I am having the hardest time with something simple.
a) Draw a rectangle 12 inches tall by 6 inches wide. Push/pull it 2" to make it 3D. I got that (Rectangle tool, type 6,12, push/pull tool, type 2 …bam). Now, I want to come down 2 inches from the top of the rectangle and drop a line across the front face from edge to edge. How do I do that? I’ve been using the tape measuring tool, go up to the top of the rectangle where it says Endpoint, click on that, come down a bit, type 2, and it puts a little guide mark. Then I use the Line tool, put it at that 2" guide mark, come over using inference, and then click.That just seems like a lot of clicking and many tools.
b) When I want to go down a line and put a mark so many inches with the Tape Measure tool, I can’t get it to do that. It jumps from X inches to Y inches, I can’t just type in 2 inches, etc. It seems I can only use it to measure a dimension of something that is already there…?
c) Same idea for using the arc tool (for if I wanted to make the rectangles edges rounded.) Since the arc tool requires a center (that I don’t know), here’s what I do (for a 2" radius arc at each corner): Click on rectangle endpoint, use that to make a 2 in by 2 in square in the corner. Click on the innermost square endpoint. Use that for the arc tool center, go to the edge, and sweep around to make the arc. Repeat all this for the other three rectangle corners. Now, that I have the arcs, erase the lines for the squares. Then,push/pull “outside” the arc to make the rounded edge. That seems like alot of extra steps, alot of added geometry, and it’s one of the reasons I think that I can’t get “shiny” models.
a)
option1 - when you push/pull it up, keep the same tool, tap [ctrl] and push the same surface back into your model, type 2" (This will put lines around the box and you will probably have to reverse the top face again)
option2 - select the top line and a side line, use the “offset” tool and type in 2", select the two lines and use the scale tool to drag the vertical edge onto the side of the shape (the last bit is just to stretch the end, there are many other ways to do it)
option3 - select the line tool, start at the top corner, move down an edge and type in 2" [return], move the mouse to the top line until the tool tip says “on edge”, move the mouse to the opposite edge so the line you are drawing goes pink and highlights the edge you hovered over, hold [shift] and click on the far edge. (If you are drawing on one of the axis, then you can skip the hovering bit)
b) the measurements update when you move the mouse so that they represent the mouse’s distance from the first click. You need that first click to set a “from” point before information can be typed in to give you a “to” point. (And you can use [x,y,z] coordinate system if you really want, but it’s normally better to start the action in the desired direction, then type in a distance)
c) to get the perfect arc you will have to do the square thing (or guides or lines…) to get the first fillet, but you can then just double click on the inside angle of the next corner and the same radius curve will be applied to that corner (on any shape).
it’s going to take me some time to go through gagdet’s steps, I have to slow Box’s video way down (I can see the toolbar icons pushing, but I don’t know if there is an onscreen indicator whenever you use CTRL or SHIFT) , but that looks great, and then Jean, files are like Christmas presents.
