Geometric references

Geometric references are fundamental properties that determine how 3D objects are displayed, positioned, and sized within a 3D environment. These properties serve as essential control parameters for managing objects in a 3D scene. The two principal geometric references are the object's frame and scale.

Together, these geometric references provide complete control over an object's spatial characteristics, ensuring precise positioning and accurate representation within the 3D environment. Understanding and properly manipulating these references is crucial for achieving the desired visual results and maintaining accurate spatial relationships between objects.

Reference frame

The

Move frame

operation lets you change where an object's reference point is located in 3D space. This reference point acts as the object's local coordinate system origin and determines how the object behaves when moved or animated. Adjusting the frame position is essential when:

• Current motion behavior does not match desired simulation results.

• The object needs to rotate or move around a specific point.

• Precise control over transformation operations is required.

You can think of it like adjusting the pivot point around which an object will move, rotate, or transform.

Procedure

1. From the ribbon bar, click Move frame in the Coordinate system section.

2. In the dialog box, select the objects for which you want to change their frames. You can either select from the Scene tree or from the scene area. Note If an object is already selected in the Scene tree when you open the tool, it is listed in the Target object(s).

3. Define the new reference frame. You can:
   Select an existing frame in the Scene tree.
   
   Create a frame using the Frame tool in the ribbon bar and then select it.
   
   Select a 3D object to use its frame.

4. Click Change frame to perform the operation.

Note

To see the effect of the Change frame tool, you can activate and deactivate the visibility of the object's axes.

Scale

The Re-scale operation allows you to uniformly adjust an object's dimensions to match your desired unit system. This tool is essential when working with imported 3D models that use different measurement units than your current project.

Procedure

1. From the ribbon bar, click Rescale in the Coordinate system section.

2. In the dialog box, select the objects for which you want to change scales. You can either select from the Scene tree or from the scene area. Note If an object is already selected in the Scene tree when you open the tool, it is listed in the Target object(s).

3. Define the scale factor. You can:

                                Select a predefined scale factor if you know
                                    the native unit.
                            
                            
                                Select Custom and manually enter the factor to
                                    apply.
   

4. Click Rescale to perform the operation.