Using Tools

is the Component Selection tool. Clicking and dragging on a component within the scene results in the component being moved.

The Edit Control is also displayed when an object is selected, which provides additional editing functions.

Selecting an object with this tool makes available any Operations, Boolean Operations or other operations that apply to the object.

Alt-Selecting with this tool not only selects the object, but also any sibling objects and child objects. This is primarily used for scaling, deleting, copying compound-objects. It can also be used to add compound-objects to the object library. Operations and most other operations do not apply to compound-objects.

Double-Clicking on an object opens the object's source, which can then be updated. If an object's source is updated, any Operations or Boolean Operations will be reapplied to the updated object.

is the Point and Face Selection Tool. With this tool, the points and faces that make up an object can be manipulated. Clicking and dragging a face or point results in the selection being moved.

If a face is selected, point handles will be displayed. Point handles are displayed only if a single face is selected. 

Shift-selecting faces results in multiple faces being selected. Ctrl-selecting a face results in the selected face being toggled. Alt-selecting with this tool will select all faces that point in the same direction.

Multiple point handles may be selected by shift-selecting point handles. Ctrl-selecting a point results in the selected point being toggled.

The Edit Control is also displayed when a face or point is selected, which provides additional editing functions.

Selecting a Point of Face with this tool makes available any Operations that apply to the selection.

Note that manipulating points or faces can result in objects which do not render as expected. Non-planar polygons cannot be guaranteed to be rendered as intended. To correct this problem use the Optimize Operation

is the Face Group Selection Tool. Draw a rectangle with this tool, and it will select all object faces that have at least one point within the selection rectangle. Only faces from one object at a time may be selected.

Alt-Selecting with this tool will select not only the visible faces, but also the faces on the other side of the object.

The Edit Control is also displayed when a face or point is selected, which provides additional editing functions.

Selecting with this tool makes available any Operations that apply to the selection.

is the Operation Adjustment Tool. Many Operations can be adjusted after they have been applied. For instance, an object that has has been Bent using the Bend operation can have the amount of the bend scaled using this tool.

Selecting an object with this tool will display the standard Edit Control. Note that not all operations support the Move/Scale/Rotate functions of the Edit Control. Only those Edit Control functions that apply to the currently active Operation of the object will be displayed.

Alt-Selecting with this tool enables not only the current Operation for adjustment, but also any other like-Operations that immediately precede the current Operation in the Layers List.

This tool is primarily used for animation purposes. For example, the effect of a Bend Operation can easily be adjusted over time to provide a  varying amount of bend depending on the time within the animation.

is the Deform tool. Clicking and dragging an object results in the object being deformed. The range of effect can be set using the Deform Tool options, which can be displayed by right-clicking.

is the Shift tool. Clicking and dragging an object within the scene results in it being moved relative to its frame. This is particularly useful when there are multiple items on the same frame. This permits an object to be shifted, without affecting its siblings. It is also useful if you want an object to rotate around a point other than its center.

is the Face Painting tool. Clicking on a face results in the face being painted with the current material. Clicking and dragging results in multiple faces being painted with the current material.

is the Fill tool. Clicking on an object results in the object being filled with the current material. Textures may be applied perpendicular to the x-z plane or applied oriented based on the face clicked. This behavior is set with the Material Palette's Apply Relative options.

is the Material Sample Tool. Clicking on an object will copy the current material for that selected point to the Material Palette.

is the Shadow Target Selection Tool. Shadows in 3D Canvas are simulated, and can only lie on a single plane. This tool is used to select the plane on which the shadow should fall.

is the Rotation Axis Tool. It is used to adjust the orientation of the rotation axis. This should be used in Orthographic views since it can be quite difficult to judge the orientation in perspective mode. The Rotational Velocity for an object is set with the Object Properties which can be viewed by right clicking on an object and selecting Properties.