About the Curve User Interface
The
Curve tab consists of commands, tabs, and shortcut menus. Click
Style >
Curve to open the
Curve tab.
Commands
• ![](../../surfacing/style/images/ff_curve.png)
—Creates a free curve.
• ![](../../surfacing/style/images/ff_planar_curve.png)
—Creates a planar curve.
• ![](../../surfacing/style/images/ff_cos.png)
—Creates a curve on surface.
• ![](../../surfacing/style/images/ff_control_point.png)
—Defines a selected curve using control points.
• Degree box—Sets the curve degree.
• ![](../../surfacing/style/images/ff_periodic.png)
—Makes closed curves periodic. Available when at least one active curve is closed.
Tabs
• References
◦ Plane collector—Displays a planar or surface reference for the curve.
▪ Offset—Sets a distance between a planar curve and its reference plane. This parameter becomes external to the Style feature.
◦ Type—Sets the type of radial plane.
▪ Value—Defines a radial plane value. This parameter becomes external to the Style feature.
◦ 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
![](../../surfacing/style/images/ff_curve.png)
curve type is selected.
• Reference Collector—Activates the
Reference collector when the
![](../../surfacing/style/images/ff_planar_curve.png)
curve type is selected.
• Surface Collector—Activates the
Surface collector when the
![](../../surfacing/style/images/ff_cos.png)
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.