Mirroring Objects

You can move one or more elements to the opposite side of a selected plane using Mirror. You can apply a rotation to the mirrored elements. As you copy or mirror an object, the reference or context cloning occurs immediately. The instance is then aggregated under the specified parent. The cloned reference remains part of your content, even though you have not explicitly saved it.

This task shows you how to:

Mirror an Object

Mirroring creates both a mirrored reference and instance of the object. You may want to make a separate copy of your content so you can return to the unmirrored content if you wish.

  1. Select the resources to mirror.
  2. Click Mirror .
  3. Select the object under which the mirrored resources should be pasted.
    The rectangle appears to show the selection of the plane. The Mirror dialog box appears.
  4. You can select the X-Y axis or Y-Z axis to change the mirror options.

    • X-Y: The X-Y axes of an element are mirrored and the Z axis is calculated as per a Right Handed Coordination System.
    • Y-Z: The Y-Z axes of an element are mirrored and the X axis is calculated as per a Right Handed Coordination System.
    • X-Z: The X-Z axes of an element are mirrored and the Y axis is calculated as per a Right Handed Coordination System.

    The mirrored copy resources are generated.

  5. Click Close.
    The dialog box is closed.

    Notes:
    • If you do not see the white rectangle, zoom out from the element. The white rectangle cannot be displayed if the element under the pointer is too small.
    • Select the elements before clicking Mirror , if you want to mirror more than one element.
    • You can use Offset Planes to mirror. In this case, the Plane Option dialog box opens. Use it to continue with the offset plane or to select a new reference plane.

Copy and Mirror

You can mirror the resources while using deep copy option to create new references.

  1. Click Copy and Mirror .
    The Tools Palette appears so that you can more easily select the objects to copy.
  2. Select the object or objects you want to copy and click Finish on the Tools Palette.
  3. In the tree, select the parent resources onto which you want to paste the mirrored object.
  4. In the work area, select the reference plane to mirror.
    The Copy and Mirror dialog box appears.
  5. If you wish the copied items to have a unique name in the tree, type the desired prefix in Options Prefixed by.

    If you do not provide a prefix, the items are labeled Copy of.

  6. Click X-Y, or Y-Z, or Z-X to mirror the axes.
    By default, the Z-X axis is selected.
  7. Click Apply to deep copy and mirror.
    The selected objects are moved to the other side of the plane at their mirror location.

    Notes:
    • You can use Offset Planes to copy and mirror. In this case, the Plane Option dialog box opens. Use it to continue with the offset plane or to select a new reference plane.
    • Mirror command does not mirror the geometry of selected objects, but only the position according to a right-handed coordinate system.