The user has access to three main tool palettes:
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The Construction Palette This palette includes the primitive creation tools. Those tools create 2D shapes such as curves, circles, arcs, or rectangles, and 3D shapes such as spheres, cubes, and extruded shapes.
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The Modeling Palette This palette includes the tools you will use to edit and modify a shape. You will be able to rescale a shape, smooth it, apply bevels, and so forth. For more details, see the chapter User Manual/Tools/Modeling. |
The Assembly Palette This palette includes the tools used to position and orient the objects. Rotate, weld and duplicate are some of the features found in this palette.
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Amapi 3D provides two different interfaces for the display and use of these tools:
¨ One interface follows the “workshop” paradigm: it is specially designed to allow the user to move freely about the Amapi 3D work space, simulating as closely as possible the natural movement of a designer at the drawing table, or the movement of a sculptor in his workshop.
¨ The other interface has the advantage of being more familiar to most users, as is more of a “standard” interface.
For more details on the choice of interface, see the chapter User Manual/Edit/Preferences/Interface/Tool palettes.
How do you pick up a tool?
Before using a tool, you must select the object you wish to edit. It is the current object (see chapter User Manual/Tools/Assistant Palette/Selection tools/Wand).
Then, click on the desired tool.
How do you change palettes?
Þ If you selected the Workshop interface, move the cursor outside the right side of the scene and then back into the scene.
Þ If you selected the Standard interface, you do not have to change the palette as all the tools are grouped into a single Tools Palette.
How do you end the action of a tool?
There are two ways to do this:
Validate:
Þ In the Assistant Palette: Click on the “OK” button.
Or
Þ On the keyboard: Press the Return key.
Validating an action will quit a tool. The cursor will switch back to the Wand, and you will be able to select a new tool or object.
Putting the tool aside:
Þ If you selected the Workshop interface: Move the cursor outside the right side of the scene and then back into the scene to put the tool aside. You can then select another object or pick up a new tool.
Þ If you selected the Standard interface:
Þ Select another tool in the Tools Palette to keep on working with the current palette.
Or
Þ Select a construction tool.
Selecting another tool will automatically drop the previous tool (standard interface). See chapter User Manual/Tools for more details.
