Translating Points, Edges, and Polygons
on this page: task summary | position cursor and drag | example
1 | example 2
-
Make sure you are in the PEP editor.
-
Select points, edges, or polygons
that you want to move.
-
Place the cursor anywhere on the surface of the PEP object and drag.
Notice that the selected PEPs move in the direction of your drag, and
arrows appear to indicate movement.
Placing the cursor in the right place before
dragging is an important part of moving selected PEPs where you want
them to go. Here are some tips:
-
Find an edge or polygon that exists in the same plane or
angle along which you'd like to move the selected PEPs.
-
Use highlighting feedback to find the right plane
and angle to drag along. Pass your cursor over the surface
of an object and notice the highlighting that occurs (don't click--if
you do, the PEPs you have selected to move will be deselected). You can
use this feedback to correctly position the cursor over the desired
edge or polygon.
-
Constrain movement: When selecting an edge or polygon, keep
in mind that you can also move perpendicular to that edge or polygon by
pressing Ctrl while dragging. Pressing Shift while
dragging constrains movement in a single direction within the plane.
-
Arrow feedback: When you drag, yellow directional arrows
appear to indicate your motion. Dragging produces arrows pointing in
four directions. Shift-dragging produces a bi-directional
arrow, and Ctrl-dragging produces an arrow indicating a
perpendicular motion (see images below for examples of Shift-drag
and Ctrl-drag arrows).
Suppose you want to move the selected polygons to lengthen the chimney
on the following house. The chimney's edges should remain parallel with
those of the house. Note that neither the plane of the chimney-top nor
the perpendicular to that plane points in the direction you want to
move. Using highlighting feedback, you would place the cursor over the
edge of the house, and Shift-drag upward:

Shift-drag up along an edge.
Notice the cylinder shape below. (You might
recognize it from the Tutorial; see Shaping the Fin in Tutorial Part 2: Creating a Rocket.)
The goal here is to move the selected polygons perpendicular to the
cylinder's circle. Suppose you decide to use highlighting feedback to
find an edge along which you can guide the movement of the selected
polygon. But there is no edge that will give the desired result. If you
drag along the highlighted edge, the polygon and its edges appear
slanted:
Choose an edge and Shift-drag to constrain the movement in a
single direction, but the result is not what you want.
The solution is to Ctrl-drag. Using highlighting feedback, you
can ensure that the cursor is correctly positioned over the selected
polygon. Then Ctrl-drag to constrain the movement perpendicular
to the polygon.

Instead, use Ctrl-drag to constrain motion perpendicular to
polygon.
Jump to: