Draft Constrain

Description

Draft Workbench tools allow you to pick points, distances, radiuses, and angles graphically by clicking on the 3D view with the pointer.

However, when these parameters need to be precise, it is possible to enter the exact Draft Coordinates in the dialog for the tool.

Another way of selecting more precise points is by constraining the movement of the pointer to a particular X, Y, or Z direction.

Horizontal and vertical constrains

Hold the Shift key while drawing to force the next point to be constrained horizontally (X direction) or vertically (Y direction) in relation to the last point entered. The horizontal or vertical orientation depends on the position of the pointer when you press Shift; if you are more east or west from the last point, it will be horizontal; if you are more north or south, it will be vertical. To change the orientation, just release Shift, move the pointer to a new location, and hold Shift again.

Some tools like Draft Offset and Draft Trimex use constraining differently. They do not constrain vertically or horizontally but use a different method more adapted to the particular tool, for example, constraining the operation to a certain line segment.

While constraining the movement of the pointer, the Taskview panel will lock the coordinate values that are not being modified. For example, if using a horizontal constraint, only the X value changes, while the Y and Z values remain at their original relative or absolute coordinates, depending on whether relative mode is active or not.

Example of the Taskview when using a horizontal constrain while holding the Shift key.

X, Y, Z constrains

Press X, Y or Z keys after a point to constrain the next point on the specific X, Y, or Z direction.

Press the same key again to release the constrain and place the point freely.

File:Draft Constrain X Taskview example.png

Draft

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• Context menu:
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  • Layer: Activate this layer, Select layer contents
  • Text: Open hyperlinks
  • Wire: Flatten
  • Working plane proxy: Write camera position, Write objects state

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