3D Constructor Studio Menu Screen Overview This menu is where you can edit up to eight 3D wire frame objects. It is a mid-screen between the Main Menu and the 3D Viewing Studio ie. you enter the Viewing Studio via this screen. Basically, all 3D objects are built up of separate lines on an Orthographic system (Above, Side and End views). For more detailed descriptions see the 3D tutorial later in this manual. To enter this screen click on the 3D Obj button on the Main Menu. Item: Above x/z Type: Special Selector Desc: This selector is where you can edit the x and z co-ordinates of one end of the current line (See Line Infobar). The end of the line which is being edited is determined by the 'S/E' Selector at the bottom left of the screen. S=Start, E=End of line. Use the mouse button to drag the line to the co-ordinates you want. These co-ordinates are shown along the bottom of the screen (the first 3 are the Start of the Line (x,y,z), the next 3 are the End). Co-ordinates are based on a grid ranging from -41 to 41 (1 co-ordinate is the size of a lo-res. screen pixel). The x co-ordinates are across and z are down. Opts: All 3D Options (3CM,3VM) Item: Add Line Type: Action Bar Desc: To create a new line or to add another one to the current object, press this option. If the line (selected by the Line Infobar) does not already exist, then a new one will be created with co-ords 0,0,0 0,0,0. To determine whether the line exists or not, look at the bottom right of the screen. If there is a cross in the corner then it does not exist, or if it's a tick then it does exist. Opts: All 3D Options (3CM,3VM) Item: Add Poly Type: Action Bar Desc: By pressing this option, a polygon will appear on the appropriate Edit window according to the current Axis. The number of sides the polygon has depends upon the the value in the PSides Infobar. Move the mouse until you have the desired sized polygon and press the left mouse button. The lines which make up the polygon will then be added to the Line list. If all 256 lines have been used, only some or none of the lines will be added (however much space is left in the 256 line buffer). Use the right mouse button to Cancel this option. Opts: All 3D Options (3CM,3VM) Item: Add Obj Type: Action Bar/Infobar Desc: You will see that there are 2 options with this title. The Infobar selects which object you wish to add to the current one (1 to 8) and the action bar performs the copy. Before the copy is done though, an Alert box is brought up to check whether you really want to copy it. This option does not delete the old object but actually merges 2 objects together. Note that the index values of the lines (see Line Infobar) will not be the same. Opts: All 3D Options (3CM,3VM) Item: Axis Type: Icon Selector Desc: This option decides which axis various functions on the menu they act upon. The functions affected are: Add Poly, Spin, Flip, Stretch, Shrink and Shift. Opts: All 3D Options (3CM,3VM) Item: Clear Obj Type: Action Bar Desc: After you have confirmed this option choice through an Alert box, all of the 256 lines (0 to 255) are deleted and no longer exist (except in the Undo buffer). Opts: All 3D Options (3CM,3VM) Item: Co-ordinate Display Type: Special Selector Desc: These displays along the bottom of the screen show what the Start and End co-ordinates of the current line (see Line Infobar) are. The first 3 numbers are the x,y and z values of the start of the line, the next 3 are the x,y and z of the end of the line. Co-ordinate values range from -41 to 41. NOTE :- you can't actually change those values from here - you must do that from the Edit windows above. Opts: All 3D Options (3CM,3VM) Item: Del Line Type: Action Bar Desc: This option deletes the current line (see Line Infobar) from existance. Opts: All 3D Options (3CM,3VM) Item: End z/y Type: Special Selector Desc: Same as 'Above x/z' Edit window except that the co-cordinates edited from this option are z and y (z is across and y down). Opts: All 3D Options (3CM,3VM) Item: Exit Type: Action Bar Desc: This option returns you to the Main Menu. Opts: None Item: Fix Type: Toggle Bar Desc: To aid you when editing objects, this option, when activated, chooses the nearest point to the cursor on the editing windows. Basically, it finds the nearest point to the cursor that already exists and puts the Start or End (see S/E Icon Selector) of the current line at that point. This saves a lot of messing about with getting accurate co-ordinates. Opts: All 3D Options (3CM,3VM) Item: Flip Type: Action Bar Desc: This flips the whole of the current object across the axis selected by the Axis option on this screen. Opts: All 3D Options (3CM,3VM) Item: Line Type: Infobar Desc: This selects which of the possible 256 lines (0 to 255) you are currently editing. The co-ordinates of the Start and End of this line are displayed at the bottom of the screen. The value on the right at the bottom of the screen shows how many lines actually exist in the current object. The cross or tick in the right-hand corner indicates whether the current line exists or not. Opts: All 3D Options (3CM,3VM) Item: Line on Display Type: Special Selector Desc: This is simply the cross or tick in the very bottom right corner of the screen. A cross indicates that the current line (see Line Infobar) does not exist and therefore cannot be edited, and a tick shows that it does exist. Opts: All 3D Options (3CM,3VM) Item: Number of Lines Display Type: Special Selector Desc: This value is the right-hand one at the bottom of the screen to the right of the Fix option. It displays the number of lines in existance on the current object. Opts: All 3D Options (3CM,3VM) Item: Object Type: Icon Selector Desc: Choose which one of the 8 objects you wish to edit. This item is located near the bottom right of the screen and consists of a bar with the numbers 1 to 8 on it. Opts: All 3D Options (3CM,3VM) Item: PSides Type: Infobar Desc: This value determines the number of sides a polygon should have when it is added using the Add Poly option. Opts: All 3D Options (3CM,3VM) Item: S/E Type: Icon Selector Desc: This determines whether you move the Start or the End of the current line when you click on the edit windows above. Opts: All 3D Options (3CM,3VM) Item: SAngle Type: Infobar Desc: The Spin option on this screen spins the object by the number of degrees shown by this Infobar. Opts: All 3D Options (3CM,3VM) Item: Shift> Type: Action Bar Desc: Same as above but +1. Opts: All 3D Options (3CM,3VM) Item: Shrink Type: Action Bar Desc: This option shrinks the object in the Axis selected by the Axis option. Opts: All 3D Options (3CM,3VM) Item: Side x/y Type: Special Selector Desc: This edit window is the same as the others except that you edit the x (across) and y (down) values. Opts: All 3D Options (3CM,3VM) Item: Spin Type: Action Bar Desc: This performs a spin operation on all the points of the object around 0,0 on the Axis selected by the Axis option, spinning it by the angle chosen in the SAngle Infobar. Opts: All 3D Options (3CM,3VM) Item: Stretch Type: Action Bar Desc: Opposite of Shrink. Opts: All 3D Options (3CM,3VM) Item: Undo Type: Action Bar Desc: If you have accidentally performed a function on the object and wish to return it to the state it was before you had done so, then select this option. Opts: All 3D Options (3CM,3VM) Item: View Obj Type: Action Bar Desc: This enters the 3D Viewing Studio Menu Screen. Opts: All 3D Options (3CM,3VM)