Customizing Curvilinear Patterns

You can customize a curvilinear pattern from the contextual group menu. In this section, you can find the actions used to customize a linear pattern.

This task shows you how to:

Before you begin: To access the contextual group menu, select a curve.

Lock and Unlock Group Limits

You can lock and unlock group limits on a linear pattern.

To lock group limits, click Lock in the contextual menu.

To unlock group limits, click Unlock in the contextual menu.

Activate and Deactivate Axes

To activate all axes, click Activate .

To deactivate all selected axes, click Deactivate .

Move an Axis to a Selected Point

  1. To move an axis to a point, click Move to Point .
  2. Select the point.
    If the selected point is valid, the axis is moved to the point. Otherwise, an error message is displayed.

Reset an Action

  1. When the selection mode is Global Mode:
    • To remove local modifications from all internal axes of all groups, click Reset
  2. When the selection mode is Axis Mode or Group Pattern:
    • If the selected axis is the pattern first axis or last axis moved to the point you selected, click Reset to remove the point, and reset the curve start or end extremity.
    • If the selected axis is another group limit axis moved to the point you selected, click Reset to break the associativity of the group limit axis with the point you selected. Its position will not modified.
    • If the selected axis is a locally modified internal axis, click Reset to remove the local modification.

Split a Group in Two Groups

To split a group into two groups, you can select a group internal axis or a point in the group.

Select the internal axis and click Split .
Group definitionSplitting groups
By count The count value is distributed to the two result groups according to the position of the internal axis selected or the position of the selected point. The spacing is automatically computed.
By spacing The spacing for both groups is equal to the spacing of the initial group. The counts and limit spacing for both groups are automatically computed.
By count and spacing The count value is distributed to the two result groups according to the position of the internal axis selected or the position of the selected point. The spacing will be kept.

Merge Two Groups

You can merge two groups, when a group limit is selected.

To merge two groups into one, click . The group definition of the second group serves as group definition for the new group.
Note: If some internal axes of the initial two groups were locally modified, after merging, all these local modifications are removed. Count and spacing values are computed based on the group definitions of the initial two groups.

Edit a Start Offset and an End Offset

  1. Select a pattern start or end axis.
    It is displayed in the contextual menu
  2. Edit the start or end offset in the contextual menu.

Drag an axis in the 3D view

You can only drag a modifiable axis.

To modify the position of an axis, use the manipulator to drag it directly.

Modifying the Origins of an Axis

You can modify the Origins of an Axis.

To modify the Axis Origin, select the axis and the modes in the pattern Axis Origin menu.
  • On Curve: The axis origins cannot be modified. Y and Z modifications in the dialog panel are hidden.
  • Translate: The axis X origin is moved in the absolute X direction.
  • Offset: The axis X origin is moved in the axis X direction.