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Preferences : Sculpting

This page handles preferences that relate to sculpting and to entity selection in Graphic Views.

Definition​

Reference point of selection items

This setting defines the reference point of entities for entity selection and for determining whether an entity is within a volume. It does not affect the identification of point entities, i.e. nodes and grid points.

  • Any part – If any topological point or the centre of the entity is in the selection area then the entity is selected. Click on any part to select a single entity.
  • All – If all topological points and the centre of the entity are in the selection area then the entity is selected. Click on any part to select a single entity.
  • Drag to right – all, drag to left – any part – If the selection area has been formed by dragging the mouse from left to right then the selection is as “All” otherwise it is as “Any part”.
  • At centre – If the centre of the entity is in the selection area then the entity is selected. Click on the centre to select a single entity.

Append to selection with click

When checked, previous selections are not emptied by a plain click or drag. Otherwise the shift key must be used while selecting, to append to the selection.

Highlight selected elements by line

When checked, selected entities are highlighted by a line along or around the entity. Otherwise highlighting is done by a symbol at the entity centre.

Snap to grid points

When checked, the position of the cursor on the construction grid is deemed to be at the nearest grid point. Otherwise the position is the actual position of the cursor, to an accuracy dependent on the structure scale and the screen resolution: the larger the scale and the finer the resolution, the greater is the accuracy of the position.

The coordinates of this position (the grid coordinates) are displayed in the status bar.

Copy list expanded

Lists are normally copied collapsing ranges to condense the string. This option permits list to be copied with each item included explicitly. The separator can be select to suit.

Pick tolerance

When selecting entities by clicking, an entity is selected if it is found within the pick tolerance of the cursor position. The pick tolerance is expressed in mm as measured on the screen, regardless of the structure scale.

Tolerance for coincidence

Two entities are deemed to be coincident if they lie within this tolerance of each other. The tolerance for coincidence is expressed in m as measured on the model.

Various operations, especially sculpt operations, use this setting as a default and then allow this default to be adjusted before the operation is carried out. Other operations use this setting directly.

Straightness tolerance

When selecting entities that must form a straight line the straightness tolerance is used to check the angle between pairs of entities to decide if they lie on a straight line. The straightness tolerance is expressed in °.