Moving Objects

2 Adams/View
Using Object Position Handle

Using Object Position Handle

The Object position handle is a powerful tool for translating and rotating various objects in your model.

Displaying the Object Position Handle

To display the object position handle on an object:
• Select the object on which you want to display the handle. To see the handle, you can have only
one object selected.
The position handle appears over the first point of the geometry that you created or in the center
of spherical geometry.

Translating an Object Along Its Axes

You can use the Object position handle to translate an object along an axis of the object position handle.

To translate an object along its axes:

1. Display the position handle as explained in Displaying the Object Position Handle.
2. Click on any of the axis stems of the object position handle and drag the stem. The position handle
moves the object in either direction along the selected axis.
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Using Object Position Handle

Rotating an Object About Its Axes

You can use the Object position handle to rotate an object about an axis of the object position handle.

To rotate the object about any of its three axes:

1. Display the position handle as explained in Displaying the Object Position Handle.
2. Click on the ball at the end of any of the axes of the handle and pivot the axis around the origin
of the handle. Moving the x-axis ball rotates about the y-axis, moving the y-axis ball rotates about
the z-axis, moving the z-axis ball rotates about the x-axis.
3. You can also use the object position handle to rotate an object in the plane of the screen when one
axis of the object is perpendicular to the screen.

Tip: To gain more precise control on the rotation angles, move the mouse away from the
center of the position handle as you rotate the object. The farther you move the
mouse away from the position handle, the smaller Adams/View makes the angles of
rotation.

Creating a Global Position Handle

You can create a global position handle with respect to the which you can translate and rotate selected
objects.

Tip: You can also locate the global position handle by entering precise locations as
explained in Exact Position Tool - Moving Objects Exactly. If other objects are also
selected, Adams/View moves them to positions relative to the new position of the
global position handle.

To set a global position handle:

1. Do either of the following:
• From the Settings menu, select Object Position Handle.
• From the Move Toolstack on the Main toolbox, select Object Position Handle tool .
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Using Object Position Handle

The Object Position Handle dialog box appears.

2. Select Set Handle Location, and then click on the screen to indicate the location for the handle.
3. If desired, orient the axes of the handle as explained below. By default, the orientation of the
position handle is set to that of the current Working grid axes.
• Set Orientation Via to how you want to orient the handle.
• Select Orientation Via, and then define axes as necessary.
4. Select Close.

To reset the global position handle to the default location for the selected object:
• Select Reset from the Object Handle Settings dialog box.

Tip: You can also delete the global position handle just as you would any object as
explained in Deleting Objects.
 Moving Objects 5
Moving Objects Using the Move Tools

Moving Objects Using the Move Tools

The move tools available from the Move Toolstack on the Main toolbox provide many different ways to
move objects.

Note: Four of the tools in the Move tool stack are not explained here because they are shortcuts
to other operations or apply more to parameterization. The tools are:

• Coordinate System tool

• Working Grid tool
• Parameterization tools f(x) and f(theta)

Translating Objects by Dragging

You can quickly translate objects by dragging them. To protect you from accidentally translating objects,
you need to press Ctrl and Shift before you can translate the objects. You can translate objects in the
Working grid if it is turned on or about the global coordinate system.

To translate objects by selecting and dragging:

1. Select the objects that you want to translate as explained in Selecting Objects.
2. Hold down the Ctrl and Shift keys.
3. Click anywhere on the selected objects and hold down the mouse button.
4. Drag the selected objects to the desired location and release the mouse button.

Moving Objects By Increments

Main toolbox -> Move tool stack -> By Increments

You can position an object incrementally using the By Increments tool . It lets you specify the angle
of rotation or the translational distance. The next two sections explain how to translate and rotate objects
by increments:
• Rotating Object by Increments
• Translating Object by Increments
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Moving Objects Using the Move Tools

Rotating Object by Increments

Rotates an object by increments about the center (origin) of the View window. As you rotate the object,
you can select where the origin of the view window is.

To incrementally rotate an object:

1. Select the object that you want to move.
2. From the Move Toolstack, select the By Increments tool .
See a Picture of rotating by increments.
3. If desired, select a new view center about which to rotate the object. To select a new center:
• Select the blank box in the center of the rotation arrows.
• Select a point on screen about which you want to rotate the object.
4. In the Angle text box, set the amount by which you want to incrementally rotate the object.
5. Select the appropriate rotation arrows to rotate the object. Adams/View rotates the object each
time you select an arrow.

Translating Object by Increments

Translates an object by increments.

To incrementally translate an object:

1. Select the object that you want to move.
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Moving Objects Using the Move Tools

2. From the Move Toolstack on the Main toolbox, select the By Increments tool . The settings
in the Main toolbox container change as shown below
.

3. In the Distance text box, set the amount by which you want to incrementally translate the object.
4. Select the appropriate translation arrows to translate the object along the x- or y-axis of the view
coordinate system. Adams/View translates the object each time you select an arrow.

Exact Position Tool - Moving Objects Exactly

Main toolbox -> Move toolstack -> Exact Position Tool

You can position an object precisely by specifying the translational coordinates and the rotational angles
of the object’s position handle relative to the Working grid axes, global coordinate system, or any object
on the screen. In addition, you can display the current position of an object’s position handle.
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Moving Objects Using the Move Tools

The following figure shows an example of entering the exact location of a box’s object handle position
so that the handle is in the same position as the handle of a second box.

If more than one object is selected or you’ve created a global position handle, Adams/View moves the
first object you selected or the handle to the specified location and moves all other selected objects to
positions relative to the first selected object or the handle.

To position an object precisely or get the location of an object:

1. Select the object or objects that you want to position or the object whose coordinate location you
want to display.
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Moving Objects Using the Move Tools

2. From the Move Toolstack on the Main toolbox, select the Exact Position tool . The settings
in the Main toolbox change as shown below.

3. Do one or more of the following:

• Select Get to obtain the coordinates of the selected object.
• In the 1, 2, or 3 Location and Orientation text boxes, enter the locations and orientations to
which you want to move the object.
The coordinate locations are in the current coordinate system. For example, if the coordinate
system is set to Cartesian, then Location 1 is the x coordinate.
Orientation 1 is the first rotation angle, Orientation 2 is the second, and Orientation 3 is the
third. The axis to which Adams/View applies these angles depends on the current rotation
sequence. Learn about Rotation Sequences. For example, if the rotation sequence is body-
fixed 313, Adams/View applies Orientation 1 to the z-axis.
4. Select the object to which the locations and orientations are relative. The coordinates are relative
to the location of the object’s position handle. By default, the coordinates are relative to the
working grid.
5. If you selected that the coordinates are relative to an object, enter the object in the lower text box.
To browse for an object or select an object from a list, right-click the lower text box, and then
select the appropriate command.
6. Select Set.
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Moving Objects Using the Move Tools

Point-to-Point Tool - Translating from Initial Location to

Another
Main toolbox -> Move toolstack -> Point-to-Point Tool

Moves objects by translating them from an initial location to another. There are two ways to move an
object from one location to another:
• Pick two locations. The first location defines the location from which to move and the second
location defines the point to which to move the selected object. The objects move relative to the
selected locations.
• Define a distance and a vector along which to translate the selected objects.

The following figures show a link (LINK_2) being centered over a hole of LINK_1 by moving the link
from position A to position B.

As you translate the objects, you can rotate an object that you select during the translation operation or
translate all objects currently selected. In addition, you can translate a copy of the selected objects instead
of the actual objects.

To translate objects from one location to a another by defining two points:

1. From the Move Toolstack on the Main toolbox, select the Point-to-Point tool .
2. In the settings container, specify the following:
• If desired, select Selected to translate the currently selected objects.
• If desired, select Copy to translate a copy of the selected object or objects.
• Select From To from the pull-down menu.
3. If you did not choose Selected in the settings container, select the object that you want to translate.
4. Select the first point on the screen from which to translate the object or objects.
5. Select the second point on the screen to which to translate the object.
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Moving Objects Using the Move Tools

To translate objects along a vector:

1. From the Move tool stack, select the Point-to-Point tool .
2. In the settings container, specify the following:
• If desired, select Selected to translate the currently selected objects.
• If desired, select Copy to translate a copy of the selected object or objects.
• Select Direction Distance from the pull-down menu, and then enter the distance to translate
the object in the Distance text box.
3. Select the object that you want to translate. if you did not select Selected in the settings container.
4. Select an axis or define the vector along which to translate the object by selecting two points on
the screen.

Align & Rotate Tool - Rotating Objects About or Along Grid

or Features
Main toolbox -> Move tool stack -> Align & Rotate Tool

Rotates objects about an axis or aligns them with the axes of other objects. You can set the alignment in
the following ways:
• About - Rotates an object about the axis of another object.
• Align - Rotates an object about its axis to align it with another object.
• Align Same As - Aligns an object to the orientation of another object.
• Align One Axis - Orients an axis of an object to be in the same direction as the axis of another
object. This is useful if the axis of a joint or force is defined by a marker in your model.
• Align Two Axes - Orients an object so it is the same direction as the axis of another object and
rotates the object about that axis to place a second axis in the plane defined by the two directions.
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Moving Objects Using the Move Tools

You can rotate an object that you select during the rotate operation or rotate all objects currently selected.
In addition, you can rotate a copy of the selected objects instead of the actual objects.

To rotate objects about an axis or axes:

1. From the Move Toolstack, select the Align & Rotate tool .
2. In the settings container, specify the following:
• To rotate the currently selected objects, select Selected.
• To rotate a copy of the selected object or object, select Copy.
• From the pull-down menu, select the method you want to use to rotate or align objects. If you
selected About, enter the amount to rotate the object in the Angle box.
3. If you did not choose Selected in the settings container, select the object or objects that you want
to rotate.
4. Follow the prompts in the status bar to select the axis or axes about which to rotate or align the
objects. Refer to the table below for assistance.

If you
selected: Do the following:
About Select the axis about which to rotate the object or objects.
Align Select the axis about which to rotate the object or objects.

Select the axis to move.

Select the axis with which to align the object.

Align Same As Select the object to which you want to align the already selected objects.
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Moving Objects Using the Move Tools

If you
selected: Do the following:
Align One Axis Select the axis of the object to align.

Select the object to which to align the axis.

Align Two Select the first axis of the object to control (x, y, or z).
Axes
Select the object to which to direct the first axis.

Select the second axis of the object to control.

Select the object towards which to direct the second object.

Note: Adams/View rotates the object so that the first axis points toward the first
object, and the second axis points as closely as possible towards the second
object.
Depending on the locations that you selected, it may not be possible for both axes to
pass through the locations. Adams/View orients the object so that the first axis passes
through the first location, and the plane defined by the two axes passes through the
second location. This means that the second axis comes as close as possible to the
second location, but may not pass through it.

Mate Faces Tool - Positioning Objects by Aligning Faces

Main toolbox -> Move toolstack -> Mate Faces Tool

Positions an object by mating one object face with another object face so they are in the same plane. The
following figure shows two objects whose top and bottom faces were mated.
The objects must be in shaded render mode to mate their faces. See Rendering mode.
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Moving Objects Using the Move Tools

To align an object’s face with another object’s face:

1. From the Move Toolstack, select the Mate Faces tool .
2. Select the face of the object to be aligned.
3. Select the face with which to align the selected object’s face.
 Moving Objects 15
Moving Objects Using the Precision Move Dialog Box

Moving Objects Using the Precision Move Dialog Box

Adams/View provides a Precision Move dialog box to help you move objects:
• By increments
• To precise coordinates

You can select to move the objects relative to a specified object's coordinate system, called the reference
coordinate system. You can also select to move objects relative to the screen. In addition, you can use the
Precision Move dialog box to view the coordinates of one object in relation to another.
The Precision Move dialog box consolidates some operations that are available using the By Increments
and Precise Coordinates tools and provides new functionality for rotating objects by increments relative
to any object.

Overall Procedure for Using the Precision Move Dialog Box

The following provides general instructions for moving objects using the Precision Move dialog box.

To move objects using the Precision Move dialog box:

1. Select the objects to be moved.
2. If you want to move the objects along or about axes that another object in the model defines (the
reference coordinate system), then select either Relative to the or About the, and enter the name
of the object that is to define the reference coordinate system.
3. If you do not enter a reference coordinate system, Adams/View moves the objects about the
default coordinate system.
4. Then, either:
• If you know the destination coordinates of the objects you are moving, enter the destination
coordinates into the C1 through C3 (for translation) and A1 through A3 (for rotation) text
boxes, and then select OK.
• Use the Rotate and Translate dials to move the objects by incremental values.

Accessing the Precision Move Dialog Box

To display the Precision Move dialog box:

• From the Move Toolstack, select the Precision Move tool .

Selecting the Objects to Move

When you display the Precision Move dialog box, Adams/View places all selected objects in it so you can
quickly move them. You can also change the objects to be moved.
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Moving Objects Using the Precision Move Dialog Box

To select an object to move:

1. Set Relocate the to the desired object type (for example, part or marker).
2. Enter the name or names of the objects to move.

Selecting the Reference Coordinate System

By default, the Precision Move dialog box moves the selected objects relative to the default coordinate
system. You can specify that Adams/View use a different coordinate system as the reference coordinate
system. The rotational and translational coordinates you enter for the move or the incremental values you
select are with respect to the origin and orientation of this coordinate system. You can select the following
types of objects:
• Model - Global coordinate system.
• Part or marker - Part or marker in your model.
• View - Adams/View defined view, such as front, right, or left. Use the Database Navigator to
select the name of the view.
• Entity - Any entity, including those that are not on the screen. Entities also include the working
grid and gravity.
• Screen - The plane of the screen. When you select to move objects relative to the screen, the
Precision Move dialog box changes. Learn about Translating and Rotating Objects Using Screen
Coordinates.

You can specify two options for the reference coordinate system: Relative to the or About the:
• If you specify the Relative to the option for rotations, objects rotate in place (their locations do
not change) and their rotations are with respect to the coordinate system specified in the Relative
to the text box.
• If you specify the About the option for rotations, the objects rotate about the origin of the
coordinate system specified (their locations change) and the rotations are with respect to the
coordinate system specified in the About the text box.
• Translations are with respect to the coordinate system defined as either Relative to the or the
About the.

To set the reference coordinate system:

1. Set the second option to either Relative to the or About the.
2. In the text box to the right, enter the object whose coordinate system is to be used as the reference
coordinate system.
3. If you do not enter a reference coordinate system, the Precision Move dialog box moves the
objects about the current default coordinate system.
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Moving Objects Using the Precision Move Dialog Box

Moving Objects Relative to or About Coordinate System by

Increments
The Rotate and Translate dials on the left side of the Precision Move dialog box move an object with
respect to a body-fixed or reference coordinate system in incremental amounts. You specify the reference
coordinate system using the Relative to the and About the options Learn about Selecting the Reference
Coordinate System.

Examples

To change the incremental value:

• Enter new values for translation or rotation in the text boxes below the cubes, and then press
Enter.

To change the direction of the move:

• Click the + or - .

To move an object relative to or about another object:

1. Select the object to move.
2. Set the reference coordinate system.
3. Click a cube for the direction you want to translate or rotate the object.

Example 1
Rotate a marker (MAR2) 180 degrees relative to the y axis of the coordinate system that MAR1 defines:
1. Set Relocate the to marker, and then enter MAR2 in the text box to the right.
2. Set Relative to the, and then enter MAR1 in the text box to the right.
3. Set the increment value to 180.
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Moving Objects Using the Precision Move Dialog Box

4. Click the y cube on the Rotate dial

.

Example 2
Rotate a marker (MAR2) 45 degrees about the y axis of MAR1:
1. Set Relocate the to marker , and then enter MAR2 in the text box to the right.
2. Set About the , and then enter MAR1 in the text box to the right.
3. Set the increment value to 45.
4. Click the y cube on the Rotate dial.

Viewing Locations of Objects Relative to Other Objects

You can use the Precision Move dialog box to view the current coordinates of an object with respect to
the coordinate system of another object (reference coordinate system). Adams/View displays the
coordinates in the six position text boxes (C1 through C3 for translation and A1 through A3 for rotation)
of the Precision Move dialog box.
For example, if you want to ensure that two markers, which you want to connect using an inplane joint,
are in the same plane, you can set one marker as the object to be moved and the other object as the relative
to object. You can then view the rotation coordinates of the first marker to ensure that they are (0, 0, 0).
 Moving Objects 19
Moving Objects Using the Precision Move Dialog Box

To view current coordinates:

1. Select the object to move.
2. Set the reference coordinate system.
3. Select Load.
Adams/View loads the current coordinates relative to the reference coordinate system.

Moving Objects Relative to or About Coordinate System by

Precise Coordinates
Using the Precision Move dialog box, you can move an object to precise coordinates relative to another
object's coordinate system (the reference coordinate system). You specify the reference coordinate
system using the Relative to the and About the options (Learn about Selecting the Reference Coordinate
System). You enter the coordinates in the six position text boxes (C1 through C3 for translation and A1
through A3 for rotation) of the Precision Move dialog box.

To move an object to coordinates relative to a reference frame:

1. Select the object to move.
2. Set the reference coordinate system.
3. Change the values in the C1 through C3 and A1 through A3 text boxes.
4. Select OK.

Example
Move a marker (MAR2) to (0, -4, -4) in another marker's (MAR1) coordinate system.
1. Set Relocate the to marker , and then enter MAR2 in the text box to the right.
2. Set Relative to the , and then enter MAR1 in the text box to the right.
3. In the C1 through C3 text boxes, enter:
• C1: 0
• C2: -40
• C3: -40
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Moving Objects Using the Precision Move Dialog Box

4. Select OK.

Translating and Rotating Objects Using Screen Coordinates

Using the Precision Move dialog box, you can move an object based on screen-fixed coordinates. The
active view defines the screen-fixed coordinate system. Regardless of the object's orientation in the active
view, the move is relative to the screen coordinates.
When you select to move an object based on screen coordinates, the Precision Move dialog box changes
the dials on the left to those shown in the figure below. The dials translate and rotate the objects:
• Think of the translation as pulling the object in the direction of the arrow. For example, when
you select the small arrow that points up, you pull an object up along the vertical axis. The
double arrows to the right translate an object along an axis that is normal to the screen (works
only if the view is in perspective mode).
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Moving Objects Using the Precision Move Dialog Box

• Think of the rotation as pushing on an object at that point. For example, if you select the arrow
that points to the right, you are pushing the horizontal axis back, resulting in a positive rotation
around the vertical axis.

To move an object in screen coordinates:

1. Select the object to move.
2. Set the reference coordinate system.
3. Click an arrow for the direction you want to translate or rotate the object.