l Illustration techniques

In the first few chapters of this guide, we've focused our attention on the 3D scene, where you build and edit models. If you're a graphic designer, however, you might not build models. You might take finished models from the Engineering departments, for example, and incorporate them with text and other graphic elements to produce brochures or advertising layouts.

To create these designs, use the 3D page. The page is the other display area in TriSpectives. This chapter explains the tools you use when you're on the page. We begin by explaining tools you can use on both the page and the scene.

Lighting

Changing the background

Rendering methods

Creating collages

Embedding scenes

Making technical illustrations

Annotation dimensions

Hidden-line drawings

l Pages and scenes

After creating and refining your models in the scene, use the other TriSpectives display, the 3D page, to combine models with other elements and create your final image. You can use the page to develop the following graphic designs:

Newsletters Corporate logos

Marketing diagrams Flyers

Posters Menus

distinctive text to identify the model, such as a title at the top of the page and a description, in smaller text, at the bottom. When you print the page on a high-resolution printer, you get professional results.

Later in this chapter, we describe in detail how to use the 3D page. First, we want to introduce some tools and techniques you can use on the scene and page:

Lighting effects

Assigning colors and textures to the background

Adding annotation dimensions

Assigning rendering styles.

The following sections describe each tool.

If you have any experience in photography or theater, or even if you've been cooped up in your windowless office all day, you understand the power of light. It can drastically alter your mood and radically change the look of a photo or dramatic piece.

TriSpectives, too, knows the power of lighting. You can control the following lighting effects in the page and scene:

The color and intensity of the light

The direction of the light

The number of light sources on your model

Shadows.

As we explained in Chapter 2, "IntelliShapes," you can also use items in the Surfaces catalog to make a model more shiny or dull.

By default, TriSpectives hides the lights in the scene and page. The lights are on, and you can see their effects, but the lights themselves are invisible. To change the lighting, you must first display the lights.

In the following examples, we recommend that you first drag in one of the more complex models from the Showcase catalog. They show off lighting effects better than simple shapes. We use the scene for these examples, although you can use the page as well.

u To show the light sources in the scene:

1 Right-click anywhere in the scene background.

2 From the pop-up menu, choose Scene Properties.

3 From the Scene Properties sheet, choose the Show tab.

You can show or hide any of the items listed in this dialog box.

4 Check the Lights box and choose OK to return to the scene.

Voila! The lights appear:

Light sources visible in scene

Note: You cannot use the Camera tools on a 3D page.

You can repeat the previous steps to hide the lights from view again, but first we want to show you some lighting effects. We begin with coloring and intensity.

Changing a light's color and intensity

If you know anything about theater, you're familiar with color filters, the little s 13213u2020n quare sheets you insert over lights to create mood-altering effects for a scene.

TriSpectives, not to be outdone, lets you do the same with colors. It's just as easy to change the light's intensity.

u To change a light source's color and intensity:

2 Click a light source to select it.

The outline around the light shows it's selected. You also see a line showing how the light strikes the model.

3 Right-click the light source and then choose Light Properties from the pop-up menu.

From the Light Properties sheet, choose the Light tab.

Click the red color box.

Type 3 in the Intensity field.

Click OK to return to the scene and see the bright red light.

If you're interested in a lurid mood, red light is an obvious choice. Try dark blues and purples and lower intensities for a more foreboding feeling. You can assign different colors and intensities to each of the four lights.

Changing the direction of a light

To change the angles of light upon the model, you can move the lights. The direction of the light can create remarkably different impressions. For example, backlighting is a common method of conveying a spooky or stark effect in drama.

u To adjust the angle of light on a model:

Click and drag the light source to a new location.

Experiment with different angles to see how the effect changes.

Turning off lights or adding more

You can also alter the page or scene by turning off light sources or adding more.

u To turn off a light, right-click it and then choose Light On from the pop-up menu.

Repeat the previous step to turn the light on again.

u To add a light:

Choose Light from the Insert menu.

Click in the scene where you want the new light.

When the Insert Light dialog box appears, choose Directional Light or Spotlight and then choose OK.

By default, all the original lights in your scene are directional. Directional lights have cylindrical icons, while spotlights are represented by a conical icon.

Casting shadows

u To add shadows to a model:

Right-click in the scene background and then choose Scene Properties from the pop-up menu.

Choose the Rendering tab on the property sheet.

Choose the Realistic Shading option and then choose the Shadows option beneath it.

Choose OK to close the property sheet and return to the scene.

Right-click a light source.

If it isn't already checked, choose Cast Shadows from the pop-up menu.

The shadows appear a few seconds after you stop orbiting or making other changes in the scene. This short lag is due to SmartRendering, a feature TriSpectives uses to balance the demands of display speed and processing needs. For details, see "SmartRendering" later in this chapter.

Annotation dimensions show the distances and angles between points, lines, and planes of your model. They're similar to the
SmartDimensions you saw in Chapter 3, "Building models."

Unlike SmartDimensions, however, annotation dimensions can remain on the model as a design element. In other words, when you print the model, the annotated dimensions print, too. These dimensions are used most commonly in technical illustrations which require detailed information about a model, down to its physical proportions.

We discuss technical illustrations and annotation dimensions in greater detail later in this chapter.

When you open a page or scene, TriSpectives makes the background white or gray, respectively. If you don't want the background to remain so nondescript, you can drag colors and textures onto it from the catalogs, just as you can with shapes and model surfaces.

You can also change background colors and assign textured finishes with the Background properties sheet. These properties are identical on the page and scene.

u To assign a color or texture to your background:

Right-click in the scene or page to see its pop-up menu.

Choose Scene Properties or Page Properties, as appropriate.

Select the Background Tab.

The Background properties appear.

Assign a color or texture to the background.

To assign a color to the page or scene background, choose the Solid Color option and then choose a color on the palette. Choose the More Colors button to select from a wider array of colors or to create a custom color.

To assign a texture or other graphic image to the background, choose the Image Texture option. In the Image File field, type the name of the graphic image file, or click the Browse button to search the TriSpectives directories for the image file you want. By default, these files are stored in the Images folder.

If you assign a texture to the background, you can choose the following options.

Stretch image to fill page or scene. One copy of the graphic image stretches to cover the whole background.

Preserve ratio of image height to width. Make the height of the image proportional to its width, reducing distortion in realistic images.

Repeat image to fill page or scene. Create multiple copies of the image to tile over the background.

Click OK to return to the scene or page and see the results.

Rendering is a computer term for the art of displaying a 3D image on a flat, 2D screen. TriSpectives continually determines how to render your models as realistically and effectively as possible, given the level of detail in your design and the power of your computer processor. For example, if you have a slower computer, you'll notice a longer lag as you manipulate complex models.

To keep your projects on schedule, TriSpectives uses a process called SmartRendering. This technology lets you see your images at all times while intelligently juggling the trade-off between display quality and the power needed to execute your design commands quickly.

You see SmartRendering at work when you drag a model to a new location in the page or scene. When the model is at rest, you see exactly what you've designed. When you move or rotate it, TriSpectives may temporarily switch to less complex rendering methods. For example, the model might become a wireframe, and your textures, shading, and other effects might disappear briefly. Don't be alarmed; they'll return once the model stops moving.

By default, SmartRendering is on. Its setting is in the Rendering tab of the Scene properties and Page properties sheets.

u To enable SmartRendering:

Right-click in the scene or page to see its pop-up menu.

Choose Scene Properties or Page Properties, as appropriate.

Select the Rendering Tab.

Check the box next to Allow Simplification.

You can also choose rendering styles manually from this properties sheet. The next section explains other rendering options.

If you want to change the way TriSpectives renders 3D objects on your display, use the Rendering properties. To see this property sheet, follow Steps 1 through 3 from the previous section.

Try the following TriSpectives rendering options in a 3D scene with a model from the Showcase catalog. To simultaneously see the effects of different rendering methods, use the split screen. Right-click the scene background and then select Vertical Split or Horizontal Split from the pop-up menu.

Repeat the step to divide the screen again and again, then click each section of the split screen and apply a different rendering method:

Wireframe. Display a model as a wireframe, a hollow object with a grid of lines to indicate its surface. Wireframes have no surface coverings such as colors or textures.

Facet shading. Display the models as solids made up of flat surfaces called facets. TriSpectives gives the models depth by assigning the facets progressively lighter or darker shades.

Smooth shading. Display models as solids with smooth surfaces of even shades. Smooth shading is more realistic than facet shading.

Show textures. Check this box to make surface textures appear on your models. To "see" this option, the model must have a texture assigned, and you must also choose smooth shading.

Realistic shading. To produce the most authentic, true-to-life models, with continuous, fine-grained shading along their surfaces, choose this option.

The next three options are available if you choose realistic shading.

Shadows. Objects cast shadows when light lands on them.

RayTracing. This high-quality rendering method shows reflections and refracted light on your models.

Antialiasing. This high-quality rendering method displays your models with smooth edges.

Draw edges. Display colored lines on the edges of models.

l Working on the page

When you work on the 3D page, your frame of reference changes. In the scene, the model doesn't change position. You look at it from different vantage points by using the Camera tools to zoom, rotate, and so on.

When you drag models onto the 3D page, think of them as being on paper already. After all, when you're done with your design, the next step is to print it. Unlike the scene, now it's the models that move around the page. To rotate a model and see its other side, use the TriBall tool. The other models remain still.

The rest of this chapter explains how to combine models and other design elements on the page to create collages. You'll learn how to use tools that help you create designs and layouts of professional quality.

You drop shapes and models on the 3D page by dragging them from the catalogs, exactly as you do in the scene. Each object you put on the page is independent of the others. If you modify the lighting effects, as explained earlier in this chapter, the models can cast shadows on each other and on the page.

You can move the models up and down, in front of each other, and change their depth within the page. To change the depth, you use the Move In-Out tool, which we describe later.

At this point, you probably think of the page and scene as opposites, or at least as counterparts, occupying separate planes in the TriSpectives design world.

image.

Embedded scenes are very useful when you've already saved a scene that contains a combination of models, along with background and lighting settings that make the models look just right. You can simply drag the scene from its catalog and onto the page, where you can design around it.

For example, let's suppose you want to create a mock version of a newspaper for a display ad. The page-one "photo" is the new product your company is releasing. The model of the product is already saved to a catalog, and it's also saved in a scene.

You have a couple of choices for creating your "newspaper":

You can drag the product model onto the page, put a border around it, and use text boxes on the page to mock up the newspaper.

You can embed the scene containing the product within the mocked-up newspaper page.

You can also layer one scene on top of another. To create an impression of opulence in your brochure, for instance, you could embed a scene of your product so it appears to rest on the hood of an Alfa Romeo, which is embedded in its own scene. Meanwhile, a Lear jet sits in the background, embedded in a third scene. All three scenes are positioned on the page, under a zippy headline.

You create collages by positioning models on the page or by using the embedding method. Each approach has its own merits. If lighting effects are important, models might work better because they can cast shadows. Embedded scenes are easier to position.

We take you through both methods in the following sections.

A collage is a collection of models, scenes, and other elements arranged on a page.

Collage

In the following example, you'll create the simple collage shown in the previous illustration. It combines two models and some text.

The first step is to drag a model onto the page, just as you would in the scene.

u To begin your collage:

Create a new page in your WorkBook by choosing Page from the Insert menu.

Select the Showcase tab to see the items in its catalog.

Drag the Drum model from the catalog and onto the page.

Drag the Hammer model from the catalog and onto the page.

You'd use the same procedure to put your own models on a page. To save your models in a catalog, simply drag them from the scene into the catalog when you're done. For more details, see "Saving a model in a catalog" in Chapter 3, "Building models."

After you drop the models on the page, they don't look like the collage in the previous illustration. Because we want the hammer to appear to be beating the drum, you must reposition the models and rotate them. Use the following tools:

The TriBall, for rotating objects

Dragging, for moving objects

The Move In-Out tool, to change the depth of objects on the page.

In its current state, you'll need all three tools to finish the collage.

Rotating a model on a page

Remember that on a 3D page, the camera tools don't work. To see a model from a different angle, you rotate it using the TriBall tool. The TriBall works on a 3D page just like it does in a scene.

In your current collage, you probably need to rotate both the drum and the hammer. The drum needs to be positioned right-side up, and the hammer's striking surface needs to have the same orientation as the drum skin.

1 In Model mode, select the first model you want to rotate.

2 If TriSpectives tells you it needs to regenerate the shape, select Yes.

This regenerative technique is an aspect of SmartRendering. For details, see "SmartRendering" earlier in this chapter.

When the TriBall appears over the model, move your mouse pointer within the TriBall shape.

When the pointer becomes four curved arrows, click and drag the mouse to rotate the model into position.

When you finish rotating the first model, turn off the TriBall by clicking its icon again.

Select the other model and repeat Steps 2 through 5 to rotate it into position.

If you need more help using the TriBall, see "Using the TriBall tool" in Chapter 3, "Building models."

Positioning models with the page grid

If you need precise positioning, you can place a gridwork of cross-hatched lines over your page, just like on the scene. You can then ensure that models are properly oriented by matching them against the grid lines as you reposition them.

u To turn on the page grid:

1 Right-click on the page background and select Page Properties from the pop-up menu.

2 Select the Page Size and Grid tab, and then check the box next to Show Grid.

To change the line separations in the grid, enter new values in the X Spacing and Y Spacing fields.

Select OK to return to the page and see the grid.

Dragging models on the page

To move the hammer on top of the drum, use the old drag-and-drop routine.

u To move a model on the page:

In Model mode, select the model you want to move and then drag it to the new location.

When you release the model, it may appear to be behind the other one, or it might obscure the other model. To rectify this situation, you use a tool you haven't seen before.

Using the Move In-Out tool

Even though models appear to grow or shrink when you use the Move In-Out tool, you actually change their depth. Use the tool to put models in front of others, to move them out of each other's way, or to change their apparent size.

Use the Move In-Out tool in the following steps to refine the collage.

u To change the depth of the drum and hammer on the page:

Select the hammer model.

Choose the Move In-Out tool and move the pointer to the page.

Drag up to move the hammer closer to the top level of the page; drag down to move the hammer deeper within the page.

If necessary, repeat Steps 1 through 4 with the drum model as well. Try to make the models look like the collage illustration earlier in this section.

If you need to change your view of the page itself while you build a collage, use the Zoom Control box and the scroll bars.

To see an area of the page that the screen can't display, use the scroll bars at the right side and bottom of the page. You can also make the page wider by temporarily closing the catalogs. Choose Catalog Browser from the View menu to hide the catalogs until you need to use them again.

The last element of our collage is a text block. You can use text in your pages to create titles, headlines, captions, and more. Once the text is on the page, you can drag it, rotate it, and manipulate it just like a model.

u To create text for your collage:

Select Text Box from the Insert menu and move your mouse pointer to the page.

For this example, move the pointer to the upper left corner of the page.

When a cross hair appears, click and drag to define the text's location on the page.

When you release the mouse, an editing window appears.

After pressing the Backspace key to delete the generic text in the editing window, type the text you want.

For this example, type "Bang the drum slowly" or something comparably brilliant.

Click on the page to make the new text appear there.

Sizebox handles appear around the text when you click on it. You can drag these handles to change the size of the text box, which affects the way your text wraps from line to line.

Reposition the text and models to complete the collage.

While the text is selected, you can use the Text toolbar to change the typeface and type size, make the text bold or italic, and so on. For more details on the Text toolbar, see Chapter 5, "Text."

Note: You cannot change the size of the text by dragging the sizebox handles. Use the Text toolbar instead.

You can also import text from word-processing applications.
For details, see Chapter 8, "The outside world."

When the collage is done, save the page by dragging its tab into a catalog. We'll use the collage again later in this chapter.

u To save the collage page:

Click the Collage tab at the right of the window to open the Collage catalog.

Click the Doc tab that represents your page and drag it into the Collage catalog.

The Doc tabs are at the bottom of the TriSpectives window. When you drag the tab into the catalog, a page/scene icon appears in it.

If you want, you can name the saved page.

For instance, you could name it "Bangdrum." Click the icon that represents the page in the catalog, click its "UnNamed" label, and type a new name.

At this point you could print your collage. For details, see "Printing a page or scene" later in this chapter.

l Embedded pages and scenes

You've seen how to combine 3D models from the catalogs to build a collage. You can drag the models in front of others and combine them with text to create a spiffy design.

With embedded scenes, TriSpectives gives you a second way to build collages on the page. Embedded scenes are like photographs of a 3D scene or model. By dragging one or more scenes onto the page and strategically positioning them with the page contents, you can produce impressive designs.

Embedded scenes are useful when you've already developed a scene that contains a group of complex models positioned just right. Simply drag the scene from its catalog and onto the page, where you can complete your design.

The next section shows you how to embed scenes on pages. We also introduce you to two more design concepts:

Embedded pages on scenes. These are useful for placing intricate designs on the face of a model. For instance, you can position your corporate logo on a model of your shipping box.

A technical illustration, known as a layout. If you have the Professional version of TriSpectives, you can create hidden-line drawings and show dimensions on your technical illustration, just like a CAD program.

When you embed a scene on a 3D page, all the work you did in the scene is included on the page. Any background textures you added, any special lighting effects you created, are still part of the scene.

You can edit the embedded scene from within the 3D page. You can even create an empty embedded scene on the page, and then develop the scene within it.

First, however, we show you how to embed a finished scene on a page. For this example, you can use the scene you developed in
Chapter 3, "Building models." If you worked through the examples in Chapter 3, you developed a scene containing two tables and then saved it in the My Models catalog.

u To embed an existing scene on a 3D page:

If necessary, open the WorkBook that contains the scene.

If you did not create the example scene in Chapter 3 and don't have any saved scenes, you can quickly develop one for this example. Choose Scene from the Insert menu to create a new scene, and then drag the Dining table model into the scene from the Showcase catalog.

Click the Doc tab that represents your scene and drag it into a catalog.

The Doc tab is at the bottom of the TriSpectives window. If you drag the model itself, only it is saved in the catalog, and the default lighting does not accompany it.

To save the scene in a particular catalog, click the appropriate catalog tab before you drag. An icon appears in the catalog to represent the scene.

If necessary, open the WorkBook that contains the page.

You can also create a new page by choosing Page from the Insert menu and then choosing As new page in WorkBook.

Drag the scene icon from the catalog and drop it on the page.

The table model is embedded on the page, surrounded by a bounding box. An example illustration is shown on the following page. If the model appears on its default gray background, you can remove it from the page.

To remove the background from your embedded scene, right-click the scene and choose Embedded Page properties from the pop-up menu.

Select the Drawing Style tab, choose the Make Background Transparent option, and then click OK.

Of course, you can leave the background as is if you prefer. It's possible that you assigned a special background for the scene.

Embedded scene on page

If necessary, reposition and resize the scene on the page, or reposition the elements within the scene.

To move the embedded scene on the page, drag it to a new location.

To change the size of the table model, drag a handle of the bounding box. To specify a size for the bounding box, right-click on the page background and select Page Properties from the pop-up menu. In the resulting dialog box, click the Page Size and Grid tab and then type a new value in the Modeling Scale field. For example, to make an embedded scene twice its original size, double the value shown in the Modeling Scale field.

Add other design elements to the page.

You have a number of choices:

You could create another scene containing the Hourglass model from the Showcase catalog, and then position the scenes so the hourglass appears to sit on the table. For details, see the next section on layered scenes.

You could drag the hourglass or other models straight onto the page and then use the positioning techniques we described earlier in this chapter for creating collages.

You could add text to the page to create a brochure or advertising presentation.

You could drag in other scenes that contained more pieces of furniture, and layer the scenes on top of each other.

Working with layered scenes

If your page contains more than one embedded scene, you can overlay one scene on the other, and then position them to create a seamless whole. You can also rearrange the layers using the options on the Shape menu.

For example, let's say an hourglass is embedded in one scene and a table is in another, which is obscuring the hourglass. To reverse their positions and make the hourglass seem to be on the table, select the table model and then choose Send to Back from the Shape menu.

To make the table appear on top again, choose Bring to Front from the Shape menu. If you have more than two embedded scenes on the page, use the Bring Forward and Send Backward options to move a scene up or down one layer at a time.

Editing an embedded model

If you're working with an embedded model and notice a detail within it you need to change, you don't have to go back to your original scene. Just double-click on the embedded model in the page. All the model-building tools become available, and suddenly you're working within the 3D scene.

When you finish revising the model within the embedded scene, return to the page by choosing Close on the File menu.

Embedding an empty scene on a page

As you've learned by now, TriSpectives makes it easy to move between scenes and pages. In fact, you can embed an empty scene within the page and then construct your entire model from there. Follow these steps:

u To embed an empty scene on a page:

From the Insert menu, choose Scene.

In the resulting dialog box, choose On Current Page and then choose OK.

The embedded scene appears with its bounding box.

To work in the scene, double-click in the bounding box.

TriSpectives displays a new window that's just like the 3D scene, where you can build a new model. Try dragging in the Hourglass model from the Showcase catalog.

To see how the developing scene looks within the context of the page, choose the name of the page from the Window menu. To see the scene again, choose SceneInPage.

When you finish your work in the embedded scene, return to the page by selecting Close from the File menu.

Just as easily as you can embed a scene on a page, you can embed a page within a scene. This option lets you insert a complex design, including text and several layered scenes, directly on the surface of a model.

For example, let's embed the collage page we developed earlier in this chapter. In the collage we combined a hammer, a drum, and a text legend. In the following steps, we'll start designing a model of a billboard. The picture on the billboard will be the collage.

u To embed a page in a 3D scene:

If necessary, open the WorkBook that contains the page.

Click the Doc tab that represents your page and drag it into a catalog.

If necessary, open the WorkBook that contains the 3D scene.

In this example, that won't be necessary. Just create a new scene in the open WorkBook by choosing Scene from the Insert menu.

In the empty 3D scene, drag a Slab shape in from the Shapes catalog.

The slab represents the advertising surface of the billboard. Use the Camera tools to change your vantage point of the slab. Make sure you can see a large part of its broad side.

Select the catalog tab that contains your collage.

Drag the collage icon from the catalog into the scene and drop it on the surface of the slab.

You can drop the icon when the slab's surface appears in green highlight. TriSpectives displays the collage as an embedded page within the scene, which may resemble the following illustration.

Embedded page on top of slab shape

If necessary, you can double-click the page and edit its contents so it looks better on the billboard. When you finish, select Close from the File menu.

Resize the embedded page so it appears to be plastered on the slab.

If you notice as you rotate that the page doesn't appear connected to the slab, you can adjust the height of the embedded page using its property sheet.

To adjust the height of the embedded page, right-click the page and choose Embedded Page properties from the pop-up menu.

In the resulting dialog box, click the Sizebox tab, decrease the value in the Height field, and then choose OK.

You might need to try a couple of values before the collage seems plastered to the slab. Again, check your work using the Orbit Camera tool and examine the model from different angles.

At this point you could finish the billboard if you wanted, adding two cylinders to create the stanchions and extruding curved custom shapes from 2D to create the display lights.

Embedding an empty page in a scene

Just as you can build a model from scratch within an embedded scene on a page, you can create a design from an empty page within a finished scene. The way you want to work makes no difference to TriSpectives.

u To embed a blank page in a 3D scene:

From the Insert menu, choose Page.

In the resulting dialog box, choose In Current Scene and then choose OK.

The embedded page appears with its bounding box. However, it is floating freely in space. To apply the new, empty page to the surface of a model already in the scene, right-click on the page background and select Embedded Page Properties from the pop-up menu. Choose the Interaction tab, select Slide along surfaces under the Drag positioning behavior , and click OK.

Now you can drag the page to the surface of a model in the scene, or slide it from surface to surface. Resize the page to fit the selected surface by using the handles. For a precise fit using SmartSnap, hold down the Shift key as you drag the page.

To work in the page, double-click in the bounding box.

TriSpectives displays the page in a new window. At this point, you're working on the page. To see how the developing page looks within the context of the scene, choose the name of the scene from the Window menu. To see the page again, choose PageInScene.

Add models, text, and other elements to your page to complete the design.

When you finish your work on the page, choose Close from the File menu.

TriSpectives returns to the 3D scene with the completed design in the embedded page.

Technical Illustration

Up to now, you've needed a CAD program to create such drawings. If you have the Professional version of TriSpectives, you can build them with our program, too.

TriSpectives Professional uses a couple of special tools to create technical illustrations: hidden-line drawings, which reveal surfaces that would normally be invisible behind other surfaces; and annotation dimensions, lines that measure distances and angles on your drawing. These dimensions print with the rest of your technical illustration.

To create a technical illustration, you must use an embedded scene on a 3D page. As you've seen in previous sections, you can move between page and scene until you're satisfied with the results.

u To create a technical illustration:

Build a model in the TriSpectives scene.

For this example, you can use a simple block shape or the Stairs model from the Collage catalog. The model doesn't matter right now; it's more important to understand the basic procedure than to create a detailed illustration.

Attach annotation dimensions to the model by dragging them in from the Dims catalog.

These dimensions provide accurate measurements for the lines and angles on your drawing, and print with the illustration. You can add as many dimensions as you need for your illustration. For details, see the next section.

Save the scene in a catalog.

Drag its Doc tab to the catalog of your choice.

Insert a new page in the WorkBook by choosing Page from the Insert menu.

Drag the scene you saved earlier from its catalog to the page.

Right-click within the bounding box and choose Embedded Scene Properties from the pop-up menu.

Select the Drawing Style tab in the resulting dialog box and then choose these options:

Hidden Line

Make Background Transparent

Show Dimensions

Also, select a font size that's appropriate for the dimensions and units of the model in your illustration.

To set options for line styles and drawing quality in your hidden-line drawing, click the Line Settings button and make the settings in the resulting dialog box.

Choose OK when you're done.

While still in the Embedded Scene Properties sheet, select the Camera tab and then choose the Orthographic option under Projection.

The illustration is then in the usual orthographic form. You also have the options of allowing the image to change size when you alter the sizebox (Fit to sizebox) or preserving the scale of the drawing even when you change the sizebox (Preserve length).

Choose OK to close the dialog box.

The model becomes a hidden-line drawing on the page. When you display models in this way, you reveal surfaces that would otherwise be obscured behind others. Your model is transparent, so you can see all surfaces at once. TriSpectives uses dashed or dotted lines to illustrate the surfaces that would be invisible if the model were solid.

To learn more about annotation dimensions and settings you can make for hidden-line drawings, read the next two sections. You can also consult Chapter 1 of the TriSpectives Reference Guide.

Annotation dimensions

Annotation dimensions report distances and angles in your models. You can add as many dimensions as you need for your models or technical illustrations.

You can drag the following three types of annotation dimensions from the Dims catalog and drop them on your model in a page or scene:

Linear dimensions, which measure distances between two points.

Radial dimensions, which measure the distance from an axis or center to a circular curve or a cylindrical or spherical surface.

Angular dimensions, which measure the angle between two planes in a model or scene.

If you want to experiment with annotation dimensions, create a new scene or page and drag in a couple of shapes from the Shapes catalog.

u To add an annotation dimension to a page or scene:

Select the Dims catalog and drag an annotation dimension into the scene or page. When a green dot appears over the selected shape, drop the annotation dimension on it.

A line or arc appears, with arrows on both ends. One end of the dimension will probably be floating freely in space.

Drag the free end of the dimension over a point or edge to define the distance or angle you want to measure.

To help you determine points and the edges of planes and surfaces on the model, TriSpectives highlights them in green when the mouse pointer is over them.

By dragging and positioning the two ends of the dimension, you can define any distance or angle for measurement. To ensure accurate measurements, make the lines as straight as possible. The next illustration shows a couple of example dimensions.

Linear dimensions Angular dimensions

You can add as many dimensions as you need. You can also examine the dimensions more closely with the camera tools. Moreover, once you have applied a dimension, you may improve its appearance by re-positioning it simply by dragging the dimension value number.

If you want, you can force length dimensions to measure in either the horizontal or vertical screen directions. Because screen directions differ depending on the orientation of the model, this option works best after you use the Look At tool to face a model surface
straight on.

u To apply horizontal or vertical annotation dimensions:

Attach a linear dimension to the model between two points that are separated diagonally.

Right-click the diagonal dimension value and then choose Horizontal Distance from the pop-up menu.

TriSpectives displays the horizontal dimension between points.

Right-click the horizontal dimension value and then choose Vertical Distance from the pop-up menu.

TriSpectives transforms the horizontal dimension into the relevant vertical dimensions.

To help identify what you're measuring, you can also add labels to the annotation dimension, such as "Height of model" or "Angle between front and left walls."

u To add a label to an annotation dimension:

Right-click the dimension and then choose Annotation Dimension Properties from the pop-up menu.

Choose the Annotation tab in the resulting dialog box.

Enter labels into one or both of the text fields, and then select OK.

Text in the Prefix field appears before the annotated measurement. Text in the Postfix field appears after the value.

If you need to delete an annotation dimension, right-click it and then choose Delete from the pop-up menu.

For more details on annotation dimensions, see Chapter 1 of the TriSpectives Reference Guide.

Line settings for hidden-line drawings

Once you select a hidden-line drawing in the Professional version of TriSpectives, you have a number of options for controlling the drawing's appearance. To see these options, right-click the embedded scene and select Embedded Page Properties from the pop-up menu. In the resulting dialog box, click the Drawing Style tab and then click the Line Settings button.

Note: To create a hidden-line drawing, use the procedure in the "Technical Illustrations" section earlier in this chapter.

The following controls appear in the hidden-line settings dialog:
Use them to determine drawing quality and line styles.

Coarse. This selection creates coarse lines on your drawing, which are probably adequate for drafts and quick sketches.

Normal. Use this option for normal-quality drawings.

Fine. Use this option for the best drawing quality.

Visible lines. Choose a line style for the edges of the model that would be visible if it were solid. From the drop-down list, you can select filled, dashed, dotted, or no lines.

Hidden lines. Choose a line style for the edges of the model that would be invisible if it were solid. From the drop-down list, you can select filled, dashed, dotted, or no lines.

Visible silhouettes. A silhouette is a curved surface that appears as an edge. This option lets you choose a line style for the silhouettes of the model that would be visible if it were solid.

Hidden silhouettes. Choose a line style for the silhouettes of the model that would be invisible if it were solid.

l Printing a page or scene

You can print pages and scenes from TriSpectives using any Microsoft Windows printer driver. The quality of your output depends on your printer and the settings you make on it.

You might also be able to improve print quality by reducing dithering. To adjust dithering, use the print driver options, which are available through the Print dialog. In our tests, we've found that the random dithering pattern yields the best results.

Note: If you're printing a scene, you may want to change the background color from the default gray. For details, see "Changing the background" earlier in this chapter.

The procedure you use for printing depends on whether you're printing with standard-sized paper or to large-format printers. For standard pages, use the following procedure. For large-format printing, skip to the next procedure.

u To print standard-sized pages and scenes in TriSpectives:

From the File menu, select Print.

The Print dialog box appears.

If necessary, make the following settings before printing.

Name. Select a printer from the drop-down list of all printers installed in Microsoft Windows.

Properties. Click this button to see the printer driver's property sheet. For example, you can change dithering settings in these properties. For more details, see your Windows documentation.

Print to file. Check this box to send contents to a file instead of a printer. TriSpectives displays the Print to File dialog box and prompts you to enter a file name.

Number of copies. Enter the number of copies to print, either by typing in the field or clicking the arrow buttons.

When you're ready to print, choose OK.

TriSpectives prints the active document in the WorkBook. To print other documents in the WorkBook, repeat the steps above.

u To print to large-format printers:

If you're working on the 3D page, set the page size for your output.

Right-click on the page background, select Page Properties from the pop-up menu, and then click the Page Size and Grid tab.
In the Page Size field of the resulting dialog, choose a standard size for large formats (such as E size) or Custom Size. If you select Custom Size, choose a unit of measurement in the Units field and then enter the width and height of the page in the appropriate fields.

Click OK when you're done to return to the page.

Select Whole from the Zoom Control box in the Standard toolbar.

From the File menu, select Export Image.

In the Save as type field, choose RTL from the drop-down list.

RTL is short for raster transfer language. Most large-format printers support this language.

Type a name for the output in the File name field and click Save.

The Exported Image Size dialog box appears.

If necessary, specify the page dimensions for your output.

Select the appropriate large-format size or Custom Size from the Dimensions drop-down list. If you select Custom Size, enter the measurement units, width, and height in the appropriate fields. The dimensions must agree with those you specified in Step 1.

Consult your printer manual for the DPI (dots per inch) setting the printer uses, then enter this value in the DPI field.

Click the Options button.

In the next dialog, choose Output directly to lpt1 and then choose OK.

The page prints.

To inspect your page or scene before printing, use the Print Preview window. To see the Print Preview window, select its option from the File menu.

The window appears with the active page or scene. The following controls appear at the top of the window.

To print from this window, choose Print. The Print dialog box appears, as shown in the previous section.

Use the Zoom In and Zoom Out buttons to change your view of the document. You can also zoom in by clicking on the image in the Print Preview window. When TriSpectives cannot zoom in closer, it zooms out to the original view.

Note: The Zoom controls in the Print Preview window do not affect the printed material. Use the zoom controls in the page or scene instead.

Select Close to exit the Print Preview window and return to the page or scene.