About the Curve User Interface
The Curve tab consists of commands, tabs, and shortcut menus. Click Style > Curve to open the Curve tab.
Commands
Type
Free Curve—Creates a free curve.
Planar Curve—Creates a planar curve.
Curve on Surface—Creates a Curve on Surface (COS).
Settings
Control Points—Defines a selected curve using control points.
Degree box—Sets the curve degree.
Periodic Curve—Makes closed curves periodic. Available when at least one active curve is closed.
Tabs
References
Collector changes depending on the curve type:
Plane collector—Collects a planar or surface reference for a Free Curve.
Offset—Sets a distance between a planar curve and its reference plane.
—Exports the parameter value for editing outside of Style.
Reference collector—Collects a plane or curve reference for a Planar Curve.
Surface collector—Collects a surface on which to place a Curve on Surface.
Radial Plane
Type—Sets the placement method for a radial plane along the reference.
Value—Defines a radial plane value.
—Exports the parameter value for editing outside of Style.
Symmetry
Symmetrical Curve check box—Creates a curve that is symmetric and continuous on both sides of a datum plane, for free and planar curves.
Plane collector—Defines the symmetry plane for the symmetric curve.
Options
Proportional Update check box—Moves the curve free points in proportion to the soft points to maintain the curve shape.
Shortcut Menus
Right-click the graphics window when the Curve tab is open to access shortcut menu commands:
Plane Collector—Activates the Plane collector when the Free Curve curve type is selected.
Reference Collector—Activates the Reference collector when the Planar Curve curve type is selected.
Surface Collector—Activates the Surface collector when the Curve on Surface curve type is selected.
Deactivate Collector—Deactivates the currently selected collector.
Clear—Clears the currently selected collector.
Symmetrical Curve—Creates a curve that is symmetric and continuous on both sides of a datum plane, for free and planar curves.
Free—Changes the curve type to free.
Planar—Changes the curve type to planar.
COS—Changes the curve type to curve on surface.
Curve—Opens the Curve tab.
Surface—Opens the Surface tab.
Edit Definition—Opens the appropriate Curve Edit or Surface Edit tab.
Standard Orientation—Displays the model in standard orientation.
Active Plane Orientation—Displays the model with the active datum plane parallel to the screen.
Set Active Plane—Sets the current datum plane as the active plane for geometry creation.
Show All Views—Displays all four views for the model.
Show Only—Hides the display of all the Style entities except the selected entities.
Show All—Displays all the previously hidden features or Style entities.
Right-click a curve to access shortcut menu commands:
Flip Curve Direction—Reverses the direction of the curve points of a symmetrical curve for free, planar, and COS curves.