User Guide
User Guide
User Guide

Flatten Curve

Use it!

Used to flatten or project a MicroStation curve-type element, such as a line string, complex chain, complex shape, or B-spline curve, into a specified plane. This tool is designed to process digitized data or imported curves that are not currently planar but meant to be.

Tool SettingEffect
Flatten Plane

Sets the normal direction for the flatten plane.

  • Automatic
    • — computed by an averaging process based on the identified element.
  • Closest Standard Plane
    • — First, a normal direction is computed by the averaging process as is done in the Automatic case. This resulting plane is compared to the standard XY, YZ, and XZ planes to see which is closer. The closest is used as the flatten plane.
  • Drawing XY Plane
    • — parallel to the design cube's xy plane.
  • Drawing XZ Plane
    • — parallel to the design cube's xz plane.
  • Drawing YZ Plane
    • — parallel to the design cube's yz plane.
  • View
    • — parallel to the view.
  • User Defined
    • — defined by three data points.
Keep Profile

If on, the original curve is not deleted.

To flatten or project an element
  1. Select the Flatten Curve tool.

  2. Identify the element to flatten or project.

  3. If Flatten Plane is set to Automatic or Closest Standard Plane, accept the element.
    or
    If Flatten Plane is set to Drawing XY Plane, Drawing XZ Plane, or Drawing YZ Plane, enter a data point (base point) to define the location of the flatten plane.
    or
    If Flatten Plane is set to View, enter a data point to define the depth of the flatten plane.
    or
    If Flatten Plane is set to User Defined, enter a series of three data points (length, width, and height) to define the flatten plane.

    With Keep Profile turned on, and Flatten Plane set to Drawing XZ plane, identify the curve.

      

    Identify the location of the Drawing XZ plane, to generate the flattened curve.

      

    Three-dimensional curve, shown with “flattened” curves aligned with the XY, XZ and YZ drawing planes.

      

Key-in: FLATTEN CURVE