In the previous exercises you have focused on building complex forms, using freeform shapes.
In this exercise, you will focus on geometric shapes and working to accurate dimensions.
To specify dimensions and locations in Alias, you will refer to the X, Y, Z grid directions.
An X, Y, Z location is called a coordinate.
To enter a coordinate, type the X, Y, and Z values into the prompt line. They must always be in the X, Y, Z order, and the three numbers can be separated by either a space or a comma: for example:
Absolute and Relative Coordinates
Coordinates can be specified in two ways: absolute or relative.
Absolute coordinates are always measured from the origin.
Relative coordinates are measured from the last coordinate used.
In the prompt line, (ABS) or (REL) is shown, depending which mode you are in. To switch modes, type the letter ‘r’ or the letter ‘a’ either on its own or before typing the coordinate.
As well as entering coordinates in the prompt line, the Information Window can be used to check or modify the dimensions of lines, curves and objects.
You will use the Information Window to specify the radius of arcs.
In the previous tutorials, you created freeform curves using CVs and Edit Points.
In this tutorial, you will use keypoint curves to create geometrically accurate lines and arcs.
