Define Orientation

Several tools require you to define a plane or a vector direction to perform a certain function, such as dragging geometry along a vector, spinning it about an axis, or splitting it with a plane. Using the Vector tool, both planes and vectors can be defined as needed.

Figure 1.

Define a vector/plane in the following ways:

• Click and drag to move the base handle – the point in space where the plane/vector is located. Then, drag the handle at the tip of the arrow to define a vector, or drag two handles on the edges of the plane to define a plane.
  HyperWorks takes advantage of the following principle: a plane can be defined with a vector (the plane is normal to the vector specified), just as a vector can be defined with a plane (the vector is normal to the plane specified).

  
  
  Figure 2. . Example defining a vector using the plane handles. A spin axis is defined normal to 3 locations on a circle.

  
  
  Figure 3. . Example defining a plane using the vector handles. A split plane is defined normal to a point and its perpendicular projection to an edge.

• Instead of dragging the handles with the mouse, you can also define a plane/vector quickly by holding Ctrl and clicking on any two locations for a vector, or any three locations for a plane.
• Use the options in the microdialog to help position the vector or plane.

  , ,	Align to one of the global axes, or type any vector components.
  	Translate or rotate the Vector tool with precision.
  	Edit handle coordinates.
  	Reverse the direction of the vector.
  	Align the vector/plane as normal or parallel to the current view.