New Editing Tools

A major 4.0 focus is easier editing. There are new editing technologies (Universal Deformation Technology [UDT] and feature recognition) that are not constrained by how you got there or where you want to go next. History lets you edit an object by changing the objects that it was created from. Overview video...

There are more than a hundred new tools and enhancements for editing curves, surfaces, solids, and meshes.

Edit ( new, enhanced)

• History - Turns on and off recording, updating of history-aware objects, locking children, and warning messages.  The results of these commands can be edited by editing their inputs: Array, ArrayPolar, Copy, Divide, EdgeSrf, ExtrudeCrv, ExtrudeCrvAlongCrv, ExtrudeCrvTapered, ExtrudeCrvToPoint, ExtrudeSrf, ExtrudeSrfAlongCrv, ExtrudeSrfTapered, ExtrudeSrfToPoint, Flow, Intersect, Loft, Mirror, NetworkSrf, Orient, Project, RailRevolve, Revolve, Rotate, Rotate3D, Scale, Scale1D, Scale2D, ScaleNU, Shear, and Symmetry commands. Video...
• HistoryPurge - Removes history from an object and its children.
• HistoryUpdate - Redefines the object based on editing its parents.
• SelChildren - Selects child objects of the currently selected objects.
• SelParents - Selects parent objects of the currently selected objects.
• SelObjectsWithHistory - Selects all objects that have parents (all child objects).
• Trim
• Now allows selecting objects to trim with a crossing window.
• Undo in the middle of trimming.
• Trimming polysurfaces with curves now supported.

[Print version]

designs by Inconito

Transform ( new, enhanced)

• Align - Aligns objects based on their bounding boxes. Video...
• Array - Preview added. Also, if the distance is shown by mouse clicks in a negative direction, the array will now be created in the negative direction. Video...
• ArrayCrv -  Video...
  New Options:
  • Rotation translates objects from the selected base point to locations on the curve.
  • Freefrom twisting rotates the objects to maintain their initial relationship to the path curve.
  • Roadlike Top maintains the object's angle to Top construction plane.
  • Basepoint.
• ArrayPolar - New option: StepAngle. Video...
• Bend - [UDT] Works on curves, meshes, surfaces, and polysurfaces. Video...
  New options:
  • Rigid
  • Symmetric
  • PreserveStructure
  • LimitToSpine 
• CageEdit - [UDT] Free-form editing with a control cage by attaching a curve, surface, box, or bounding box around objects. Video...
  Related commands include:
  • Cage - Creates a control box cage.
  • ReleaseFromCage - Removes captives from a control cage.
  • SelCaptives - Selects objects that have a control cage attached.
• Copy - New options:
• FromLastPoint - Video...
• UseLastDistance - Video...
• UseLastDirection - Video...
• CopyToLayer - Copies objects to a specified layer.
• DupLayer - Duplicates a layer including all geometry and material assignments.
• Explode - Dimensions explode into curves and text. Text explodes into curves, hatch patterns into lines.
• Flow - [UDT]  Flows curves, meshes, surfaces, and polysurfaces from one curve to another. New options:
  • PreserveStructure for curves and surfaces. Video...
  • Rigid helps flow text along a curve. Video...
• FlowAlongSrf - [UDT]  Morphs objects from a source surface to a target surface. Video...
• Maelstrom - [UDT] Like rotate, with a twist. Video...
• Mirror -  New 3Point option.
• Move - Now remembers the last distance used.
• Orient - New Scale options.
• OrientOnCrv - Orients an object along a curve. Video...
• OrientOnSrf
  • New interface.
  • Rigid=No - [UDT] Conform an object to a surface, like pottery sprigging or appliqué. Video...
• RemapCPlane - New options for selecting the target construction plane: CPlane and View.
• Rotate and Rotate3D - Interface enhanced.
• Scale, Scale1D, and ScaleNU -
• Scale2D - Now works on Text.
• SetPt - Right click the checkmark on the axis you want to set and clear the rest.
• Shear -
• SoftMove - Moves objects in a radius from a center point with a falloff curve of influence. Video...
• Splop - Copies, rotates, scales, and wraps objects on a surface, like pottery sprigging or appliqué.  Video...
• Stretch -  [UDT] Stretch the middle of objects without affecting either end. Video...
• Symmetry - Mirrors and matches a curve or surface and uses History to update the mirrored copy. Video...
• Taper -  [UDT] Works on curves, meshes, surfaces, and polysurfaces. Video...
  New options:
  • Rigid
  • PreserveStructure.
• Trim - Now trims polysurfaces with curves.
• Twist -  [UDT] Works on curves, meshes, surfaces, and polysurfaces. Video...
  New options:
  • Rigid
  • PreserveStructure.

UDT - FlowAlongSrf

Curve/Points ( new, enhanced)

• CloseCrv - Closes open curves either with a straight segment or by moving the endpoint to the startpoint if they are within joining tolerance of one another. Video...
• Connect - Extends or trims two curves to meet.
• Convert
  • SimplifyInput option makes sure NURBS curves consisting of arc and line segments are properly split so that the conversion to arcs and lines is more accurate.
  • When converting a curve to arcs, you can now set the angle tolerance to zero to turn off the mechanism that keeps the arc segments tangent to each other.
  • You can now type a number to update the distance tolerance.
• CurveBoolean - Boolean curves. Video...
• DeleteSubCrv - Breaks a curve between two selected points. Video...
• Divide - New option: MarkEnds.
• EditPtOn - Now works on curves that have control points on.
• ExtractSubCrv - Extracts a subcurve from a polycurve object. Video...
• FilletCorners - Fillets all corners of a polyline. Video...
• FixedLengthCrvEdit - Edit a curve without changing its length. Video...
• InsertControlPoint - Inserts control points in a curve or surface. Video...
• InsertEditPoint - Inserts edit points in a curve.
• InsertLineIntoCrv - Straightens a curve between selected locations. Video...
• MoveCrv - Moves a curve segment in a polyline or polycurve. Or, moves the curve corner in a polyline or polycurve. Video...
• PointCloud - You can now select points to remove with a window selection.
• Project - Project to a mesh is now supported. New option: DeleteInput  Video...
• PointsOn - Works on curves that have edit points on.
• Pull - Pulls to mesh objects as well as surfaces and polysurfaces. Video...
• Rebuild -
  • New numeric deviation display in the dialog box.
  • Curve deviation is measured when rebuilding surface edges.
  • The maximum deviation report now appears in the dialog box.
  • SelectMasterCurve option when curves are selected. You will be prompted to select a "master" curve. Once you select a master curve, all the other curves are rebuilt using the NURBS structure of the master.
• RebuildCrvNonUniform - Interactive curve rebuild tool allows modification of the rebuilt curve to more closely match the original by spacing the control points non-uniformly.
• RemoveControlPoint - Removes control points from a curve or surface. Video...
• SoftEditCrv - Moves a point on the curve with a specified distance of influence. Video...

Surface ( new, enhanced)

• ConnectSrf - Extends or trims two surfaces to connect like a zero radius fillet. Video...
• ExtendTrimmedSrf - Extends or stretches a surface by moving an edge. Video...
• InsertControlPoint - Insert control points in a curve or surface. Video...
• MatchSrf
  • New AutoChain and ChainContinuity edge selection. AutoChain automatically selects all connected edges.
  • Can match to curves for position.
• RemoveEdge - Remove selected surface edge segments and optionally replaces them with lines. Video...
• RemoveControlPoint - Removes a row of control points on a surface. Video...
• ShrinkTrimmedSrfToEdge - Shrinks the underlying surface of a trimmed surface as close as possible to the trimmed edges.
• Smash - Flattens almost any surface or polysurface. Video...
• SoftEditSrf - Moves a point on the surface with a specified area of influence. Video...
• Split - Isocurve option now uses Int object snap for snapping to isocurve intersections.
• SrfSeam - Now works on trimmed surfaces.
• UnrollSrf - Two new modes for laying out the flattened surfaces from a polysurface have been added. Video...
• Untrim
  • Feedback has been added for selecting when there are common trimming boundaries.
  • Now does partial untrimming.
  • New option untrims all holes or edges.

Solids/Polysurface ( new, enhanced)

• ArrayHole - Make 2-D array of holes in a planar surface. Video...
• ArrayHolePolar - Make 2-D polar array of holes in a planar surface. Video...
• Boolean - Non-manifold objects (for example, three surfaces sharing an edge) no longer cause Boolean commands to fail if the object intersection does not cross the non-manifold edge.
• Boolean2Objects - Boolean two objects by iterating through all possibilities with mouse clicks. Video...
• BooleanSplit - Finds the common parts of selected surfaces or polysurfaces and creates separate solids from the shared and unshared parts. Video...
• DeleteHole - Removes an interior trim and deletes all of the connected geometry.
• ExtrudeSrf - Extruded faces from a polysurface/solid now become part of the polysurface/solid. New options:
  • DeleteInput - Deletes the input surface and joins the remaining input polysurface with extruded surfaces.
  • ToBoundary - Extrudes to a boundary. Video...
• FoldFace - Fold faces of polysurfaces around an axis or line. Video...
• MakeHole - Creates a hole in a surface using a closed curve to define the hole shape. Video...
• MergeAllFaces - Merges all co-planar faces of a polysurface into one face.
• MergeFace - Merge two co-planar faces in a polysurface into one.
• MoveEdge - Select and move the edge of a polysurface. Video...
• MoveFace - Moves faces from polysurfaces in a specified direction and stretches adjacent faces. Move to a boundary object is an option. Video...
• MoveHole - Moves a hole cut through a planar surface, polysurface.
• MoveUntrimmedEdge - Moves a polysurface edge in the defined direction and stretches faces that are adjacent to moved edge. Video...
• MoveUntrimmedFace - Moves a polysurface face in the defined direction and stretches faces that are adjacent to moved face. Video...
• PlaceHole - Places multiple holes on a face using a closed curve. Video...
• RevolvedHole - Create revolved holes from profile curve. Video...
• RotateEdge - Rotate edges of polysurfaces around an axis with angle or reference points. Video...
• RotateFace - Rotate faces of polysurfaces around an axis with angle or reference points. Video...
• RotateHole - Rotates a hole in a planar surface. Video...
• RoundHole - Quickly make round holes without a hole curve or profile curve. Video...
• ScaleEdge - Scale the edges of a planar surface. Video...
• ShearFace - Rotate and scale faces of polysurfaces around an axis with angle or reference points.  Video...
• Smash - Flattens almost any surface or polysurface. Video...
• SplitFace - Split a planar face of a polysurface with a curve. Video...
• WireCut - Use open or closed curve to cut a polysurface similar to cutting foam with a heated wire. Video...