Configuring AutoVue for 3D Files

There are configuration options that you can set to customize the work environment when working with 3D files.

From the Options menu, select Configure.

The Configuration dialog box appears.

Select 3D in the tree.

The Rendering and Dynamic Rendering options appear.

Rendering

The Rendering options let you modify the manner in which the model is rendered. Changing these options affects the level of detailed displayed. The Rendering options are:


Option	Description
Smooth Shading	Set by default. Turning this option off renders curved surfaces of shaded models as a series of flat surfaces. The level of detail is thus reduced but render speed is increased. Note: Only affects shaded models.
Back-Face Removal	If selected, instructs AutoVue not to render the back faces of the model being displayed. This increases the render speed but the model appears less realistic while in motion. Note: Only affects shaded models.
Precise Hidden Line	Instruct AutoVue to precisely calculate and render all hidden lines in a model. Note Selecting this option decreases render speed.

Dynamic Rendering

The Dynamic Rendering options let you select the rendering mode for a model in motion. The options you can select are:


Menu Option	Description
Fast Frame	Model spins or rotates at a fast rate. The level of detail is reduced, which enables faster rendering when the model is in motion.
Wire Frame	Model is displayed as wire framed during rotation or spinning.
Flat Shading	Smooth shading is not performed on curved surfaces while the model is in motion.
Wire Polygons	Render the model in wire polygon mode while in motion.
Vertex Cloud	Model is displayed as a skeleton of vertices when in motion.
Bounding Box	Model parts are enclosed by bounding boxes when the model is in motion.
Current Render Mode	Model is rendered in the same mode whether moving or static.

Model

The Model configuration options let you specify if you want to load the Model in Mesh Mode or BREP mode and let you control the Mesh Resolution.

From the Configuration tree, expand 3D, and then select Model to load the Loading and Default Mesh Resolution options.

Default Mesh Resolution

The Default Mesh Resolution slider lets you modify the number of polygons drawn when displaying a model.

A low resolution level means fewer polygons are drawn giving lower detail and higher render speed.

Note: The Default Mesh Resolution slider only affects shaded models and wire polygon mode.

PMI Filtering

From the Configuration tree, expand 3D, and then select PMI to display the PMI Filtering and PMI Text Rendering Style options.

The PMI Filtering options let you configure which types of product and manufacturing information to display. The check boxes in the Tree column let you select which PMI entity types display in the 3D model tree. The check boxes in the View column let you select which PMI entity types display in the workspace.

The following PMI Text Rendering Style options let you define the style for the PMI text:


Option	Description
Native Setting (from file)	PMI text displays with the default setting.
3D	PMI text displays in 3-dimensions. It may not always face you.
Flat-to-screen	PMI text always faces you.

Configuring Color

With the Color options, you can configure the color to allow easier viewing of 3D file details. To access the Color configuration options,

From the Configuration tree, expand 3D, and then select Colors to view the available Color options. They are grouped under Common, Section Highlight, and Geometry Highlight, as follows:

Common


Option	Description
Background	Set the background color for 3D files.
Selection	Set the color when selecting a model or model parts.
Entity Default	Set the default color to use when the model color is not stored in the native file.
Measurement	Set the color for measurements.
Min. Distance Set 1	Set the color of the first set-point when measuring minimum distance.
Min. Distance Set 2	Set the color of the second set-point when measuring minimum distance.

Section Highlight


Option	Description
Edges	Set the color for the section edges when defining Section Cut Options.
Fill	Set the fill color when defining Section Cut Options.

Geometry Highlight


Option	Description
Vertex	Set the color for vertices when highlighted during measurement and markup.
Face	Set the color for faces when highlighted during measurement and markup.
Edge	Set the color for edges when highlighted during measurement and markup.

Configuring Background

With the Background options, you can select a gradient or an image to display in the background.

From the Configuration tree, expand 3D, and then select Background. The Background Gradient and Background Images options appear.

For the Background Gradient option, you can select either Plain, Directional Gradient, or Radial Gradient. The background is previewed to the right of the options.

Click Add.

The Background Image dialog box appears.

Click on the ellipses to the right of the Image File field to browse to the image file.

Note: You can only select .bmp, .jpeg, or .img files.

From the Stretch Type list, select whether to leave the image as is, Stretch to fill, Zoom to fit, or Zoom to fill.

From the Position in the Background list, select where to position the image.

Click OK when done.

The Background Image dialog box closes.

Note: The selected Background is implemented when you click OK in the Configuration dialog box.

Miscellaneous

From the Configuration tree, expand 3D, and then select Miscellaneous to display the Miscellaneous options.

Display

The Show Global Axes option is active by default. Disable this option to remove the axes that display in the bottom-right corner of the workspace.

Model Tree

Enter a different value in the Tree Level field to define the level at which you want the Model Tree to collapse when opening a 3D file. The default is 3 levels.

Manipulator

Enable the Align with current UCS option to automatically align the manipulators with the current User-defined Coordinate System.

Highlight Selection


Option	Description
Highlight Bounding Box	Selection is enclosed in a wireframe box.
Highlight Entity	Selection is indicated by changing color.