To use grid snapping to place a primitive cube

You may have noticed that some tools have a small yellow arrow in the top right corner.

This arrow indicates that more, similar tools are available in a hidden subpalette. To access the extra tools, click and hold the mouse to open the subpalette.

1. In the Surfaces palette, click and hold the Sphere tool icon.

2. The Surfaces > Primitives subpalette appears.
3. Hold the on the different tools in the subpalette to see their names.
4. Click the Cube tool.

   The subpalette disappears. The Cube tool is selected and now occupies the space in the main palette where the Sphere tool was.

   This time place the new primitive using grid snapping.

   

5. Find the snap buttons, to the right of the promptline.

   

6. Click the button to turn on grid snapping.
7. Click and drag in the Top view window.

   

   The cube snaps to the grid intersections as you drag.

8. Place the cube at a grid point by releasing the mouse button.
9. Click the snap button again to turn grid snapping off.
   NoteIn addition to using the button, you can grid snap by pressing and holding the (Windows) or (Mac) key while you place a primitive.

To use the palette menu to choose the Cone tool

This time use an alternative method for choosing tools from palettes.

1. Click the tab at the top of the Surfaces palette.

   The palette collapses to just the tab, and the other palettes move up to fill the space.

   This feature is very useful for saving space in the palette window and in shelves. You can still choose tools from the palette using the palette’s menu.

2. Click the on the Surfaces palette’s title tab to open the palette’s menu.
3. Click the Primitives option to open the submenu.

   Just like the menus at the top of the screen, arrows indicate that an item in the palette menu has subitems.

4. Click the Cone tool option.

   

   You have now seen two different ways to choose a tool from a palette. From now on, when instructed to choose tools by name, for example:

   “On the Surfaces palette, choose Primitives > Cone.”

   you can either click the tool icon, or choose the tool from the palette menu.

5. Click in the Top view to place a cone in the scene.

   

6. Click the Surfaces palette’s tab again to expand the Surfaces palette back to normal.

To use tool options to add a half-cylinder

1. With the , click the title tab of the Surfaces palette to open the palette menu, then open the Primitives submenu.

   Notice that some items have shadowed boxes next to the name of the item.

   

2. Click the shadowed box next to the Cylinder item.

   

3. The Cylinder options window appears.
4. Double-click in the text box labeled Sweep, then type 180 and press (Windows) or (Mac) to set the sweep to 180 degrees.

   

5. Use the slider next to the Sections text box to set the sections to 4.

   

6. Click the Go button at the bottom of the window.

   

   This button applies the settings in the window and activates the tool.

7. Click in the Top view window to place the new half-cylinder in the scene.

   

   As you specified in the option window, the cylinder has a 180-degree perimeter and is created from four sections (spans).

8. Look at the Cylinder tool icon. It has a small option box symbol in the top left corner.

   Like the symbol in the menu, this indicates the tool has options.

9. Double-click the Cylinder tool icon.

   The Cylinder Options window appears.

10. Click Exit to close the options window.