8

164 Chapter 5: Creating Geometry
Extended Primitives (page 1–181)
See also
Basics of Creating and Modif ying Objects (page
1–149)
Creating an Object (page 1–152)
Creating Primitives f rom the Keyboard (page
1–164)
Creating Primitives from the
Keyboard
Create panel > Geometry > Standard or Extended
Primitives > Keyboard Entry rollout
You can create most geometric primitives from
your keyboard using the Keyboard Entry rollout.
In a single operation, you define both the initial
size of an object and its three-dimensional
position. The object’s name, color, and default
material (optional), are automatically assigned.
See
Object Name and Wireframe Color (page
3–800)
.
This method is generally the same for a ll
primitives; differences occur in the type and
number of parameters. The Hedra primitive, a
complex and highly visual family of objects, is
unsuited to this method and has no keyboard
entry.
Pr ocedur es
To open the K eyboard Entr y rollout:
1.
On the Create panel for Standard or Extended
Primitives, click any of the primitive Object
Typerolloutbuttons,exceptHedraor
RingWave.
2. Click the Keyboard Entry rollout to open it.
This rollout is closed by default.
Note: ThebuttonsontheCreationMethod
rollout have no effect on keyboard entry.
To create a pri mitive fr om the k eyboa rd:
1.
On the Keyboard Entry rollout, select a numeric
field with the mouse and then enter a number.
2. Press TAB to move to the next field. You do
not have to press ENTER after entering a value.
Press SHIFT+TAB to reverse direction.
3. When you have all fields set, press TAB to move
the focus to the Create button. Press ENTER.
4. Theobjectappearsintheactiveviewport.
Once created, a new primitive is unaffected by the
numeric fields in the Keyboard Entry rollout. You
can adjust parameter values on the Parameters
rollout, either immediately after creation or on the
Modify panel.
Interf ace
The Keyboard Entry rollout contains a common
set of position fields, labeled X, Y, and Z. The
numbers you enter are offsets along the axes of the
active construction plane; either the home gr id or
a g rid object. Plus and minus values correspond
to posit ive and negative directions for these axes.
Defaults=0,0,0; the center of the active gr id.
The location set by X,Y is equivalent to the first
mouse-down posit ion in the standard method of
creating object s.