Translate and Rotate Entities

Use the Move tool to translate and rotate selected entities.

Certain types of entities, like parts and assemblies, cannot be moved with the Move tool. Entities like pressures cannot be moved because their position and orientation are determined by the entity to which they are applied.
  1. From the Home tools, click the Move tool.


    Figure 1.
  2. Optional: Click on the guide bar to define movement options.
  3. Select an entity type using the guide bar selector.
  4. Select entities to move.
    The Move tool is placed the center of selected entities.
  5. Click a graphical manipulator then do one of the following:
    • Drag the graphical manipulator to translate or rotate entities in the selected direction(s).
    • Enter a precise value in the microdialog and press Enter.
    To Do This
    Translate along an axis Click the X, Y, or Z arrow.


    Figure 2.
    Translate along a plane Click the XY, XZ, or YX plane square.


    Figure 3.
    Translate freely in 3D space Click the origin of the Move tool.


    Figure 4.
    Tip: Use the icons in the microdialog to align the tool to a part or the global axes.
    Rotate around an axis Click a curved arrow.


    Figure 5.
    Rotate freely Click at the tip of the X, Y, or Z arrow and drag.


    Figure 6.
Tip: Use snap points to align entities by clicking-and-dragging a snap point on one entity to the snap point on a second entity.

Reposition the Move Tool

Reposition the Move tool along an axis, within a plane, or in 3D space to change the center of rotation.

  1. From the Home tools, click the Move tool.


    Figure 7.
  2. Enter editing mode in the following ways:
    • Hold Shift.
    • Double-click one of the graphical manipulators.
    The Move tool becomes orange, indicating that it is ready to be repositioned.
  3. Similar to translating and rotating, use the graphical manipulators and microdialogs to reposition the tool.
  4. Let go of Shift or left-click in empty space to exit editing mode.
    The Move tool displays in white.

Move Tool

An overview of the Move tool



Figure 8.

Use the Move tool to translate and rotate selected entities.

Access
Go to Home > Move

Guide Bar Menu Options

Move mesh in real time
Show updated mesh connectivity in real time while moving nodes and elements, or show it only when releasing the mouse after each move. Turn off to improve performance on larger models.
Collision detection (components only)
Prevent components from passing through other components.

The default behavior of the Move tool allows components to pass through each other and overlap uninhibited.



Figure 9.

When the collision detection option is activated, an attempt to collide two components by moving one of them results in the component stopping at or before the point of collision. If you attempt to drag the component past this position, it remains in the non-penetrating position and the feature edges of the component that is blocking the motion are highlighted orange. If you continue to drag the component all the way through the blocking component, the dragged component will move once again until it encounters another collision.



Figure 10.

Microdialog Options

Align the Move tool with the global axis.
Align the Move tool along an edge or face. If the Move tool is being repositioned (highlighted orange), clicking this button will force the Move tool to be aligned automatically as you drag it around the model.

Keyboard Shortcuts and Mouse Controls

To do this Press
Reposition the Move tool Shift + Left Mouse Drag or Double Click
Temporarily disable snapping Alt