Usage Settings

Select settings for working in a drawing or a model.

1. Select > Preferences > Drawings, Models.
2. Select the Usage tab.

Drawing

Automatic Point Snapping

Sets automatic snapping to points. In addition, you can select the following settings:

• Snap to Reference Drawings and Projections. The cursor also snaps automatically to points of a reference drawing or a projection.
• Snap to Grid Points. The cursor automatically snaps to grid points as well.

Temporarily, you can prevent the cursor from automatic snapping to points by pressing the Alt key, for example when drawing a line.

To completely disable automatic snapping, clear the selections.

2D Constraint Manager

When the constraint manager is enabled, you can design a parametric building model where building components are bound to each other with geometric constraints.

If necessary, you can disable the constraint manager when the drawing window is active. You can make this setting when starting work, or temporarily disable it when the drawing window is active. Disabling the constraint manager affects the operation of the program as follows:

• Geometric constraints added in the drawing or model are not solved.
• New geometric constraints cannot be added.
• 2D automatic constraints are disabled. In this case, no constraints are automatically added when the line drawing functions are used.
• Only the properties of dimension constraints can be handled in the drawing.

In addition, you can enable 2D Automatic Constraints, which will automatically create some geometric constraints when you are adding a line:

• If you add a line parallel to another line by pressing the E key, parallel constraint is created automatically.
• If you add a line perpendicular to another line by using the T key, a perpendicular constraint is automatically created.
• If you add a line with the tangential ruler using the point-arc or arc-arc setting, a tangential constraint will be created.
• If you use the the parallel ruler, a parallel constraint is created.

If necessary, you can disable the 2D Automatic Constraints when the drawing window is active. In this case, no constraints are automatically added when the line drawing functions are used.

Allow Snap to Text Points

When the setting is enabled, you can snap to the locating points of a text by pressing the X key.

Associative Texts Follow

When the setting is enabled, a text will move together with the element to which it has associativity.

Delete Dimension If Connection Is Lost

If a dimension loses its associativity due to the modification of geometry, it will no longer be updated. Dimensions will be removed automatically, when the setting is enabled.

Dimensions that have lost their associativity will be highlighted in color, when the Change Dimension Color If Connection Is Lost is selected on the View tab.

A dimension will lose its associativity, for example, in cases like this:

• An element connected to the dimension is deleted, for example, an opening is deleted from a wall, which causes the dimensions attached to the edge lines of the opening to be detached.
• Elements connected to a dimension are divided in a way that eliminates the geometry connected to the dimension.

Open Drafting Properties Automatically

When you add a basic geometry element line, dimension, text or a hatch to a drawing, you can select the properties for it on the Properties tab. The tab opens next to the Drafting tab. With this setting, you can select which tab is active:

• When the setting is enabled, the Properties tab will be automatically activated, when you start adding a basic geometry element. When you quit the function by pressing the Esc key, the Drafting tab will be activated.
• When the setting is disabled, the Drafting tab remains active. If you wish to change the properties of the basic geometry element, first activate the Properties tab.

Model

Perspective View by Default

You can set a model to a perspective projection by selecting View | Projection | Perspective. When the setting is enabled, the default projection is perspective projection.

Rotate Around Z Axis

When the setting is enabled (by default in Vertex BD), and you rotate the model with the cursor, the Z axis remains in vertical direction.

In the 3D Modeler (Vertex G4), the setting is disabled by default, and you can rotate the model freely in every direction.

Keep rotation point while in motion (3d mouse)

When this setting is disabled (default), and you rotate a model with a 3d mouse, the center point of the rotation is refreshed while in motion.

When this setting is enabled, and you rotate a model with a 3d mouse, the center point remains the same during the rotation.

Fast Projection Change

When the setting is enabled, the model turns immediately to the selected view. When the setting is disabled, the model rotates step by step to the selected view.

Collision Detection

The settings restricts how a part can be moved in an assembly model. The part will stop to a limiting surface.

Use Lightweight Assembly Components

You can add a library component to an assembly as a detailed or lightweight component. This requires that two configurations with specific names have been defined for the component. The default names are DETAILED (accurate) and LIGHTWEIGHT (rough).

• When the setting is enabled, a component is added to an assembly as a lightweight component from which roundings have been removed, for example.
• When the setting is disabled, a component is added to an assembly as an accurate component.

Out of Date Models Are Marked at Assembly Tree

When the setting is enabled, the program marks the models that need to be updated in the assembly tree. You can select the models you want to update.

When the setting is disabled, the program updates all the changed models.

Common

Inverted zoom

When the setting is enabled, and you rotate the mouse wheel:

• Towards yourself - zoom in.
• Away from yourself - zoom out.

The default functionality is opposite.

Centering Zoom

When the setting is enabled and you zoom by rotating the mouse wheel, the area where the cursor is moves to the center of the working window.

When the setting is disabled, the drawing/model is not centered in the working window.

Welcome Dialog

Enable a dialog box containing functions related to creating and opening a project or a file. The dialog box opens, when you start the software.

Open Button Menu as Free Window

When the setting is enable, the button menus opened from the ribbon bar are floating, and you can move the menu to another display.

Use Large Buttons on All Button Menus

When the setting is enable, large buttons are used in all the button menus opened from the ribbon bar. Small buttons are used in the auxiliary menus.

Use Large Buttons for Sub Functions

When the setting is enabled, large buttons are used in auxiliary menus.

Reference Cursor Delay in Model / Drawing [ms]

When the cursor's automatic snapping to geometry is enabled and the cursor is locked as a ruler, the ruler is always set according to the point which the cursor finds. In large models or drawings with a lot of geometry (points, lines, surfaces) the ruler's movement may become uneasy, when you move the cursor. You can change the behaviour of the cursor by setting a delay in the search of geometry. In this case, the cursor finds the point only when you stop the cursor.

You can set the delay separately for a model and a drawing.

Enter the delay as milliseconds in the fields.