CST2013: WCS Alignment Mode

Modeling: WCSAlign WCS

If anything is picked while "W" gets pressed or WCSAlign WCS gets selected, the working coordinate system (WCS) will be aligned to the picked entity. See Coordinate Systems for a description of different alignments onto picks.

With no selected points, edges and faces, you enter the interactive WCS (working coordinate system) alignment mode by pressing "W".

Moving the mouse above shapes will show you where the WCS will be moved and how it will be aligned. Double clicking or pressing "Return" will perform the WCS transformation.

Selecting a point

Double clicking onto a pickable point will simply move the WCS' origin to that point.

Selecting an edge

This will move the WCS onto the middle of the edge, the  WCS' u vector will point into the same direction than the selected edge.

The normal of the WCS will be taken from the normal of one of the connected faces. You may influence which of the adjacent faces is taken for normal determination by hovering the mouse from that face onto the edge.

Selecting a face

If the selected face is planar, the WCS origin will be moved to the face center. If it is non-planar, the WCS will be moved to the nearest point touching the face, relative to the current working coordinate system.

The normal of the selected face in the new WCS origin will be taken as new normal of the WCS.

Note:

All described WCS transformations above have a corresponding none-interactive mode. First pick a point, an edge, a face and an edge or just a face. Then Select Modeling: WCSAlign WCS or press "W" to immediately perform the alignment.