Contour Popup Operations

Popup menus in the Contour Manager enable you to perform additional operations when picking curves or selecting previously defined contours.

The following popup menu is displayed by right-clicking in the graphics display area while the Contour Manager is active. The contents of the popup menu depend on the operation selected in the Contour Manager. Some of the options are disabled (grayed-out) until you have picked a contour. See also NC Popup Menus.

Basic Selection:
When picking curves to create contour.

Advanced Selection:
When picking curves to create contour.

Multi Contours Selection:
To hide or show entities that are already participating in NC contours, right-click in the graphics area and select the displayed option.

Contour Selection:
When selecting contours that have already been defined.

If these entities are hidden, the popup option is Show entities already participating in NC contours. If these entities are already displayed, the popup option is Hide entities already participating in NC contours.

By default, when entering the Multi Contours selection mode, these entities are hidden.

Basic/Advanced Selection Mode Popups

Open Section (open or closed contour with open segment) Popup (see Open Section)

Modify Contour Selection

Convert to Feature

Display

Alter Milling Zones: Alter the role of contours in milling zones.

Sketcher: This option is enabled whenever the Sketcher is available for use.

Reset All / Clear Selection

Basic/Advanced Selection Mode Popups

When picking curves in either the Basic Selection mode or the Advanced Selection mode, you can right-click to display the following popup menu which has additional picking options:

Basic Selection popup	Advanced Selection popup

Note: In the Basic Selection mode, you need to pick at least one curve before you can display the popup.

The following popup options are available:

Automatic Chain .. .. One by One Projected	Select one of the available contour creation options.
Switch to Basic/Advanced Selection	Depending on which mode you are in, either: Switch to the Basic Selection mode. Switch to the Advanced Selection mode to display additional parameters.
Finish Selection	Accept the contour selection and end the selection mode. This is the same as the OK approval option.
Apply	This is the same as the Apply approval option.
Cancel	This is the same as the Cancel approval option.

When you have selected the required contours, press <exit><exit>(middle mouse button) (or Finish Selection from the popup menu) to accept the contour selection. The Contour Manager shows the results of the selection.

Modify Contour Selection

This option enables you to edit a previously created NC contour (including an invalid contour):

Pick the contour to be edited (click on it or its flag). For example:

Right-click on an empty location in the graphic area and select Modify Contour Selection from the popup menu.

By default, editing an NC contour is performed in the Advance Selection environment. Edit the contour as required.

When you have finished editing, Click the appropriate approval option, which exits the Advanced Selection mode and re-displays the Contour Manager dialog.
Press the OK button (or <exit><exit>(middle mouse button)) to accept the changes and to close the Contour Manager dialog.

Convert to Feature

This option converts an NC contour into a CAD feature.

Pick a contour (click on it or its flag), right-click on an empty location in the graphic area and select Convert to Feature from the popup menu.

The following screen parameters are displayed for information about the selected contour(s). Press OK to finish the operation.

This action creates a composite curve from the selected contour.

After switching to CAD mode, you can see the newly created composite curve in the Feature Tree Feature Tree.

This is a regular composite curve as if it was created in the CAD environment, and it can be used for any purpose.

Display

This option enables you to control the appearance of contour labels and the number of labels that can be displayed.

Pick a contour (click on it or its flag), right-click on an empty location in the graphic area and select Display from the popup menu.

The following dialog is displayed:

Select the required option to influence All labels or only Selected labels (if the latter, then select the appropriate labels).
Select the Hide/Show buttons as required to display the appropriate section of the labels.

The whole label is hidden:	The buttons are hidden:


The order number if hidden:	The status flag is hidden:


The rubber line is hidden:

Select the maximum number of labels to be displayed.

Copy/Move/Delete Contours

This option can be used to copy/move NC contours from one procedure to another.

Pick a contour (click on it or its flag), right-click on an empty location in the graphic area and select Copy from the popup menu.

Close the current procedure and open the second procedure. In the contour selection mode, right-click on an empty location in the graphic area and select Paste from the popup menu.

The copied contour from the first procedure is displayed in the Contour Manager as an additional contour.

Another option for pasting copied contours is Paste Special from the popup menu. When a contour is copied, all its parameters are saved in addition to the actual shape. With Paste Special, a filter dialog is displayed which enables you to control which parameters need to be copied.

In the same way a contour is copied from one procedure to another, it is also possible to move contours. Instead of selecting Copy from the popup menu, select Cut. The rest of the operation (Paste or Paste Special) is exactly the same.

Reset All / Clear Selection

The Reset All option deletes all existing NC contours and reverts all NC Parameters (in the NC Parameter section of the Contour Manager) to their default values.

The Clear Selection option "unselects" contours that have been selected.

Some functionality may be dependent on the product package. Contact your Reseller if you require a license.