View (3D)
The View node () for 3D components has many options to add light sources and define the light attributes. Other functions include displaying or hiding geometry labels, transparency, wireframe rendering, a numbered grid, and axis orientation in the Graphics window. See Figure 6-19. You can add this View node by right-clicking Definitions in a 3D component and also by right-clicking Views under Results to add a View 3D node.
Also right-click the View node in the component to add Hide for Geometry, Hide for Physics, or Hide for Mesh Import, depending on your current view.
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View Toolbar
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User-Defined Views
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View (1D and 2D)
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About the 3D View Light Sources and Attributes
Figure 6-19: An example of the top of the 3D Settings window for View with all View option check boxes selected. The Graphics window shows what the check boxes represent. In this example, using the Diagonal Mounting Detail of a Communication Mast model, the Fixed Constraint node is clicked in the Model Builder, which then displays the numbers associated to the boundaries (8, 9, 33, and 42). Compare to the boundary numbers shown in Figure 6-17, which is for the same node. The edge direction arrows are not displayed in this view.
Also right-click the View node in the component to add Hide for Geometry, Hide for Physics, or Hide for Mesh Import, depending on your current view.
The View node () for 3D models has the following sections:
View
Select the Wireframe rendering check box to view the edges of the object as solid lines. The Wireframe Rendering button () is turned on or off in the Graphics window at the same time. Wireframe rendering only has effect when mesh rendering is turned off (for a view that normally shows the mesh).
Select the Show geometry labels check box to display the geometry object names in the Graphics window. The labels appear for geometry objects or geometric entities (boundary, edge, or point numbers, but not domain numbers), depending on what part of the model tree you display and the selection mode you are using. If you use wireframe rendering, no labels appear.
Select the Show edge direction arrows check box to display direction arrows on edges in the Graphics window. The direction arrows indicate the directions for which the edge parameterization values increase.
By default, the Show grid check box is selected and displays a numbered grid in the Graphics window around the object. Click to clear the check box to hide the grid.
By default, the Mesh rendering check box is selected. Clear it to not render the mesh, where the mesh normally appears, which can be useful, for example, to get a better view of the inside of complex meshed 3D geometries. This check box is not available in geometry part views and result views.
By default, the Show axis orientation check box is selected and the axis orientation indicator for the global Cartesian coordinate directions is displayed in the lower-left corner of the Graphics window. Click to clear the check box to hide the axis orientation indicator.
By default, the Show axis units check box is selected. Click to clear the Show axis units check box if you do not want to include units for the plot axes.
Select the Lock camera check box to store the current camera settings so that the zoom tools can temporarily be used, for example, but then revisiting the View node restores the camera settings to the values in the view at the time the Lock camera check box was selected.
Select the Lock rotation center check box to lock the rotation center and turn off the automatic or manual rotation center modes. See Moving Around and Rotating a 3D Geometry.
Light
The Scene light setting is a default that always displays and is based on the geometry. The Scene light, Diffuse light, Specular light, and Ambient light check boxes are selected by default. To hide and disable all light sources, click to clear the Scene light check box. The Scene Light button () is turned on or off in the Graphics window at the same time.
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Click to clear the Diffuse light, Specular light, and Ambient light check boxes as needed.
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Enter a value between 0 and 1 for the Ambient intensity (default value: 0.3) or use the slider to select a level. Watch the changes in the Graphics window at the same time to help choose a level.
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Select a Color from the list: Custom, Black, Blue, Cyan, Gray, Green, Magenta, Red, White (default), or Yellow. The color is only applied to ambient light. If you select Custom, click the Color button to choose a color from the Custom color palette.
Environment
These settings are used to add environment maps to the view. See also About Environment Mapping.
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From the Environment map list, choose one of the available environment maps: Indoor or Outdoor. The default is None, which does not display any environment map.
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From the Sky direction list, choose where the sky should be located: Positive X, Negative X, Positive Y (the default), Negative Y, Positive Z, or Negative Z.
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From the Sky rotation list, choose a rotation of the environment map around the chosen sky direction: No rotation, Rotate 90°, Rotate 180°, or Rotate 270°.
The Environment reflections check box is selected by default to show reflection of the environment map in the model geometry (when Show Material Color and Texture is enabled and any selections are cleared).
Select the Skybox check box to project the environment map onto a skybox, which can make the image in the environment map give an illusion of a distant surroundings. The following settings only apply when you use a skybox:
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You can blur the image by entering a value between 0 (completely clear; the default) or 1 (completely blurry) in the Blur field, or use the slider underneath.
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You can blend the image with the background by entering a value between 0 (no blending at all; the default) or 1 (not visible) in the Blend field, or use the slider underneath.
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From the Projection list, choose Special (the default), which does not take the camera’s zoom level into account when rendering the skybox, or From camera, which uses the projection from the camera that is part of the view. If you chose Special, you can specify a field of view for the skybox (1–180 degrees; default 110 degrees) in the Field of view field (unit: degrees). The smaller the field of view is, the further the view moves into the skybox image.
Select the Rotate environment check box to make the environment map reflections rotate when you rotate the geometry. If you clear this check box, the environment map is still when you rotate the geometry.
Transparency
Select the Transparency check box to turn on transparency. The Transparency button () is activated in the Graphics window at the same time. Enter a value between 0 and 1 in the Transparency field (default: 0.5), where 0 means a fully opaque color and 1 means a fully transparent color, or use the slider to select a transparency level. Watch the changes in the Graphics window at the same time to help choose a level.
Clipping
In this section you can control the clipping tools looking inside of 3D geometries. You can also do so from the Graphics toolbar (see The Graphics Toolbar Buttons and Navigation). See also About Clipping of 3D Model Geometries.
By default, the clipping tools are active when added to the view. To disable the tools, clear the Clipping active check box. If that check box is selected, you can enable or disable the following clipping tools (by default, all of them are selected to be active):
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The Clip faces check box controls if the clipping will remove faces or not.
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The Clip edges check box controls if the clipping will remove edges or not.
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The Clip points check box controls if the clipping will remove points or not.
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The Highlight intersection check box controls if the intersection between the clipping tool and the 3D geometry should be highlighted or not. When selected, you can specify the coloring of the intersection using the Color list: Choose From theme (the default), any predefined color, or Custom to choose a color from a color palette.
Highlighting of intersections only affects the rendering when you use the OpenGL renderer and are not available when using software rendering.
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The Apply clipping check box control that the clipping action is active. Clear it to disable the clipping.
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The Show frames check box controls if the frames that outline the clipping action will be displayed or not. When displayed, you can use it do drag and resize the clipping tools (clip planes cannot be resized).
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The Show gizmos check box controls if the gizmo that indicate the position and action of the clipping action will be displayed or not. You can use the gizmo to move and rotate the clipping tool.
Colors
Clear the Show selection colors check box if you do not want to include colors indicating user-defined selections.
Select the Show material colors and texture check box if you want to include colors and texture indicating the material used in the geometry.