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Sides, Corners and UCS Override
These topics should be used as reference for all Operations that provide Side, Corner or UCS parameters.
Side and Corner References
It is very important to understand the coordinate system used for geometric Operations. The selection of which coordinate system determines how the parameters are evaluated. A simple example would be a hole location at x = +1 and y = +1. The question is: what is the relationship of x and y in the defined coordinate system? If you have defined the origin of the coordinate system to be in the upper right of the Panel then x = +1 and y = +1 will be defined from the upper right of the Panel. But, is this on the top of the Panel or one of the Sides of the Panel? So, it is very important to understand the selection of a coordinate system.
Understanding Terms and Variables that define the Coordinate System
Everything references the Panel definition. The Panel defines a length in the X dimension, a width in the Y dimension and a thickness in the Z dimension. All dimensions are defined as AutoCAD World coordinates. The Top, Lower Left Corner of the Panel is 0,0,0 in World coordinates. This is the Panel origin. Note: Router-CIM automation can shift this origin when processing macros. This Help uses 0,0,0 at all times when using the Panel origin. An example Panel definition is:
Panel Parameter |
Variable Name |
Value |
Description of Panel Variables and Reference Coordinates |
Length |
XDIM |
18 |
Using the table on the left, the definition of all Panel coordinates for the TOP side can be defined: Lower Left Corner = ORIGINX, ORIGINY, ORIGINZ Lower Right Corner = ORIGINX+RIGHT, ORIGINY, ORIGINZ Upper Right Corner = ORIGINX+RIGHT, ORIGINY+TOP, ORIGINZ Upper Left Corner = ORIGINX, ORIGINY+TOP, ORIGINZ Using corner labels C1, C2, C3, C4 the definition of the TOP side appear in the diagram below. The corner labels are not variable names.
|
Width |
YDIM |
24 |
|
Thickness |
XDIM |
0.75 |
|
Generated Parameters |
Generated Variables |
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|
Origin X |
ORIGINX |
0 |
|
Origin Y |
ORIGINY |
0 |
|
Origin Z |
ORIGINZ |
0 |
|
X - Left Edge |
LEFT |
0 |
|
X - Right Edge |
RIGHT |
18 |
|
Y - Top Edge |
TOP |
24 |
|
Y - Bottom Edge |
BOTTOM |
0 |
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This diagram outlines the Side and Corners definitions. The labels used are not variable names.
The corner labels are: C1 - Upper Left ( UL ) C2 - Lower Left ( LL ) C3 - Lower Right ( LR ) C4 - Upper Right ( UR ) The X and Y axis direction is seen in the diagram. The Z axis direction follows the right-hand rule:
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Example using a Corner Reference on the Top Side This is a simple single Drill operation. The referenced Corner is the Upper Left. The X and Y start parameters have the values X Start = 2.0 Y Start = 2.5 Notice that the parameters are with reference to the Upper Left Corner of the Panel on the Top Side.
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Understanding the Editor Interface for Side and Corner definitions
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This example demonstrates selecting the Top Side and the Lower Left Corner as a coordinate reference. Multiple selection of Sides and Corners will duplicate the Operation on all the selected Sides and all the selected Corners •All Corners - use all corners to build the operation. This results in four operations, each using a difference corner reference. •All Sides - use all sides to build the operation. This results in five operations, each on a Side of the Panel •T, F, L, B, R - selects the Top, Front, Left, Back and Right Side respectively. •LL, LR, UR, UL - selects the Lower Left, Lower Right, Upper Right, Upper Left Corners respectively. After selecting the desire references, press Accept and the Operation will be rendered in the Viewer. |
Understanding the UCS Override
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When a side is not appropriate for a plane to use for an Operation the UCS Override can be used to define the plane. A good understanding of the AutoCAD User Coordinate System (UCS) is required to use this option. Reference the AutoCAD documentation for details. UCS button - Probably the best way to define a plane (UCS) is to use AutoCAD. Exit the Macro Builder, define a UCS and set it as the current UCS in AutoCAD to establish the plane you want to use for an Operation. Then start the Macro Builder again (MAC) and select the UCS button in the UCS Override pane. The appropriate values of the plane definition will be entered into the three available parameters. UCSO, UCSX, UCSY - UCSO is the origin coordinate of the UCS. UCSX is the X-Direction coordinate of the UCS. UCSY is the Y-Direction coordinate of the UCS. All three parameters are required to define a UCS. The format of the coordinates is X, Y, Z values separated by commas. Variables can be used to define the X, Y, Z values. |
