Positioning the Clipping

You can position the clipping precisely by either translating or rotating the clipping planes, or selecting geometries to position the clipping.

You can position only the plane, slice, and box type clippings.

This task shows you how to:

See Also
Working with the Clipping Tool

Translate and Rotate the Clipping Planes

You can position the clipping precisely by translating or rotating the clipping planes.

  1. Right-click the clipped object or anywhere in the 3D area, and select Clipping > Clipping Position....
    The Edit Clipping contains different options depending on the display plane mode selected for the clipping definition.

    The X, Y, and Z boxes display the global coordinates of the center of the clipping plane or box. The center of the clipping plane or box is by default placed at the center of gravity of the bounding box.

  2. Specify values in the X, Y, and Z boxes to position the clipping plane or box precisely.
  3. Under Resize:
    1. In the Increment boxes, enter the values for the single step of translation for different clipping planes.
    2. Click to increase or to decrease the offsets by one step for each clipping plane.

    You can also enter the offset values directly in the Offset boxes.

    The values in the Offset boxes are automatically updated depending on the number of increment or decrement steps.
  4. Under Rotation:
    1. In the Increment boxes, enter the angle values for the single step of rotation for each direction.

      By default, the step size is 5 deg.

    2. Click to increase or to decrease the offset by one step for every direction.
    The values in the Offset boxes are automatically updated depending on the number of increment or decrement steps.

Position the Clipping Normal to X, Y, or Z Axis

You can position the clipping normal to x, y, or z axis.

Select the clipping plane, slice, or box, and click one of the below commands on the context toolbar.
CommandDescription
Position clipping along X axis Aligns the front plane normal to x-axis.
Position clipping along Y axis Aligns the front plane normal to y-axis.
Position clipping along Z axis Aligns the front plane normal to z-axis.
Invert clipping Inverts the normal direction of the clipping.
Tip: You can add these commands to the action bar or Action Pad and use them anytime (even when the clipping is inactive, the clipping is not in edit mode, or there is no clipping).

Before clicking any of these commands,

  • If the clipping is not active, it is activated and kept active in non-edit mode at the end of the command.
  • If the clipping is active but not in edit mode, it remains active and in non-edit mode at the end of the command.
  • If no clipping is present, a new clipping is created and kept active in non-edit mode at the end of the command.

Position the Clipping by Selecting Geometries

You can position the clipping precisely by selecting geometries.

  1. Select the clipping plane, slice, or box, and click Specify the position of the clipping precisely on the context toolbar.

    Tips:
    • You can also add this command to the action bar or Action Pad.
    • When the clipping is inactive or not in edit mode, or no clipping is present, you can select geometries (except curves and non-planar surfaces) before clicking the command.

  2. Select geometries in the 3D area.

    You can position the clipping by selecting a single geometry or multiple geometries.

    In case of multiple geometries, the clipping is placed on the plane computed using the selected geometries. The center of the clipping is placed at the last selected point.

    To validate the clipping, you need to click OK in the validation panel or press Enter.

    Note: When you hover over a geometry, a preview consisting of a plane and an arrow appears to let you visualize the clipping position and orientation.

    The clipping is positioned as follows:
    • Single selection:
      Geometry Positioning
      Surface (planar or non-planar) For a planar surface, the clipping is aligned with the surface. For a non-planar surface, the clipping normal is aligned with the normal computed at the selected point on the surface.
      Point or sphere The clipping is oriented parallel to the screen. In case of a sphere, the clipping center is placed at the center of the sphere.
      Line or edge The clipping normal is aligned with the line.
      Curve The clipping normal is aligned with the tangent computed at the selected point on the curve.
      Cylinder, cone, or circle The clipping is aligned with the axis of the cylinder or cone, and is oriented parallel to the screen.

      In case of a circle, the clipping is positioned normal to the circle's plane and is aligned with the axis passing through the center of the circle.
    • Multiple selections:
      First Selection Further Selections Positioning
      Second Selection Third Selection
      Point or sphere Point or sphere Point, sphere, line, circle, cylinder, or cone. The clipping is positioned on the plane computed using three points/centers of spheres, or two points/centers of spheres and the line or axis of the circle/cylinder/cone.

      In case of two points/centers and a line/axis, they must be coplanar.
      Line or edge - The clipping is positioned on the plane computed using the point/center of sphere and the line. The point/center of sphere must not lie on the line or edge.
      Cylinder, cone, or circle - The clipping is positioned on the plane computed using the point/center of sphere and the axis of the cylinder/cone/circle. The point/center of sphere must not lie on the axis.
      Planar surface or plane - The clipping is positioned at the selected point/center of sphere, parallel to the planar surface.
      Line or edge Point or sphere - The clipping is positioned on the plane computed using the point/center of sphere and the line. The point/center of sphere must not lie on the line or edge.
      Line or edge - The clipping is positioned on the plane computed using the lines. The lines must be coplanar.
      Cylinder, cone, or circle - The clipping is positioned on the plane computed using the line and the axis of the cylinder/cone/circle. The line and the axis must be coplanar.
      Cylinder, cone, or circle Point or sphere - The clipping is positioned on the plane computed using the point/center of sphere and the axis of the cylinder/cone/circle. The point/center of sphere must not lie on the axis.
      Line or edge - The clipping is positioned on the plane computed using the line and the axis of the cylinder/cone/circle. The line and the axis must be coplanar.
      Cylinder, cone, or circle - The clipping is positioned on the plane computed using the axes of the cylinders/cones/circles. The axes must be coplanar.