mouse over center

[fhunt]

In Solidworks, if you want to pick the center point of a feature (like a circular edge), you hold the cursor over the edge and the center highlights and stays highlighted (so you can move the cursor to pick it). Is this a patented feature that IronCAD is prevented from offerring? In IronCAD, I always have trouble getting the correct center point when a part has a lot of concentric features. I can usually easily pick the visible edges, but trying to orient the part just right and "fishing around" (with the cursor) in the invisible center point field gets frustrating and time consumming. I'd like a better way to quickly locate the proper center point.

 

Also, If I'm zoomed in and the tri-ball is outside the field of view, is there an easy way to move the tri-ball to the center of a circular feature? I have been right clicking, picking "move tri-ball center only", clicking on some visible feature of the part, right clicking the center of the tri-ball (when it snaps to the selected point of the visible feature), selecting "snap to center point", selecting the visible edge of the circular feature, and hitting the space bar to get out of move tri-ball only mode. Why don't a get the option to "snap to center point" on the first right click menu?

 

Thank for your help.

 

Fred

[Cary OConnor]

For the first item: Are you trying to find the center for what reason? To drop a feature, to place a sketch? Please let me know. In most cases (like on drop) if you hold the shift key and drop on a cylindrical edge it will snap to the center of that edge.

 

For the Second item: Hit the spacebar, Right-click on the centerpoint of the Triball and select "To CenterPoint" and then select the cylindrical edge. It will snap to the center of the edge.

 

Cary

[fhunt]

For the first item, many times I want the origin of a 2D sketch to be on the center of an existing circular feature. Also, dragging an intellishape out of a catalog and trying to drop it on an invisible center point can be rather difficult. A lot of times i have to drop it someplace else and then reposition it using the triball.

 

For the second item, my question pertained to when I'm zoomed in and the Triball is outside the view range. I can zoom out (till the triball becomes visible), follow the process you describe, and then zoom back in. However, this adds steps that should not be necessary. If I'm zoomed in already, I think I should have an option to place the triball center without having to zoom out.

[cborer]

With the Tribal to orient is very easy (in fact the orientation may be important to get good drawing)

1. Move anchor on the place you want as centre (with the Triball)

2. On Part: orient Triball to global.

 

You can use Tribal on many levels: Anchor, Shape, Part uso

With the Triball and Anchor you can set the "centre" for each level

 

PS when you move the part on shape level, the anchor at part level stays, thats the reason why the Triball maybe far away from the part.

 

Best

Carlo

Edited January 28, 2011 by cborer

[tlehnhaeuser]

For the second item, my question pertained to when I'm zoomed in and the Triball is outside the view range.  I can zoom out (till the triball becomes visible), follow the process you describe, and then zoom back in.  However, this adds steps that should not be necessary.  If I'm zoomed in already, I think I should have an option to place the triball center without having to zoom out.

30969[/snapback]

 

Hello Fred,

See video to see how to achieve this better. Need 7zip to unzip

Tom

TriBallCenter.7z

[Cary OConnor]

Fred,

 

I agree about the Sketch Placement. I will file that one. For the Intellishape placement, hold down the Shift key when you drop the intellishape and drop it on to the circular edge. It will automatically place to the centerpoint.

 

For the second item, I'll submit the ER to have the Shift Select when Placing the TriBall center to work in that case (like above). They you would not need to use the center point of the triball for the action.

 

Thanks,

Cary