DUCS in Shape vs Bricscad

Tom Foster
edited October 2018 in 3D Modeling

In https://blog.bricsys.com/shape-basics-create-roof/ at 0.09sec, what exactly is happening here?

In Shape, after starting the Shape (Polysolid/Linear Solid) command, "Align the drawing plane to the wall face by pressing Shift while hovering over the wall face" (the face highlights pale blue with the hover and then goes darker blue with Shift).

This looks like DUCS - Dynamic UCS - in BricsCAD, as described at end of User Coordinate Systems in v18 Help.

In the Shape video it's described as "Align the drawing plane to the wall face" which sounds like a planar version of linear Snap Track Lock - and sometimes in Shape it does act that way -
lock the plane and then drawing points placed away from that plane get projected to the perp point on that plane - invaluable.
It works sometimes in Shape but not reliably.

But doesn't work ever in 3D Bricscad. A drawing point placed away from the locked UCS's XY plane stays there, tho is subject to the UCS for orientation etc.

Is there some setting to make it work like in Shape, as described above? It's an invaluable feature, when it works, in Shape.

Comments

  • Look at the OSOPTIONS and OSNAPZ variables.

  • Tom Foster
    edited October 2018

    Brilliant!

    But leads to next question - OSNAPZ refers to ELEVATION system variable - what might that be?
    Searching ELEVATION in Settings just leads to OSNAPZ - doesn't produce an entry that describes ELEVATION at bottom.
    On command line it's a 0 or 1 - but what does it do?

    I see your wonderful public-service document https://www.cadconcepts.co.nz/assets/Blog/2012-02-Feb/Bricscad-V12-Variables.pdf but that doesn't explain what ELEVATION does.
    BTW, do you have a v18 (v19 shortly) version?

  • I very recently heard of DUCS SHIFT Lock for the first time
    and find it extremely cool.
    (I currently have no access to my Bricscad Settings)
    So I tried a few times (I think in Bricscad) and it worked reliably
    for me so far.

    Just a general experience.
    As long as I move or shake my cursor in any way,
    Bricscad is somehow occupied mostly by reading the cursor,
    and any STRG Switching, SHIFT Locking, Selection Highlight Refresh
    or Key Inputs most times will fail.

    Only when I really take my hand from the Mouse or lift my Pen
    from Tablet to avoid any cursor movements - all single or double
    Keyboard Entries will work as expected.
    Maybe it is worth to take a closer look, if things aren't working
    reliably, if they would work better when nailing down the
    mouse cursor.

  • Tom Foster
    edited October 2018

    @Michael Mayer said:
    I very recently heard of DUCS SHIFT Lock for the first time
    and find it extremely cool.

    That was me I think! But then I found it become unreliable in Shape and non existent in Bricscad - till Roy provided the answer above.
    More than cool - awesome!
    But not always what i want to happen - so now I want a OSNAPZ toggle on the status bar at botom. Can't see how that's doable.

    The other great thing is that Snap track lock is now also working reliably for me - why not before? I don't know.

  • @Tom Foster: You are confusing me with @Jason Bourhill.
    When I search for ELEVATION in the _Settings I find this description:
    'Specifies the current elevation for new entities relative to the current UCS'

  • Tom Foster
    edited October 2018

    Oh, sorry Roy and Jason

    Strange - i get this (attached)

    I find that ELEVATION 0 or 1 makes no difference?

    "I want a OSNAPZ toggle on the status bar at botom. Can't see how that's doable" - I see it's an icon on the Entity snaps toolbar - that'll do.

  • Michael Mayer
    edited October 2018

    I may be completely off of what your problem is but
    I understand it as follows

    Those 2 buttons on the left side of the Snap Icons Palette

    -Z Lock
    When ON you e.g. can't (?) draw a Box and Extrude the last (Z) value
    downwards, like when you snap to something below.
    When OFF, you can.

    OSNAPZ
    Basically it is like a lock for drawing on the XY Layer plane only.
    E.g. when you draw a Rectangle in an ISO, like by snapping at the
    top of a 5th floor Wall, it will still be drawn on the floor of your
    1st Story.
    While when OSNAPZ lock OFF, it would draw beginning at the top
    of that 5th floor Wall's Z.

    As it is Layer height - or UCS - (or even DUCS ?) it could be off of
    global Z = 0.00.
    Common usage for me would be to have OSNAPZ Lock activated
    and set a custom Plane Elevation in Property Palette.
    So I can snap anywhere but be sure to always draw at a special Z.
    Like setting Plane to -15 cm temporarily, to draw structural Walls
    directly on the Structural Slab, opposed to the Finish Floor at 0.00 m.
    Or set the Plane to 2.40 m to draw a bunch of ceiling panels,
    Set plane to 3.xx m when you want to work in your 2nd Floor etc.

  • Please notice that when OSNAPZ = ON, two entity snap markers display: the blue one indicates the actual snappoint, the red one indicates the point at the current Elevation.

  • @Tom Foster: Are you using the Up and Down arrows to the right of the search field to find other 'hits'?

  • Thanks for that Roy - now I can take back all my disatisfaction with Settings Search!
    I get ELEVATION now.

    Yes Louis, they make it clear.

    Michael, I'll decipher that later on!

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