Editing Objects in the 3D Window
You can edit objects directly in the 3D Window. On the top bar of the property sheet appear the mode buttons. These buttons determine how the objects in the 3D Window are manipulated.
You can move the object in the XY plane and on the Z Axis. For some objects, you can edit either the entire object or specific nodes. Other objects, like buildings, provide more complex features for 3D Window editing. Polygon/polyline orientation are easily controlled using drawing surfaces and the align to ground command.
Changing the Position of an Object
Any of the following node operations can be performed to change the position of an object in the 3D Window:
Note: You can switch between the different move modes by pressing and holding down the shortcut keys indicated below.
§ Move the object in the XY plane
§ Move the object in the Z plane
§ Move the object in the XY and Z planes based on where the mouse is pointing in the 3D Window
Moving an Object in the XY Plane
To move an object in the XY plane:
1. Select a single object for editing. See the “Selecting Objects for Editing” section in this chapter for further information.
2. On the top bar of the object’s property sheet, click Edit Object 
and XY Plane 
(Shortcut key: 1).
3. In the 3D Window, place the cursor over the object or the selection frame. The cursor changes to Move mode 
.
4. Click the object, and drag it to the required location in the XY Plane. Release the left mouse button to set the object at the current location.
Moving an Object in the Z Plane
To move an object in the Z plane:
1. Select a single object for editing. See the “Selecting Objects for Editing” section in this chapter for further information.
2. On the top bar of the object’s property sheet, click Edit Object and Z Axis 
(Shortcut key: 2).
3. In the 3D Window, place the cursor over the object. The cursor changes to a vertical arrow 
.
4. Click the object and drag the cursor up and down to change the object’s altitude. Release the mouse button to set the object at the current altitude.
Moving an Object Based on Where the Mouse is Pointing in the 3D Window
This mode is recommended for positioning an object based on where the mouse is pointing in the 3D Window. This makes it easier to move an object above a 3DML layer or other terrain object. You can also snap the object to another object.
To move an object to where the mouse is pointing in the 3D Window:
1. Select a single object for editing. See the “Selecting Objects for Editing” section in this chapter for further information.
2. On the top bar of the object’s property sheet, click Edit Object and then do either of the following:
§ If you want to set position based on mouse and snap the object to another object, click Snap Based on Snapping Options 
(Shortcut key: 4). See "Setting Snapping Options" in this chapter for more information.
§ If you don’t want to snap the object to another object, click Set Position Based on Mouse 
(Shortcut key: 3).
Note: This mode is available for objects with any Altitude Method other than On Terrain.
3. In the 3D Window, place the cursor over the object or the selection frame. The cursor changes to XYZ Magnet mode 
.
4. Click the object, and drag it to the required location in the 3D Window. Release the left mouse button to set the object at the current location. If snapping to an object, move and snap the object to an edge or vertex of any existing polyline, polygon, or 2D shape.
Editing a 2D or 3D Object Using Object Handles
You can use the object handles for resizing, repositioning, and rotating an object.
(3D Model) Object Handles
The following 2D objects can be modified with object handles:
§ Rectangle
§ Regular Polygon
§ Arrow
§ Circle
§ Ellipse
§ Arc
The following 3D objects can be modified with object handles:
§ 3D Model
§ Arrow
§ Pyramid
§ Cone
§ Sphere
§ Cylinder
§ Box
To edit an object using object handles:
1. Select a single object for editing. See the “Selecting Objects for Editing” section in this chapter for further information.
2. On the property sheet’s top bar, click XY Plane . The selection box around the object changes to the “modify selection box”.
3. Use the object handles to edit the object:
|
Object Handle |
Description |
|
Corner Resizers |
Drag the corner resizer inwards or outwards. This causes the other corners to shift in the same direction, thus changing the object’s width, length, and height (for 3D objects) simultaneously, and maintaining the model’s aspect ratio. |
|
Side Resizers |
Drag the side resizer inwards or outwards, to change either the object’s length or width or height (for 3D objects) of the object. Note: In 3D models, the side resizer maintains the model’s aspect ratio. |
|
Arrow Resizers |
3D Objects Drag the arrow resizers inwards or outwards to change the object height. Every 3D object has two arrow resizers, one at the object top and the other at the object base. 3D Models Drag any of the control arrows in or out. Every 3D model has three arrow resizers, for each of the X, Y, and Z axes. § When Aspect ratio is set to Yes in the property sheet, all three arrow resizers are yellow. When any one of the arrow resizers is dragged in or out, the other dimensions of the model are changed simultaneously, to maintain the original proportional relationship between the width, length, and height. § When Aspect ratio is set to No in the model’s property sheet, each of the three arrow resizers is a different color (blue – z axis, green – y axis, red- x axis), indicating that each dimension of the model can be resized independently of the other dimensions. |
|
Rotators |
Use the rotators to rotate the object. Every 3D object has three rotators to rotate the object around the yaw, the pitch and the roll axis. Hover on the rotator to display the rotation axis and perimeter. |
Modifying Object Nodes
Any of the following node operations can be performed:
§ Moving a Node in the XY Plane
§ Moving a Node in the Z Plane
§ Moving a Node Based on Where the Mouse is Pointing
§ Deleting a Node from an Object
Moving a Node in the XY Plane
To move a node in the XY plane in the 3D Window:
1. Select a single object for editing. See the “Selecting Objects for Editing” section in this chapter for further information.
2. On the top bar of the object’s property sheet, click both Edit Nodes 
and XY Plane .
3. In the 3D Window, place the cursor over one of the object’s nodes. The node turns blue, and the cursor changes to Move mode 
.
4. Click the node and drag it to the required location in the XY Plane. Release the mouse button to set the node at the current location.
Moving a Node in the Z Plane
To move a node in the Z plane in the 3D Window:
1. Select a single object for editing. See the “Selecting Objects for Editing” section in this chapter for further information.
2. On the top bar of the object’s property sheet, click both Edit Nodes and Z Axis .
3. In the 3D Window, place the cursor over one of the object’s nodes. The node turns blue, and the cursor changes to Move mode 
.
4. Click the node and drag it up and down to change the node’s altitude. Release the mouse button to set the node at the current altitude.
Moving a Node Based on Where the Mouse is Pointing
This mode is recommended for moving nodes of an object that are above a 3DML layer or other terrain object.
To move a node based on where the mouse is pointing:
1. Select a single object for editing. See the “Selecting Objects for Editing” section in this chapter for further information.
2. On the top bar of the object’s property sheet, click Edit Nodes and then do either of the following:
§ If you want to set position based on mouse and snap the node to another object, click Snap Based on Snapping Options . See "Setting Snapping Options" in this chapter for information.
§ If you don’t want to snap the object to another object, click Set Position Based on Mouse .
Note: This mode is available for objects with any Altitude Method other than On Terrain.
3. In the 3D Window, place the cursor over one of the object’s nodes. The node turns blue, and the cursor changes to XYZ Magnet mode .
4. Click the node and drag it to the required location in the 3D Window. Release the mouse button to set the node at the current location. If snapping to an object, move and snap the node to an edge (green dot) or vertex (blue dot) of any existing polyline, polygon, or 2D shape.
Adding a Node to an Object
You can add a node to an object that is built from a few nodes (e.g., Polyline, 2D and 3D Polygon).
To add a node:
1. Select a single object for editing. See the “Selecting Objects for Editing” section in this chapter for further information.
2. On the top bar of the object’s property sheet, click Edit Nodes . A red dot appears wherever a node can be added to the object.
3. If you want to add a node, in the 3D Window, place the cursor over a red dot (it immediately turns light blue and the cursor changes to Move mode 
), and then drag it to the required location.
Deleting a Node from an Object
You can delete an existing node from an object that is built from a few nodes (e.g., Polyline, 2D and 3D Polygon).
To delete a node:
1. Select a single object for editing. See the “Selecting Objects for Editing” section in this chapter for further information.
2. On the top bar of the object’s property sheet, click Edit Nodes .
3. In the 3D Window, place the cursor over the object’s node you want to delete. The node turns blue, and the cursor changes to Move mode .
4. Right-click and select Delete Node on the shortcut menu.
Setting Snapping Options
You can set how a node or object snaps to other objects.
To set snapping options:
1. Select a single object for editing. See the “Selecting Objects for Editing” section in this chapter for further information.
2. On the top bar of the object’s property sheet, click Set Snapping Options 
.
3. Toggle on any of the following options:
§ Node Snapping (5) – Snap object or node to nodes of other objects or features.
§ Line Segment Snapping (6)– Snap object or node to line segments of other objects or features.
§ 3D Snapping (7)– Smart snap object or node to dynamically-identified edges and corners of any element in the 3D World.
§ Directional Snapping (8) – Constrain the object line segments currently being drawn to pre-defined angle increments. The angle constraint can be relative either to the previous line segment drawn in the same object or to a line segment in another object.
§ Segment Distance on Edit (9) – Show segment lengths while editing a polygon/polyline.
Note: Snapping options can be combined, with priority based on their order in the Snapping options list.
Aligning Objects to the Ground
Polylines and polygons can be aligned to the ground (mesh ground, terrain, or any ground object) at each of their vertices.
To align a polyline and/or polygon object to the ground:
1. Select the object for editing.
Note: You can also multi-select objects from the 3D Window. See “Selecting Multiple Objects from the 3D Window” or "Selecting All Objects in a Selected Area in the 3D Window" in this chapter for further information.
2. In the object's property sheet, set the Altitude Method to one of the following: Relative to Terrain, Absolute, or Relative to Pivot. If multiple objects were selected, set the altitude method in the multi-edit property sheet.
3. On the top bar of the property sheet, click Align to Ground 
.
Setting Object Orientation Using Drawing Surfaces
Drawing surfaces make it easy to draw objects on a particular plane. Drawing surfaces can be created in either of the following ways:
§ Create a drawing surface with a particular orientation, for creation of objects with the same orientation. Then with Set Position Based on Mouse mode on, create an object in the area of the surface. The drawn object will automatically be aligned to the surface.
§ Create a drawing surface based on the orientation of a specific polyline or polygon – Draw a polyline/polygon so that its nodes are all lying in the same plane, and then create a drawing surface. The surface will automatically be aligned to the polyline/polygon. Additional objects then drawn on that surface, will be automatically aligned to it and to the original polyline/polygon.
The drawing surface commands can be accessed from the Objects tab or from the Feature Layer tab.
Creating a Drawing Surface
To create a surface with a particular orientation, do the following:
1. On the Objects tab, click the arrow next to Drawing Surface and select one of the following options:
§ Auto-Aligned Surface – Create a surface that is automatically aligned to the surface under the cursor.
§ Horizontal Surface – Create a horizontal drawing surface that is horizontally aligned to the surface under the cursor.
§ Vertical Surface – Create a vertical drawing surface that is vertically aligned to the surface under the cursor.
§ Surface by 3 Points – Create a drawing surface that is aligned to the three points you draw.
2. A surface is placed in the current location of the cursor, and the cursor changes to XYZ Magnet mode ., so you can drag the surface to the required location. Click the left mouse button to set the drawing surface in its place.
Aligning a Drawing Surface to a Polyline/Polygon
To align a drawing surface to a polyline/polygon:
1. Draw a polygon or polyline whose nodes are all lying in the same plane, or select an existing one. See also Creating a New Polyline" and "Creating a New Polygon" in the "Objects and Labels" chapter.
2. On the top bar of the polygon/polyline property sheet, click Show/Align to Surface 
to create a surface aligned with the drawn polygon/polyline. When the property sheet is closed, the drawing surface is no longer displayed. To redisplay it, on the Objects tab, click the arrow next to Drawing Surface and select Show Last Surface. The last surface that was created is displayed.
Aligning Polylines/Polygons to a Drawing Surface
Drawing surfaces are used to control objects' orientation.
To align polylines/polygons to a drawing surface:
1. Create a surface with a particular orientation. See "Creating a Drawing Surface" in this chapter for information.
2. Select Set Position Based on Mouse , and then draw the polyline/polygon in the area of the created surface. See the "Objects and Labels" chapter for information.
If you draw an object not directly on the drawing surface, the object's default alignment depends on the angle between the surface and the horizon:
If the drawing surface is vertical or nearly-vertical, the object's nodes are projected perpendicularly from where you clicked to add the node, onto the surface.
For other drawing surfaces, the object's nodes are projected vertically from where you clicked to add the node, onto the surface.
Note: You can override the default alignment using keyboard shortcut keys. For a near-vertical surface, type and hold down "v" to project the object vertically to the drawing surface. For other surfaces, type and hold down "n" to project the object perpendicularly.
3. If you draw a polygon or a polyline that is not aligned to surface or a polyline/polygon becomes misaligned with the surface as a result of editing in XY or Z mode, rather than in Set Position Based on Mouse mode, Show/Align to Surface becomes enabled. Click Show/Align to Surface to align any misaligned nodes. The node's alignment is represented by its color:
§ Black – aligned
§ White – misaligned
Note: The selected node is yellow, regardless of alignment.
4. Other polylines or polygons in the area of the surface that were drawn before the surface was created, can also be aligned by selecting the polyline/polygon, and then clicking Show/Align to Surface .
Editing a Drawing Surface
To edit the drawing surface that is currently displayed:
1. On the Objects tab, click the arrow next to Drawing Surface and select Edit Surface. The surface property sheet is displayed.
2. Edit altitude, x, y, yaw, pitch, and roll properties in the property sheet as required, and use the toolbar, resizers, and rotators to edit the surface in the 3D Window. See "Editing a 2D or 3D Object Using Object Handles" and "Editing Objects in the 3D Window" in this chapter for information.
Selecting a Different Object
To select a different object from the one currently being edited:
§ On the top bar of the object’s property sheet, click Select Mode 
.