3D Body

Parent page: PCB Dialogs

The 3D Body Dialog.

Summary

The 3D Body dialog allows you to modify the attributes of an extruded, cylindrical or spherical 3D Body object in the PCB editor.

Access

The 3D Body dialog can be accessed prior to entering placement mode, from the PCB Editor - Defaults page of the Preferences dialog (DXP » Preferences). This allows you to change the default properties for the object, which will be applied when placing subsequent Objects.

This dialog will display when placing a 3D Body object (Place » 3D Body).

It can also be used to view or edit the details of a previously placed 3D Body object by:

• Double-clicking 3D Body object from within the 2D display
• Right-clicking a 3D Body object and selecting the Properties... item from the context menu.
• Run the command Edit » Change, then click an existing object.

Options/Controls

3D Model Type

• Extruded -  a flat 2D shape that has been stretched vertically.
• Generic STEP Model - an embedded or linked STEP model. Linking is available in the PCB Editor only.
• Cylinder -  a cylindrical 3D body object.
• Sphere -  a spherical 3D body object.
• Convert To STEP - Click this button to convert any other model type to a STEP model.

Properties

• Identifier - a human-readible name used to identify the 3D Body object. Using identifying names makes selecting 3D bodies from the PCB panel simpler.
• Body Side - the side of the board the 3D Body should vertically project from. This will be either Top or Bottom.
• Layer - the Mechanical Layer that the 3D Body will reside on. Only mechanical layers that are currently enabled will be displayed in the drop down list.
• Locked - check this option to prevent the 3D Body from being inadvertently moved or edited without first requiring confirmation.

Display

• 3D Color - Click the 3D Color swatch to specify the 3D Body's color using the Choose Color dialog.
• 3D Color Opacity - Specify the transparency of the 3D body from invisible (left-most) to completely opaque (right-most).

The next four sections (Extruded, Generic STEP Model, Cylinder & Sphere) will be optionally displayed, according to the chosen 3D Model Type.

Extruded

• Overall Height - the distance from the board surface to the topside of the Extruded Body.
• Standoff Height - the distance from the board surface to the underside of the Extruded Body. Use a negative value for Extruded Bodies that must pass through the PCB.
• Texture File - defines an image to by displayed on the top surface of the Extruded Body. Accepted file formats are *.bmp;*.dds;*.dib;*.hdr;*.jpg;*.pfm;*.png;*.ppm;*.tga
• Center - the X and Y offsets that the center of the texture image will have with respect to the center of the top surface of the Extruded Body.  A value of 100mil, 0mil will shift the center point of the image 100mils in the X direction from the center point of the top surface of the Extruded Body.
• Size - the width (X-direction) and height (Y-direction) of the texture image. By default, the texture image will be uniformly scaled to fit the bounds of the top surface of the Extruded Body.
• Rotation - the counter-clockwise rotation angle of the texture image.

Generic STEP Model

• Embed STEP Model - Click to open Choose Model dialog, from which the designer can browse and embed a STEP model file.
• Link To STEP Model - Click to open Choose Model dialog, from which the designer can browse the existing model paths and link a STEP model file.

Cylinder 

• Radius - the radius of the Cylindrical Body.
• Height - the height of the Cylindrical Body.
• Rotation X - the angular rotation (in degrees) of the Cylindrical Body around the X-axis.
• Rotation Y - the angular rotation (in degrees) of the Cylindrical Body around the Y-axis.
• Rotation Z - the angular rotation (in degrees) of the Cylindrical Body around the Z-axis.
• Standoff Height - the distance from the board surface to the underside of the Cylindrical Body. Use a negative value for Cylindrical Bodies that must pass through the PCB.

Sphere

• Radius - the radius of the Spherical Body.
• Standoff Height - the distance from the board surface to the lowest edge of the Spherical Body. Use a negative value for Spherical Bodies that must pass through the PCB.

Snap Points

 Snap points are reference points that can be useful when aligning 3D Bodies to other PCB objects.

• Add - attach a new Snap Point
• Delete - remove the currently selected Snap Point 
• Average - replace two selected Snap Points with a new Snap Point at the midpoint between them.
• X, Y & Z - the Snap Point's position on the X-, Y- and Z- axes respectively.

Axes
Axes can be used as a reference when aligning 3D Bodies to other PCB objects.

• Add - attach a new Axis
• Delete - remove the currently selected Axis 
• Origin X, Y & Z - the co-ordinates of the Axis's starting point
• Direction X, Y & Z - the direction that the Axis will extend relative to 0,0,0.