Translating Points, Edges, and Polygons

on this page: task summary | position cursor and drag | example 1 | example 2

Task Summary

  1. Make sure you are in the PEP editor.

  2. Select points, edges, or polygons that you want to move.

  3. 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.

Position the Cursor and Drag

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:

Example 1

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.

Example 2

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.

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