Construct Ellipse dialog box
There are several ways to construct an ellipse using PC-DMIS. The following table lists the various types of constructed ellipses, along with their necessary inputs. Some features may require no inputs while others may require three inputs or more. The term "Any" in the following table indicates that the construction can take any type of feature as input for construction. PC-DMIS allows the features to be selected in any order.
CONSTRUCT FEATURE TYPE |
SYMBOL IN EDIT WINDOW |
# OF INPUT FEATS |
FEAT #1: |
FEAT #2: |
COMMENTS |
Auto Ellipse |
- |
- |
- |
- |
See "Auto Ellipse Construction". |
Best fit Ellipse |
BF |
At least 4 inputs are needed or a scan or set with 4 points. |
- |
- |
Constructs a best fit ellipse using the given inputs. See the Note below for recommended inputs. |
Best fit with Recompensate Ellipse |
BFRE |
At least 4 inputs--with one input being a point--are needed or a scan or set comprised of at least 4 points. |
- |
- |
Constructs a best fit ellipse using the given inputs. See the Note below for recommended inputs. |
Intersection |
INT |
2 |
Cylinder |
Plane |
Constructs an ellipse at the intersection of the input features. |
Cast Ellipse |
CAST |
1 |
Any |
- |
Constructs an ellipse at the centroid of the input feature. |
Project Ellipse |
PROJ |
1 or 2 |
Any |
Plane |
One input feature will project the ellipse to the workplane. |
Reverse Ellipse |
REV |
1 |
Ellipse |
- |
Constructs an ellipse with a reversed vector. |
If you select inappropriate feature types, PC-DMIS displays "Cannot construct [feature]. Combination of input features not accepted." on the status bar.
To construct an ellipse:
Open the Construct Ellipse dialog box (Insert | Feature | Constructed | Ellipse).
Enter the desired features.
Select the In or Out option.
Select the method of construction. Available options include:
Auto Circle
Best Fit or Best Fit Recompensate Ellipse
Cast Ellipse
Projection Ellipse
Reverse direction Ellipse
Some ellipse types have additional options or items that appear in the dialog box when selected. Select or use these options as needed.
Click the Create button.
The Edit window
command line for a sample Ellipse Construction would read:
feature_name=FEAT/Ellipse,TOG1,TOG4
THEO/x_cord,y_cord,z_cord,i_vec,j_vec,k_vec,major diam,minor diam,i angle
vec, j angle vec, k angle vec
ACTL/x_cord,y_cord,z_cord,i_vec,j_vec,k_vec,major diam,minor diam,i angle
vec,j angle vec,k angle vec
CONSTR/TOG2,TOG3,TOG5,feat_1,feat_2, ...
The actual Edit report displays in all capital letters.
Auto is the default method of construction. For information on the Auto method, see "Auto Ellipse Construction".
TOG1= POLR or RECT
TOG2 = ELLIPSE
TOG3 = BF / BFRE / CAST / INT / PROJ / REV
TOG4 = IN / OUT
TOG5 = 2D / 3D (This appears only if TOG3 reads BF or BFRE)
The first three lines in the Edit window will be the same for constructed ellipses. The fourth line will be slightly different according to the type of feature being constructed. You can switch between the different types of ellipses by placing the cursor on TOG3 and pressing F7 and F8. (See "Command Mode Keyboard Functions" in the "Using the Edit Window" chapter.)
When two or more features are involved, PC-DMIS automatically determines the necessary order of the input features. This improves the accuracy of the measurement process.
The following topics describe the available options for constructing an ellipse:
More:
Constructing a Best Fit or Best Fit Recompensate Ellipse
Constructing an Intersect Ellipse
Constructing a Projected Ellipse