. You can change the
number of graduation on the slider, either by using the and
buttons or by typing a value into the box.
Between page
This operates in the same way as Along, but instead of using points at
the ends of an object, you select the start and end points which need not
be on the same object. This allows accurate placement of a position
between two connected or unconnected positions.
Click two positions in the model.
First point - This displays the coordinates of the first click.
Second point - This displays the coordinates of the second click.
Resultant point - This displays the coordinates of the between value as
defined by the dialogue box.
Option menu displaying Proportion - When Proportion is shown on
the menu, the number in the adjacent text box refers to the proportional
distance from the first point towards the second. In this case, 0.5 indicates
half way along. 0.25 would mean a quarter (or 25%) along. When
Distance is shown on the menu, you can enter a measurement from the
first point.
You can either type in a value in the text box next to the option menu or
use the slider below it. The slider indicates the portion from the first
point. By default, the slider has 10 graduations. You can change the
number of graduation on the slider, either by using the and
buttons or by typing a value into the box.
Intersect page
This finds the position where two objects intersect.
Select two objects in the model. You can do this by either:
Clicking one object, then holding down the Shift key and selecting
the second object;
Box selecting both objects.
The name of one of the objects selected is placed in text box with label
One and the name of the other object is placed in Two.
If the position does not lie on either object, the objects are extended.
Lines are treated as if they are of infinite length.
The intersection point of two lines that don't cross is shown below.
Arcs are treated as full circles.
Curves are extended by maintaining the curvature at the end point.
If there are two possible intersections, the intersection position is the one
closest to the last mouse click.
Normal page
This allows you to input a position which is perpendicular to an object
from the origin of the workspace displayed on the dialogue box.
Normal to object - Click the object you want the position to be normal
to. The name of the object appears in the text box and the cursor moves to
the position normal to the object.
To allow positions to be found which do not lie on the object, lines are
treated as if they are of infinite length and arcs as full circles.
An error dialogue is raised if a position cannot be found normal to the
selected object.
Key Point page
This allows you to select a position at a specific key point on the
selected object.
This is useful where more than one object has key points at the same
position and (for example) you want to snap to a hidden key point on a
specific object. There are many ways of ensuring you select the correct
object such as View - Blank and Format - Levels (Refer to the "View
menu" and "Format menu" in the Menus and toolbars Manual), but Key
Point is quick and convenient for specific objects.
Object - Click an object. The name of the object appears in the text box.
Key point - This determines which point on the object is selected. The
option menu contains the following options:
Centre applies to the centre point of arcs and circles.
Start and End can apply to any object as they all have start and
end positions.
Numbered Position is intended for use with curves (which can
have many positions along their length). The Position Number
window activates, allowing you to enter a number.
Vector page
This measures a vector between two points and uses it to define a
position. I t also displays the offsets, angles, length and elevation
between the two points.
You must already have a starting position from which the new position is
entered.
1
st
pt - Enter the first point of the vector here or click on a point on the
model to enter its coordinates. This point is displayed in pink on the
screen (using the default colour scheme).
2
nd
pt - Enter the second point of the vector here or click on a point on
the model to enter its coordinates. This point is displayed in red on the
screen (using the default colour scheme).
When you click Accept or Apply, a new position is entered by going
along the vector from the start position.
In the remaining boxes, information is automatically displayed from the
two positions of the vector. Each box is discussed below.
Offsets - These are the differences in the X, Y and Z values of the first
and second points of the vector.
Angles - These are the apparent angles. The apparent angle is measured
between the projection of the vector onto a plane and the selected axis. If
the axis is X, the plane is XY. For Y the plane is YZ and for Z it is ZX.
An example is shown below of the apparent angle for the X axis.
Length - This is the true length (in 3D) between the points.
Elevation - This is the elevation angle of the new vector from the
current plane.
PowerSHAPE Basic concepts Selecting objects 111
Selecting objects
How do I select objects?
If you want to do anything to an object, you must select it first. This is a
basic requirement for editing objects.
Some creation and construction commands allow selection of objects, but
most selection is done within Select mode - accessed by clicking on
the main toolbar. The Select option menu contains the following
options:
Normal selection
Whole box
Selection filter
Select all wireframe objects
Select all surfaces and solids
Select only wireframe objects
Select only surfaces and solids
The current selection is highlighted in yellow. Single selected objects
have their key points visible as graphical handles. When more than one
object is selected, the key point handles are not displayed, but the objects
remain yellow.
Selecting single objects
1. Click or (selection menu).
2. Using the left mouse button, click on the object and it will turn
yellow with its key points visible as graphical handles.
112 Selecting objects PowerSHAPE Basic concepts
Selecting multiple objects
The Normal selection button from the Select option menu
allows you to select all objects that are partially or completely enclosed
by a box, whereas the Whole box button selects only those objects
which are completely enclosed by a box.
Using Normal selection
1. Click (selection menu).
2. Using the left mouse button, click a point on the screen where you
want the box to start.
3. Keeping the mouse button pressed, move the mouse to a second
position on the screen. This creates a rectangular "rubber band" on
the screen.
4. Release the mouse to select all of the objects that are partially or
completely enclosed in the box.
In our example all the lines are selected as they are partially or
completely enclosed by the box.
Using whole box selection
2. Using the left mouse button, click a position on the screen where
you want the box to start.
the screen.
4. Release the mouse to select all of the objects that are completely
enclosed in the box.
In our example only the line completely enclosed by the box is
selected.
Adding or removing objects
To add or remove objects from a selection, hold down the Control key
while clicking or dragging. Selected objects will be de-selected and un-
selected objects will be selected.
Selecting only wireframe objects
the screen.
4. Release the mouse to select all of the wireframe objects that are
partially or completely enclosed in the box.
Selecting only solids and surfaces
the screen.
4. Release the mouse to select all of the solids and surfaces that are
partially or completely enclosed in the box.
Deselecting objects
To deselect all objects, either:
click in space away from any objects, or
from the Edit menu, choose Select followed by Clear
selection.
Selecting coincident objects
When several objects are beneath the cursor and clicking selects the
wrong one, click again without moving the mouse and PowerSHAPE will
select the next object in the database at that position. Repeat until the one
you want is selected.
Selection using the Intelligent Cursor
When the Intelligent Cursor is switched on (it is by default), objects are
highlighted as the cursor passes over them. This shows which can be
selected if you click at that point.
When several objects are beneath the cursor and one of them is selected,
the Intelligent Cursor highlights the next object from the database at that
position. A click now will deselect the selected object, select the
highlighted object and highlight the next one. This allows you to select
the correct object from the group. You must click within the time
specified by the Next Selection Timeout option on the Mouse page
of the Options dialogue box (which is displayed by choosing Options
from the Tools menu).
You can also right click to display the object's pop up menu and click
Next Selection to select the next object.
The Intelligent Cursor button is displayed on the Views toolbar.
This toggles the Intelligent Cursor on and off. Selecting this button is the
same as selecting the Intelligent Cursor option from the Options
page.
Object key points
All objects have a number of key points which define the objects
position and size. These are as follows:
Lines - at each end and the mid-point.
Arcs - at each end of the sector, the centre point and the mid-point.
Curves - at each point where the curve can change direction.
Surfaces - at each corner of the surface patch (the key points on the
associated curves behave as for curves).
Workplanes - at the origin and end of each axis pointer.
Selection anchor point
When the object is selected, PowerSHAPE chooses one of its key points
as the objects anchor point for the current selection. The next selection
may (or may not) use a different key point.
The anchor point is used by PowerSHAPE to decide where to position the
object, for example during all types of moves and copies. The rules for
which key point is chosen to be the anchor are as follows:
When a single object is selected, the anchor point is the objects
key point which was nearest the cursor when you selected the
object.
When objects are selected using a rubber box, the anchor point is at
the centre of the smallest box capable of containing the objects.
This applies whether the rubber box contains one or many objects.
If objects are shift selected individually, the anchor point for the
group is the key point nearest the cursor on the last object selected.
Tip: When you want a specific anchor point for a group: rubber-box
select a group of objects, then Control de-select and Control re-select
one. The anchor point for the group selection is then on this object rather
than at the centre of the rubber box.
Selection filter
Complex models can become cluttered with objects making it difficult to
select the ones you want. The selection filter is an aid which helps you to
choose the type of object you want to select. You can also select styles of
objects and levels on which objects are kept.
Using the selection filter:
2. Use the Selection Filter dialogue box to filter the selections.
Selection Filter dialogue box
This dialogue box is used to choose which objects, styles and levels are
selected.
You can select an object on the screen and the lists will update to show
the type, style and level of that object.
Type - This shows a list of the different objects that can be created in
PowerSHAPE. By default each type is selected. Clicking on an item
selects or deselects it. Items that are selected are highlighted.
When you have selected items from the list, then only those items can be
selected on the screen.
Style - This is a list of styles used in the model. By default each style is
selected. Clicking on an item selects or deselects it. Items that are
selected are highlighted.
When you have selected items from the list, only those items can be
chosen on the screen.
Pattern - This is a list of patterns for the selected style. Clicking on an
item selects or deselects it. Items that are selected are highlighted.
Level - Each level that is used is listed here. By default, each level is
selected. Clicking on an item selects or deselects it. Items that are
selected are highlighted.
When you have selected items from the list, only those items can be
chosen on the screen.
Invert - This inverts the current selection, that is, those which are
selected become unselected and those which are unselected, selected.
All - This selects all items in the list. Each item will be highlighted to
show that it is selected.
Select All - When you click on this, all items on the screen, which
match the selections you made on the dialogue box, will be selected.
Blank - When you click on this, all items on the screen, which match the
selections you made on the dialogue box, will be blanked.
Unblank - When you click on this, all items which are blanked and
match the selections you made on the dialogue box, will be unblanked.
Accept - This saves the changes you made to the dialogue box and
removes it from the screen. You can only select those items you specified
on the dialogue box.
Cancel - This removes the dialogue box from the screen and discards
any changes made to it.
To return to normal selection after using a filtered selection, click on the
Selection option menu in the main toolbar and select Normal
Selection . When you return to the Selection Filter dialogue box,
all types, styles and levels are selected.
Selecting an object by name
To select an object by its name:
1. From the Edit menu, choose Select followed by Select by
Name to display the Add Item To Selection dialogue box.
2. Use the dialogue box to select an object by its name.
Add Item To Selection dialogue box
This selects an object by its name.
Item Type - Choose the type of the object you want to select.
Item Name - Enter the name of the object.
Clear The Selection First - If on, all previously selected objects are
deselected.
Add - This adds the selected object to the current selection. If the object
is blank, it unblanks when selected.
The dialogue box remains on the screen so that you can add more objects
to the selection.
Dismiss - This removes the dialogue box from the screen.
PowerSHAPE Basic concepts Calculator and measuring 119
Calculator and
measuring
What is the calculator?
The calculator allows you to make calculations while working on a
model.
You can enter complex expressions. It can also measure objects in the
model.
It also interacts with dialogue boxes, automatically entering the result into
the selected boxes.
How do I use the calculator?
From the Status Bar, click the Calculator button .
The Calculator dialogue box is displayed.
120 Calculator and measuring PowerSHAPE Basic concepts
You can also display the calculator from within a dialogue box by right-
clicking in a box (used to enter numbers). Use the calculator and then
click the Accept button and the results are automatically added to the
box.
The calculator operates in the same way as any pocket calculator. You
can click buttons to enter numbers and commands or you can use the
keyboard numeric keypad.
Calculator dialogue box
This is used to calculate numeric values.
There are two boxes at the top of the dialogue box. The one on the left
displays the expression and the other displays the results of the
calculations. You can use either the keyboard or the numeric key pad to
enter an expression to calculate. As you enter expressions, the results in
the right box are updated.
Below the boxes, the calculator is divided into two sections. The left half
contains the numeric key pad and the right half displays the operations for
selected tab.
The tabs provides the calculator with additional features for you to use to
build the expressions:
Measure
Options
Logical
Parameters
Memory
Functions
You can switch from one tab to another as you calculate an expression.
Each tab, except for Measure, is discussed below in its own section. For
the Measure tab, see "How do I measure using the calculator?" for
further details.
The numeric key pad is used in the same way as any other calculator to
add, subtract, divide and multiply numbers.
Other buttons are described below.
( ) - Adds brackets around the current expression.
AC - Deletes any expression stored in the memory and removes the
current expression.
C - Removes the current expression.
Backspace - Removes the rightmost character from the current
expression.
Options page
Decimal places - This is the number of decimal places to display the
answer. Use the slider to change the number.
Logical page
The result of a logical expression is 0 or 1, where 0 is false and 1 true.
You can combine buttons to give more operators.
Each logical operator is discussed below.
A == B
outputs 1 if A equals B and 0 otherwise
A != B
outputs 1 if A does not equal B and 0 otherwise
A < B
outputs 1 if A is less than B and 0 otherwise
A <= B
outputs 1 if A is less or equal to B and 0 otherwise
A > B
outputs 1 if A is greater than B and 0 otherwise
A >= B
outputs 1 if A is greater or equal to B and 0 otherwise
A AND B
outputs 1 if A and B are true and 0 otherwise.
A OR B
outputs 1 if either A or B is true and 0 otherwise..
! A
outputs 1 if A is false and 0 if true. This is known as the NOT operator.
test ? result_true : result_false
if test is true then output result_true otherwise output result_false.
Example 1
a>=b ? a+b : a-b
This outputs a+b if a>=b and a-b if a<b.
Example 2
a= (b>20)?10:((b>30)?20:30)
This example uses a nested expression to determine the value of a,
based on the value of b
if b > 20 then
a = 10
else if (b > 30) then
a = 20
else
a = 30
Parameters page
See "How do I use a parameter?" for further information.
Memory page
Each button on the dialogue box is discussed below.
Store - This stores the current expression into the memory.
Recall - This appends the current expression with the stored expression.
Reset - This erases any expression stored in the memory.
Replace - This replaces the current expression with the stored
expression.
Note that AC, on the left side of the calculator, deletes the memory and
removes the current expression, whereas C just removes the current
expression.
The calculator remembers the memory value when it is lowered and
raised.
Functions page
Each function button is discussed below. Note that when you click a
function button, the current expression is enclosed in brackets and the
function is performed on the value of the current expression.
Sin - This calculates the sine of the current expression.
Cos - This calculates the cosine of the current expression.
Tan - This calculates the tan of the current expression.
Asin - This calculates the angle whose sine is equal to value of the
current expression.
Acos - This calculates the angle whose cosine is equal to value of the
current expression.
Atan - This calculates the angle whose tangent is equal to value of the
current expression.
Sqrt - This calculates the square root of the current expression.
^ - This is the "to the power of" sign.
For example, if the current value of the expression is 2, you select ^ and
enter a value 3, then the following calculation is performed:
(2)^3=2*2*2=8
Ln - This calculates the natural logarithm of the current expression.
For example, if the current value of the expression is 7.389056 and you
select Ln, then the following calculation is performed:
Ln(7.389056) = logarithm(7.389056) = 2
Max - This determines the maximum value of a list of values in the
expression.
The list of values in the expression must be of the form:
A1; A2; ; AN
Min - This determines the minimum value of a list of values in the
expression.
The list of values in the expression must be of the form:
A1; A2; ; AN
Exp - This calculates the exponential value of the current expression with
respect to e, the base of the natural logarithms.
For example, if the current value of the expression is 2 and you select
Exp, then the following calculation is performed:
Exp(2) = e
2
= 7.389056
Abs - This calculates the absolute value of the current expression. In
other words, removes the minus sign.
For example if the value of the expression is -56.98 and you select Abs,
then the new value is 56.98.
How do I measure using the
calculator?
From the Status Bar, click the Calculator button .
The Calculator dialogue box is displayed.
Each button on the Measure page is discussed below.
Note: straight line segments of curves are treated as lines.
Measuring automatically
This intelligently measures lines and arcs. It also measures the radius
of curvature on arcs, curves and surface curves.
Click .
Hover the mouse over an object.
If the object is a line or an arc, the intelligent cursor displays the
intelligent measurement of that object. The intelligent measurement of
lines and arcs are:
Line - length
Arc - radius
Full arc (circle) - diameter
If a span of a curve or a surface curve has constant curvature, then the
radius of curvature is displayed when you hover the mouse over the span.
To enter that value into the calculator, click the object. The value is
entered into the expressions box.
If no intelligent measurement is associated with an object, then no value
is displayed.
When no value is displayed and you click a position on the screen, the
calculator waits for you to enter a second position. As you move the
mouse cursor, a rubber-banded line displays from the first position to the
cursor position. The length of the rubber-banded line is also displayed.
Once you enter the second position, the shortest distance between the two
points is entered into the expressions box.
Measuring the length
This measures:
the length of a line
the span of an arc
the length of a curve or a composite curve
the distance between two points
To measure the length:
1. Click .
2. Either select the object or click two points to enter the value into
the expressions box.
Measuring the radius
This measures the radius of any arc or circle. It also measures the
radius of curvature on curves and surface curves.
1. Click .
2. If you hover the mouse over an arc, its radius is displayed. If a span
of a curve or a surface curve has constant curvature, then the radius
of curvature is displayed when you hover the mouse over the span.
3. Click the object to enter the value into the expressions box.
Measuring the diameter
This measures the diameter of an arc.
1. Click .
2. If you hover the mouse over an arc, its diameter is displayed.
3. Click the arc to enter the value into the expressions box.
Measuring angles
and measure angles. measures minor angle and major angle.
To measure an angle, click the button for the angle required. You can
now select the following items:
One line. If you hover the mouse over the line, the minor and
major angles are both displayed, where the type not required is in
brackets.
Double-click the line in exactly the same position to enter the value
into the expressions box.
Two lines. The minor and major angles are measured between the
two lines as shown below.
Select one line and then select the other line. The angle between
the two lines is entered the value into the expressions box.
Suppose you have two lines that don't lie on the same XY, YZ or
ZX plane, but intersect in space. PowerSHAPE measures the angle
on the plane that is defined by the intersection point and the end
points of the lines that lay away from the intersection point.
Suppose you select two lines that don't intersect in space. No angle
exists between two such lines. In PowerSHAPE, the position
selected on the second line is treated as a position and the angle is
calculated as described when a line and a position are selected.
An arc. The minor and major angles are the spans of the sector of
the arc and the missing sector of the arc. See below.
When you hover the mouse over an arc, both the minor and major
angles are displayed, where the type not required is in brackets.
One line and one position. Select a line. Depending on which end
of the line is selected, you will see a rubber-banded angle from the
line to intelligent cursor.
Suppose the top end of the line is selected. The angle is measured
from the top part of the line. As you move the mouse cursor, the
rubber-banded angle moves too.
Use this rubber-banded angle as a guide to determine the angle you
want to measure.
Enter the position. The angle is entered into the expressions box.
Note that the angle is calculated in the plane made by the two end
points of the line and the position.
Three positions. The three positions define two lines as shown
below. The minor and major angles are measured between these
two lines.
When you enter the first position, a rubber-banded line is displayed
from the position to the mouse cursor.
This helps you to choose the second position. Once you enter the
second position, a rubber-banded angle is displayed as shown
below.
This helps you to choose the third position. When you enter the
third position, the angle is entered into the expressions box.
Note that the angle is calculated in the plane made by the two end
points of the line and the position.
Measuring the volume
This measures the volume of surfaces, solids or triangulated symbols.
1. Click .
2. Select the surface or solid.
Measuring the area
This measures the area of a composite curve, surface, solid or
triangulated symbols .
1. Click .
2. Select either a composite curve or a surface or a solid.
Measuring wall thickness
This measures the wall thickness of a solid.
1. Click .
2. Move the cursor over the solid to display the wall thickness (see
below).
3. Click the solid to enter the value into the expressions box.
Measuring the radius using 3 points
This measures the radius of an arc using three points. It is ideal for
measuring the radius of curvature on curves and surface curves.
1. Click .
2. Input the first position to define the start point of an arc.
3. Input the second position to define the end point of an arc.
4. Input the third position to define a position on the circumference of
the arc. The value is entered into the expressions box.
Measuring draft angles
This measures the draft angle of surface and solid points.
1. Click .
2. If you hover the mouse over a position on a surface or solid, the
minor draft angle is displayed with the major draft angle in
brackets. An arrow representing the surface normal of the position
is also drawn.
By default, only draft angles of positions on the surface curves are
measured. You can measure the draft angle of positions within a
surface patch by either holding down the Shift key or turning on
the Patch snapping option on the Mouse page of the Options
dialogue box (which is displayed by choosing Options from the
Tools menu).
The draft angle is measured from the principle plane to the normal
of the point on the surface under the cursor.
3. When you click the position on the surface, the draft angle is
entered into the expressions box.
Measuring the minimum distance
This measures the minimum distance between two objects.
1. Click .
2. Click two objects to enter the value into the expressions box.
Arrows are drawn on the objects to show where the minimum
distance is measured.
Note that the objects are currently restricted to points, lines, arcs,
curves, composite curves, and surfaces.
Using the Projected option
Projected - When on, measurements are taken from projections on the
principal plane.
A line is measured from a projection on the principal plane as shown
below.
You can measure three values from the projection: its length and its
length along either of the axes of the principal plane.
To measure the length of the projection, hover the mouse over the line
until a value displays and then double click the line to enter the value into
To measure the length along one of the axis, click the line once and the
move the mouse in the direction parallel to the axis you want. As you
move the mouse, a value displays. Click the mouse to enter the value into
You can also measure angles of lines and positions that are projected onto
the principal plane. In the figure below, Angle A is measured between
Lines 1 and 2 when Projected is turned off, and Angle B when turned
on.
Note that you cannot calculate projections of arcs. Therefore, if you
measure an arc, its value is the same regardless of whether Projected is
on or off.
PowerSHAPE Basic concepts Parameters 137
Parameters
What is a parameter?
A parameter is a user-defined variable, which is used to store numbers
and expressions.
For example, parameters pi and radius are defined as follows:
pi = 3.141592654
radius = 56
A third parameter circumference can be defined using parameters pi and
radius:
circumference = 2*pi*radius
When you update the radius, circumference is automatically updated.
Parameters can be used to automatically update your model when
their definitions are updated. For this to work, you must create your
model using relational geometry and define its objects using
parameters.
Parameters can be used anywhere you need to enter numbers.
Parameter names are now case sensitive. So,
FRED
Fred
fred
are three different parameters
You can now create a parameter in a text box on a dialogue box or
toolbar by typing
param_name=expression
where param_name is the name of the parameter and expression is
an expression representing the numeric value of the parameter.
138 Parameters PowerSHAPE Basic concepts
How do I create a parameter?
You can create parameters by:
using the Parameter Editor dialogue box
typing in values
Using the Parameter Editor dialogue box
1. From the Object menu, select Parameter to display the
Parameter Editor dialogue box.
2. Use this dialogue box to create your parameter.
Parameter Editor dialogue box
This is used to create and edit parameters.
To create a new parameter, click New. In the Parameter text box, a
default name for the parameter appears. Change it to something more
meaningful to remind you what the parameter is used for.
To edit an existing parameter, use the Parameter combo box to choose a
parameter.
Use the rest of the dialogue box to define or modify the parameter.
By default, a parameter is a measurement of length, however, by using
the Dimension option menu, you set it to ratio, length, area, volume or
angle.
By default, a parameter has no tolerance associated with it. The
Tolerance drop down list contains various types of tolerance you can
set:
None
-:-
+:-
-:+
+:+
Limit-Fit
If you choose one of the four options with the + and - symbols, use the
Values text boxes to enter the tolerance values.
If you choose Limit-Fit, use the Limit-Fit combo-box to either enter a
limit value or select one from the list of common values.
Assign a value or expression to the parameter using the calculator
functions on the right side.
To delete an existing parameter, use the Parameter combo box to
choose a parameter and then click the Delete button.
To create a copy of an existing parameter, use the Parameter combo
box to choose a parameter and then click the Duplicate button.
Click Apply to create/modify the parameter.
Continue creating/modifying parameters if you wish. Once you have
finished, click Accept to remove the dialogue box.
Note that clicking Cancel removes the dialogue box and delete all the
parameters created whilst the dialogue box was displayed. Any
parameters modified are also changed back to their original values.
Creating parameters by typing in values
You can create a parameter in a text box on a dialogue box or toolbar by
typing:
param_name = value
where param_name is the name of the parameter and value is the numeric
value of the parameter.
The type of parameter created (that is, length, angle, area, volume or
ratio) is determined by the values used in the text box.
How do I edit a parameter?
1. From the Object menu, select Parameter to display the
Parameter Editor dialogue box.
2. Use the Parameter Editor dialogue box to edit the parameter
definition.
See "Parameter Editor dialogue box" for further details.
How do I use a parameter?
Whenever you can enter a numeric expression via the calculator, you can
specify a parameter instead. The current value of the parameter is used as
the number being input.
1. Raise the calculator. If you are entering a value into a text box on a
dialogue box, right clicking the text box raises the calculator.
2. Use the calculator as you usually would. Steps 3 and 4 give
instructions of how to put the value of a parameter into your
calculation.
3. Click the Parameters tab to display the Parameters page of the
calculator.
All the parameters are listed on the right in the calculator. If you
click a parameter, its value is displayed in the box below the list of
parameter.
1. Choose the parameter by double clicking on the parameter's name
in the list.
The name of the parameter is entered into the calculation indicating
that the parameter's value is entered into the calculation.
2. Once you have completed your calculation, press Accept and the
resulting value is entered into the dialogue box or toolbar.
How do I find out if a value uses
parameters?
You can find out if a value uses parameters in a text box on a dialogue
box by looking at the text box's dynamic help.
The dynamic help is displayed by putting the cursor in the text box.
If the value uses parameters, the dynamic help will show you the
expression containing the parameters in addition to the usual help
message.
This only works for values that are parametric. A parametric value is one
which remembers the parameters used to define it. When the value of any
parameter is changed, the parametric value updates automatically.
Currently, parametric values only exist on the following dialogue boxes:
Solid Cut
Solid Boss
Primitive Solid
Primitive Surface
Solid Extrusion
Solid Fillet
Solid Bulge
Solid Thicken
Solid Chamfer
Solid Hole
Solid Hollow
Surface Extrusion
Chamfer Editor
PowerSHAPE Basic concepts Index 143
Index
A
Add Item To Selection dialogue box
118
application menu 8
area 132
arm
using the 16
C
calculator 119
displaying 22
functions 121
logical operators 121
measuring 121, 125
memory 121
options 121
parameters 121
using the 119
Calculator dialogue box 120
closing
models 36
zip models 41
comparing models 51
composite curves
creating 20
construction lines 27, 94
coordinate system 91
copying
objects 20, 88
creating
models 29
parameters 138, 139
cutting objects 88
D
Delete Model dialogue box 46
deleting
models 45
objects 88
description 43
dialogue box 14, 20
Accept button 16
Add Item To Selection 118
Apply button 16
buttons 16
Calculator 120
Cancel button 16
combo box 15
data box 14
Delete Model 46
Edit Model 44
entering positions 95
Export 66
File Export 65
File Properties 48
Find Duplicates 54
Import 56
Model Compare 52
object 10
Open Model 37
option menu 15
Parameter Editor 138
Position 100
Position. See Position dialogue box
radio buttons 15
Save Model As 31
Select Item by Filter 116
tabs 15
text box 14
toggle buttons 15
using the 14
144 Index PowerSHAPE Basic concepts
VDA-FS File Export 72
duplicate objects 53
E
edit menu 8
Edit Model dialogue box 44
editing
objects 19, 88
objects using the intelligent cursor
89
parameters 140
entering positions 92, 100
along an object 104
at an intersection 106
at object key point 108
between positions 105
cartesian 96, 102
in dialogue boxes 95
normal to an object 107
polar 97, 103
using the cursor 93
using the intelligent cursor 93
Export dialogue box 66
exporting 64, 73, 80, 81
badly trimmed surfaces 72
Delcam machining triangles 73
DXF 80
DXF using Part Export 80
IGES 73
materials 81
F
File Export dialogue box 65
file menu 8
File Properties dialogue box 48
find duplicates 53
Find Duplicates dialogue box 54
format menu 8
G
general tolerance 13
graphical interface 7
graphics window 24
activating 18
multiple windows 24
single window 24
using a 24
grid 97, 98
H
help menu 8
hit radius 93
I
IGES
exporting 73
importing 55, 73
Import dialogue box 56
importing 55, 56, 62, 63, 73
CADDS files 55
catia files 73
Catia files 55
data at start up 62
Delcam machining triangles 55
Duct triangles 55
IGES files 55, 73
log file 60
materials 63
models 55, 62
picture files 55
pro-e files 73
STEP files 73
surface files 55
UG Parasolids files 73
VDA-FS files 55
wizard 61
zip files 55
intelligent cursor 25
construction labels 28
editing objects 89
entering positions 93
highlighting objects 27
turning off construction lines 27, 95
using the 25
intersection
position 106
K
key points 115
keyboard
using the 23
L
levels
objects stored on 48
lines
log file 60
M
main toolbar 11
materials
exporting 81
importing 63
measuring 121, 125
angles 128
arc length 127
arcs 126
area 132
diameter 128
distance between two points 127
draft angles 133
lengths of composite curves 127
lengths of curves 127
line segments of curves 126
lines 126, 127
minimum distance 134
radius 127, 133
radius from 3 points 133
radius of curvature 126
solid wall thickness 132
volume 132
wall thickness 132
menus 7
application 8
edit 8
file 8
format 8
help 8
object 8
option 11
pop-up 8, 9
selecting 18
tools 8
using 9
view 8
window 8
minimum distance 134
Model Compare dialogue box 52
models 29
as a set of files in a folder 34
as a single file 34
checking for corruption 30
closing 36
closing and zipping 41
comparing 51
creating 29
deleting 45
duplicate objects 53
editing the description 43
editing the password 43
importing 55, 62, 73
opening 36, 40, 41
opening model at start up 40
opening zip 41
properties 48, 49
psmodel 34
recently opened 41
recover 39
resetting 42
restoring 39
reverting to last saved model 42
save as 31
saving 30, 31
saving with new name 31
storing on disk 34
template 43
tracking changes 47
mouse
click 17
double click 17
drag 17
left and right buttons 23
left-hand button 18
middle button 21
right-hand button 22
using the 17
moving
objects 19, 88
O
object
creating 87
dialogue boxes 10
editing 88
key points 115
parameters. See parameters
toolbars 10
object menu 8
objects
selecting by name 118
Open Model dialogue box 37
opening
models 36, 40, 41
psmodels 40
zip models 41
option menus 11
P
Parameter Editor
dialogue box 138
parameters 137
creating 138, 139
editing 140
using 140
values using 141
Part Export 80
password 43
paste special 21
point-locking 99
points. See positions
pop-up menu 8, 9
Position dialogue box 100
along 104
between 105
cartesian 102
current plane 101
intersect 106
key point 108
locking 101
normal 107
polar entry 103
using the 100
vector 109
workspace 101
positions
absolute 96
entering 92, 100
entering along an object 104
entering at an intersection 106
entering at object key point 108
entering between positions 105
entering cartesian 96, 102
entering in dialogue boxes 95
entering normal to an object 107
entering polar 97, 103
entering using the cursor 93
entering using the intelligent cursor
93
point-locking 99
relative 96, 101
workplane 101
PowerSHAPE 3
starting up 6, 40, 62
principal plane 91, 92
PS-Team 47
R
resetting models 42
reverting to last saved model 42
S
Save Model As dialogue box 31
saving models 30, 31
corruption 30
screen
area 7
layout 7
Select Item by Filter dialogue box 116
selecting objects 18, 19, 111
adding to selection 19, 20, 113
all surfaces and solids 111
all wireframe 111
anchor point 115
box selection 113
by level 116
by name 118
by style 116
by type 116
clearing the selection 18, 114
coincident objects 114
de-selecting 114
filter 116
key points 115
multiple objects 112
only solids 114
only surfaces 114
only surfaces and solids 111
only wireframe 111, 114
removing from selection 19, 20, 113
single objects 111
using the intelligent cursor 114
solids
measuring wall thickness 132
status bar 12
using the 12
surfaces
exporting badly trimmed 72
T
template model 43
thumbnail 35
tolerances
general 13
toolbars
main 11
object 10
using the 11
tools menu 8
tracking changes 47
V
VDA-FS File Export dialogue box 72
view menu 8
viewing models 21, 85
pan 21, 23
rotating 21, 23
rotating around X axis 19
rotating around Y axis 22, 23
rotating around Z axis 23
zooming 22, 23
zooming to box 22, 23
volume 132
W
window menu 8
Z
zip files
importing 55
zip models
closing 41
opening 41
zooming 22, 23
to box 22, 23

Basic - Concepts POWER SHAPE

Încărcat de

Informații document

Titlu original

Drepturi de autor

Formate disponibile

Partajați acest document

Partajați sau inserați document

Opțiuni de partajare

Vi se pare util acest document?

Este necorespunzător acest conținut?

Drepturi de autor:

Formate disponibile

Basic - Concepts POWER SHAPE

Încărcat de

Drepturi de autor:

Formate disponibile

PowerSHAPE

S-ar putea să vă placă și