Creo Interactive Surface Design (Style) > Curves > Editing Curves > About the Curve Edit User Interface
About the Curve Edit User Interface
The Curve Edit user interface consists of commands, tabs, and shortcut menus. Click Style > Curve Edit to open the Curve Edit tab.
Commands
Curve
collector—Displays the curves to edit.
Type
Free Curve—Changes the selected curves to free curves.
Planar Curve—Changes the selected curves to planar curves.
Curve on Surface—Changes the selected curves to curves on surface.
Settings
Control Points—Edits 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.
Show Original—Displays a copy of the original curves to compare to the edited curves.
Symmetry
Symmetrical Curve—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.
Operations
Smooth—Smooths the selected curve. Available if at least one selected point is not a soft point or endpoint.
Simplify—Simplifies curves inside Style by reducing the number of points in a curve.
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 type of radial plane.
Value—Defines a radial plane value. This parameter becomes external to the Style feature.
—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.
Point
Soft Point
References collector—Collects a vertex, point, curve, edge, axis, datum plane, facet, or surface for the soft point to lie on. When one curve or edge is selected, you can press and hold CTRL to select a second curve or edge that intersects the first one.
Type—Sets the soft point type.
Length Ratio—Maintains the position of the soft point to the percentage of the length from the beginning of the curve to the point, relative to the total length of the curve.
Length—Determines the distance from the beginning of the referenced curve to the point.
Parameter—Maintains the position of the point by keeping its parameter along the curve constant.
Offset from Plane—Determines the position of the point by intersecting the referenced curve with a plane at a given offset.
Curve Intersection—Snaps the soft point to the intersection of two curves or two edges. Displays as an “x” in the graphics window.
Lock to Point—Locks the soft point to a defining point on the reference curve, finding the closest defining point on the parent curve, typically an endpoint.
Linked—Indicates that the point is a soft point, but that none of the above soft point types are applicable. This includes soft points on a surface or a plane and soft points to a datum point or vertex. For example, a curve point that is snapped to a surface is linked.
Unlink—Disconnects the soft point from the parent geometry. The point becomes free and defined at the current location.
Value—Creates an external a soft point value.
Plane Reference collector—Collects a plane as a reference from which to offset the soft point, when the soft point type is Offset from Plane.
Coordinates
X, Y, and Z—Sets the x-, y-, and z-coordinate values for the selected point.
Relative check box—Toggles the Relative mode for the coordinates on and off.
Point Movement
Drag—Sets a constraint for dragging a point with your mouse.
Free—Sets unrestricted dragging for points.
Horizontal/Vertical—Sets dragging a point horizontal or vertical from its original position.
Normal—Sets dragging a point perpendicular to its original position.
Extend—Sets curve extension type.
Free
Tangent
Curvature
Adjust—Sets an incremental move value for the , , , and buttons to nudge the selected point.
* 
You can only nudge free points. The button availability is based on the movement constraint you set.
Tangent
Constraints
First and Second—Sets a constraint type for the primary constraint from the First box, and in some cases, sets a secondary constraint type from the Second box:
Natural
Free
Fix Angle
Horizontal
Vertical
Normal
Align
Symmetric
G1 - Tangent
G2 - Curvature
G3 - Acceleration
Normal to Edge/Curve—Sets secondary constraint for free curves when the primary constraint is Surface Tangent or Surface Curvature, and primary constraint for COSs.
Along U—Sets secondary constraint for free curves when the primary constraint is Surface Tangent or Surface Curvature, and primary constraint for COSs.
Along V—Sets secondary constraint for free curves when the primary constraint is Surface Tangent or Surface Curvature, and primary constraint for COSs.
G1 - Surface Tangent
G2 - Surface Curvature
G3 - Surface Acceleration
Draft Tangent
Properties
Fix Length—Fixes tangent length proportionally. Define one or more of the following parameters:
Length—Sets the tangent length.
Angle—Sets the angle of the tangent in respect to a reference plane.
Elevation—Sets tangent elevation angle from a reference plane.
Relax Length—Relaxes tangent length proportionally.
Plane collector—Displays a reference plane for the tangent.
Tangent
Drag—Sets a constraint for dragging a tangent with your mouse:
Free
Equal Length (Alt)
Angle + Elev (Alt + Ctrl)
Length (Alt + Shift)
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 Edit 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.
Curve Collector—Activates a curve collector.
Tangent Plane Collector—For symmetric curves, activates the collector for the plane across which the two sides of a curve are symmetric.
Point Reference Collector—When a soft point is selected, collects a vertex, point, curve, edge, axis, datum plane, facet, or surface for the soft point to lie on. When one curve or edge is selected, you can select a second curve or edge that intersects the first one.
Point Plane Collector—When a soft point is selected, collects a plane as a reference from which to offset the soft point.
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.
Deselect All Points—Deselects any currently selected points.
Free—Changes a curve to a free curve type.
Planar—Changes a curve to a planar curve type.
COS—Changes a curve to a curve on surface curve type.
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
Set Active Plane
Show All Views
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:
Add Point—Adds a free point to the curve.
Add Midpoint—Adds a free point at the curve midpoint.
Planar on Endpoints—Fixes curve endpoints to a plane.
Flip Curve Direction—Reverses the direction of the curve points of a symmetrical curve for free, planar, and COS curves.
Delete Curve—Deletes the curve.
Right-click points on a curve to access shortcut menu commands:
Smooth—Smooths the selected curve. Available if at least one selected point is not a soft point or endpoint.
Simplify—Simplifies curves inside Style by reducing the number of points in a curve.
Right-click a soft point on a curve to access shortcut menu commands:
Delete—Deletes the soft point.
Split—Splits a curve into two curves. Available for internal points, not for endpoints.
Extend to Boundary—Extends a COS to its surface boundary. Relevant to COS curve end points.
Pick Soft Point—Opens the Pick Soft Point dialog box so you can select a soft point reference.
Combine—Combines two curves into one curve. Available on endpoints that connect two curves.
Flip Soft Point—Flips the following soft point parameters under these conditions:
Flips the soft point parameter to the opposite end of the reference on which it is located, when the soft point is of the type Length Ratio, Length, or Parameter.
Flips the direction of the soft point tangent, when the first constraint is G1-tangent, G2-curvature, or G3-acceleration.
Length Ratio—Maintains the position of the soft point to the percentage of the length from the beginning of the curve to the point, relative to the total length of the curve.
Length—Determines the distance from the beginning of the referenced curve to the point.
Parameter—Maintains the position of the point by keeping its parameter along the curve constant.
Offset from Plane—Determines the position of the point by intersecting the referenced curve with a plane at a given offset.
Curve Intersection—Snaps the soft point to the intersection of two curves or two edges. Displays as an “x” in the graphics window.
Lock to Point—Locks the soft point to a defining point on the reference curve, finding the closest defining point on the parent curve, typically an endpoint.
Linked—Indicates that the point is a soft point, but that none of the above soft point types are applicable. This includes soft points on a surface or a plane and soft points to a datum point or vertex. For example, a curve point that is snapped to a surface is linked.
Unlink—Disconnects the soft point from the parent geometry. The point becomes free and defined at the current location.
Right-click a tangent vector on a curve to access shortcut menu commands:
Natural
Free
Fix Angle
Horizontal
Vertical
Normal
Align
Symmetric
G1 - Tangent
G2 - Curvature
G3 - Acceleration
G1 - Surface Tangent
G2 - Surface Curvature
G3 - Surface Acceleration
Draft Tangent
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