Lets you move a plane through a surface
or mesh to show cross sections dynamically.
- Pick the surfaces or meshes you want
to examine.
- Choose Evaluate > Dynamic Section
❒.
A sectioning
plane appears, at the geometric center of the object(s). A red cross
section appears on the selected objects where the plane intersects
them.
NoteAt any time you can click additional surfaces
or meshes to add to the selection. Clicking an already selected
surface or mesh removes it from the selection. (You can use a pick
box instead of clicking.)
- Set the Number of Planes (number
of sections) and Step Size (spacing between
sections) in the option box.
The cross sections appear as red lines and update
on the objects.
- Use the manipulator to orient the sectioning
plane, or enter specific values in the Translate and Rotate fields
in the control window.
-
Changing these values update the plane manipulator,
and vice-versa.
The
cross sections update as the plane is moved/rotated.
NoteUsing
the Translate fields lets you cut
a section at a specific location along one of the main world axes
(for example X = 100).
- Do any of the following:
- Use the manipulator to move the sectioning
plane through the surfaces.
- Select an existing construction plane
to use as the base sectioning plane.
- Click the Geom button
to create free curves from the cross section(s).
- Click the Create Planes button
to create construction planes corresponding to the sectioning planes.
- Click the Curvature On button
to show a curvature comb plot on the section(s). To change the scale
of the comb plot, adjust the Curvature Scale setting.
- Click the Rotation Reset button
to reset all the rotations on the sectioning plane to 0, and re-align
the sections with the X, Y, and Z axes.
- Turn on Visual Clip in
the control window, to see only the part of the model in front of
the sectioning plane. Turn on Flip to see
only the part of the model behind the sectioning plane.
- Turn on Visual Clip and Clip
Offset to create an additional plane parallel to the
sectioning plane, and see only the part of the model between the
two planes.
- Turn on Persistent Sections in
the option box for the sections to remain visible after exiting
the tool.
NoteIf creating true geometry cross
sections with the
Geom button, you can use
Curve Edit > Sort Sections 
to sort out your cross sections
into different layers, according to the plane they lie in (X, Y,
Z or Other). This grouping is useful for manipulating cross section
data.
How do I use the manipulators?
NoteThe
manipulators are visible through shaded geometry.
Sectioning Plane
- Drag a handle to move/rotate.
- Click an arrow to change the center handle
to the free move handle. Then drag the center handle to move the
plane freely.
- Click a sphere or arc to change the center
handle to the free rotate handle. Then drag the center handle to
rotate the plane freely.
- Click a box (square) to set the plane
perpendicular to one of the manipulator axes.
Clip Offset Plane
- Click the plane or the arrow (they turn
white) and drag to change the offset distance.
NoteWhen the sectioning
plane is moved or rotated, the offset plane is moved or rotated
along with it, so that both planes always remain parallel and separated
by the same distance.
Define two visual clipping
planes
You
can define a secondary visual clipping plane parallel to, and at
a given distance from, the primary clipping plane. Only the part
of the model between the two clipping planes is displayed.
This secondary plane
is always driven by the location and direction of the primary plane.
- Select surfaces or meshes
- Choose Evaluate > Dynamic
Section ❒ to
open the option window.
- Adjust position and orientation of the
sectioning plane.
- Turn on the Visual Clip option.
The display of surfaces/meshes
is clipped to the location and direction of the current plane.
- Turn on the Clip Offset option.
An offset plane appears,
and the display of surfaces/meshes is clipped to the location and
direction of that second plane as well, leaving only the part of
the model between the two planes visible.
- Use the Clip Offset slider,
or click and drag the offset plane manipulator, to adjust the offset
distance of the second clipping plane from the first.
The clipped area updates.
Both the slider value
in the option window and the offset plane manipulator on the model
update to reflect each other.
NoteTo position the offset
plane manipulator through keyboard input or snapping, first select
it by clicking it without dragging. The manipulator
turns white when selected.
Cut a section at a specific
location along one of the main axes
- Choose the orientation of the sectioning
plane by clicking on one of the three square icons on the manipulator.
- Enter the X, Y, or Z location of the
plane in the appropriate Translate field.
Remove persistent sections
If the Persistent Sections option
was turned on, the sections will remain after exiting the tool.
Use the Clear button
in the Cross Section Control tab of
the Control Panel to remove them.
