Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Understanding the UCS Options
You've seen how to select a UCS from a set of predefined UCSs. You can frequently use these
preset UCSs and make minor adjustments to them to get the exact UCS you want.
You can define a UCS in other ways. You can, for example, use the surface of your chair seat
to define the orientation of a UCS. In the following sections, you'll be shown the different ways
you can set up a UCS. Learning how to move effortlessly between UCSs is crucial to master-
ing the creation of 3D models, so you'll want to pay special attention to the command options
shown in these examples.
Note that these examples are for your reference. You can try them out on your own model.
Figure 20.2, shown earlier, will help you locate the tools mentioned in this section.
CONTROLLING THE UCS ICON
If the UCS icon isn't behaving as described in this chapter's exercises, chances are that its settings
have been altered. You can control the behavior of the UCS icon through the Ucsicon command.
Ty p e
UCSICON
↵ to view the options available in the Command Line palette. They are [ON/OFF/
All/Noorigin/Origin/Properties].
The options for the Ucsicon command affect the way the UCS icon behaves. The ON/OFF options
control whether the UCS icon is displayed or not. The All option causes changes to the UCS icon
to appear in all viewports. The Noorigin/Origin option determines whether the UCS icon appears
at the origin of the drawing or if it is kept in the lower-left corner of the drawing at all times. The
Properties option opens the UCS Icon dialog box.
If you have multiple v iew por ts set up in a draw ing, you can set these options independently for each
viewport. As mentioned, the All option forces the setting changes to apply in all viewports.
Another tool for controlling the UCS icon is the UCS Icon dialog box. To open it, click UCS Icon
Properties tool from the Coordinates tool group on the Tool Sets palette (see Figure 20.2) or enter
UCSICON
↵
P
↵.
Using this dialog box, you can fine-tune the appearance of the UCS icon, including its size and color.
The 2D radio button in the Style group changes the UCS icon to the old-style UCS icon used in earlier
Windows releases of AutoCAD.
