Desiring God

The Spurgeon Archive

Last Issued
Ref.Issue #1
Ref.Issue #2
Ref.Issue #3

Ref. Issue #4 - 15 May 2008 - Working in 3D

Using the Dashboard for 3D drawings
The Dashboard is a palette that contains tools especially for 3D drawings. As with all palettes, you can dock it on the left or right side of the drawing area. By default, it does not display 2D drawing or editing commands, but you can display the commands from the Draw and Modify toolbars. Right-click the palette’s title bar and choose Control panels➪2D Draw control panel.

The Dashboard is new for AutoCAD 2007. (It is not available in AutoCAD LT.) The Dashboard puts a large number of commands and controls for 3D work together in one location.

When you use an object snap in 3D, the Z value of the point comes from the Z value of the object. If you want to force a constant Z value, based on the current UCS or elevation, for a specific operation, temporarily change the new OSNAPZ system variable to 1. (This system variable is not available in AutoCAD LT.)

You can use point objects to help you draw in 3D. Set a visible point style (Format➪Point Style). Then place a point at a known coordinate. You can then use the Node object snap to access that point.

You can use grips to edit 3D objects as well. Again, it’s important to choose a view that makes the editing easy. Grip-editing wireframes is somewhat different from grip-editing solids.

Grips are shown parallel to the plane of the current User Coordinate System. When you
change your viewpoint, the grips change their shape slightly to look as if they are lying on the
XY plane.

You can use the new CONVTOSURFACE command to convert open polyline figures with no width, lines, and arcs—as long as they have a thickness. You can use the new CONVTOSOLID command to convert three types of closed wireframe objects with thickness to solids— polylines with a uniform width, closed polyline figures with no width, and circles.

Source : AutoCAD2007 and AutoCAD2007 LT Bible by Ellen Finkelstein