Desription
The Orient command is used to edit the orientation of source curves, database curves, and database surfaces.
Tip: It is best if the orientation of database entities are changed before the creation of any associated grid entities. Changing a database entity’s orientation when there is an associated grid entity will cause the XYZ coordinates of some or all grid points to change.
Select database entities or source curves to be oriented, then go to Edit, Orient. The panel provides different options based on whether the selected entities have a parametric definition (source curves, database curves, and parametric surfaces) or a non-parametric definition (database shell entities and models).
The table at the top of the Orient panel displays the number of entities currently selected and the name of the current Master entity. Below the table is a color key that shows the colors used to indicate each coordinate direction and the Master entity in the Display window.
Align
The Align frame provides commands by which you can align all adjacent entities with the orientation of a Master entity. The commands in this frame are enabled when multiple entities are selected prior to entering the Orient panel. Use Set Master to select the entity by which all others should be aligned. Use Align to align the orientation of the selected entities with that of the Master entity.
Align can also be used to automatically orient nested closed models to have opposing orientations. In this case, it is recommended to set the outer model as the Master entity and use Align to orient all nested interior models to have their normals pointing in the opposite direction.
Reverse
The Reverse frame provides different options for reversing orientation depending on the type of entities selected:
- Database and Source Curves: Use the Reverse U command to change the orientation of the curve. Reverse V is disabled for curves, since they only have one parametric direction.
- Parametric Database Surfaces: Use the Reverse U and Reverse V commands to change the orientation of the U and V coordinate directions, respectively.
- Non-parametric Database Surfaces: Use the Normal command to flip the surface normal in the opposite direction.
Swap
The Swap frame provides additional controls for altering the definition of parametric database surfaces. Use the U-V command to switch the U and V coordinate directions.