Often when modeling a hull or other surfaces, it is useful to be able to arrange control points in a straight line. The OrcaStraightenPoints command will move points into a straight line in 3D129 between two selected points, or in the 2D projection of a straight line132.
Hull Design 129
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Menu Orca3D > Hull Design > Straighten Points Command OrcaStraightenPoints
To straighten points into a line in 3D:
1. Start the OrcaStraightenPoints command (using the icon, menu selection, or by typing the command)
2. If the control points aren't already visible, click on the EnableControlPoints option in the command line
3. Select the two points that will define the line
4. Select the points to be moved into the straight line. If you want to select the control points that are between and on the same column or row as the two points chosen in Step 3, click on the AutoSelect option. Otherwise, select each point graphically. When done selecting the points to be moved, hit Enter or right-click.
5. Hit Enter or right-click to accept the Closest Intersection option. This will move the selected points the shortest distance into a line defined by the two points selected in Step 3.
In this first example, we want to move the control points on the stem of this boat into a straight line:
After starting the command, the two points that define the ends of the straight line are selected:
Next, click on AutoSelect to automatically select the points between the two end points, and right click to finish the selection:
Hit Enter to accept the Closest Intersection option. The points are moved the shortest distance into the straight line.
Hull Design 131
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In the example above, the points were all on the centerplane. Even if the points were not initially coplanar, using the Closest Intersection option will still put the points into a straight line in 3D. In the second example below, similar steps to those above are carried out on a column in the midships region of the hull. This is not a realistic use of the function, but simply demonstrates that the points are moved in 3D, not just the projection of the line in the Profile view.
To straighten points into the 2D projection of a line:
1. Start the OrcaStraightenPoints command (using the icon, menu selection, or by typing the command)
2. If the control points aren't already visible, click on the EnableControlPoints option in the command line
3. Select the two points that will define the line
4. Select the points to be moved into the straight line. If you want to select the control points that are between and on the same column or row as the two points chosen in Step 3, click on the AutoSelect option. Otherwise, select each point graphically. When done selecting the points to be moved, hit Enter or right-click.
Hull Design 133
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5. You are prompted to "Select the Base Point for the Projection Line," and then "Select the Second Point for the Projection Line." The Projection line defines the direction that the points will be moved in order to get to the desired straight line; the points will be moved parallel to this line, rather than to the closest intersection.
When selecting the points for the Projection Line, you are also defining the plane that points will remain in. If you define the Projection Line in one of the orthogonal views (e.g.,
PlanView, Profile, BodyPlan, Top, Front, Side), the point will not move in the coordinate perpendicular to the viewing plane.
In the following example, the control points on the column are not neatly arranged. We'd like them to be in line in the Profile view, but we don't want their Y (transverse) coordinate to change:
Start the OrcaStraightenPoints command, and select the 2 points that are to be used to define the ends of the line:
Use AutoSelect to select the two points between (or just click on them individually), then hit Enter or right-click:
Now, working in the Profile viewport, select the first point for the Projection Line; as you move the second point of the Projection Line around, you'll notice the control points moving in a parallel direction:
If you want the points to move to the Closest Intersection in the 2D projection, hit Enter (be sure that the Profile view remains as the active view; if you switch to another view, it will change the coordinate that will remain fixed). If you want them to move parallel to the Projection Line, click to put down the second point of the Projection Line:
Hull Design 135
© 2012 by DRS Defense Solutions, LLC, all rights reserved
Notice the difference in the Perspective View between this image, and the last image in the second example above. In this example, the points moved into a 2D projection of a line, without their transverse coordinates changing. In the second example, the points moved in all three dimensions into a line in 3D.