Mous-Clicks and Drag

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Mous-Clicks and Drag

Drag, Double-click, Right-Click

Many mouse actions in MechDesigner are different to those in your CAD software.


Terminology

Mouse-pointer, pointer, cursor are equivalent.

Click is Left-button-click for the standard mouse setting.

Drag

Add an element

We use drag to add many element-types. For example:

Mechanism-Editor: to add a Part, to connect a wire between FBs

Part-Editor: to add a Line, CAD-Line, Circle, Arc, or Blend-Curve.

Drag to add a Circle

Drag to add a Circle

Drag to add an element:

1.Mouse-button down

2.... move your mouse-pointer

3.... mouse-button up.

You may (usually not) need to click in the graphics-area to complete the command.

Move an element

We use drag to move elements in the graphics-area.  For example: In the:

Mechanism-Editor: to move FBs, Free-Parts or Completely Free Parts, ...

Part-Editor: to move sketch-elements, dimensions, ...

Drag to move a FB

Drag to move a FB

Drag to move a Dimension

Drag to move a Dimension

Drag to move Elements:

1.Hover above an element so that the element is the selected-color.

2.Mouse-button down

3.... move your mouse

4.... mouse-button up.

CTRL or SHIFT + Drag

CTRL+Drag = PAN CTRL+DRAG = SPIN

CTRL+Drag = PAN
CTRL+DRAG = SPIN

CTRL + Drag = PAN

1.Click in the graphics-area to deselect all elements

2.CTRL + Drag  to Pan.


SHIFT + Drag = SPIN

1.Click in the graphics-area to deselect all elements

2.SHIFT+Drag to rotate at your mouse-pointer's position.


See also Keyboard shortcuts for other Spin shortcuts

Hover + Drag

Hover to merge the start-Point of a Line with the end-Point of an Arc

Hover to merge the start-Point of a Line with the end-Point of an Arc

Part-Editor:  to create a sketch-loop or sketch-path.

Add sketch-element + Hover above an end-Point + Drag to merge a new sketch-element with the end-Point of an existing sketch-elements

Mechanism-Editor: You can add a Part and a Joint at the same time.

Add Part + Hover above a Point + Drag to add a Part with a Pin-Joint

Add Part + Hover above a Line + Drag to add a Part with a Slide-Joint

Right-Click

COMMAND-MANAGER

CM-AddMotion-Dim-Example

When the Command-Manager is active...

if there is an element in all selection-boxes...

... Right-Click in the graphics-area = GST-TICK-GREEN-24X26 to complete the active command.

Even faster:

As you are about to select the last element:

... Right-Click the last element in the graphics-area = Select the last element + GST-TICK-GREEN-24X26 to complete the active command.

 

CM-AddMotion-Dim-Example-cancel

If there is not an element in all selection-boxes ...

... Right-Click in the graphics-area = GST-CANCEL-24X26 to cancel the command.

MECHANISM-EDITOR

General shortcut-menu

General shortcut-menu

Right-click to:

1.Cancel the active command

2.Right-click in the graphics-area

The shortcut-menu is next to your mouse-pointer

The image does not show all of the shortcut-menu in the Mechanism-Editor.

Contextual shortcut-menu

Contextual shortcut-menu

Hover + Right-Click an element

 

1.Hover above an element until the element is the selected

2.Right-Click

The shortcut menu is contextual to the element that you right-click.


<<< the shortcut-menu after Hover+Right-Click ... a Part

PART-EDITOR

RightClick-PartEditor

In the Part-Editor:

1.Right-click to cancel the active command

2.Right-click again ...

... the shortcut menu is next to your pointer


The image is the Part-Editor shortcut menu. Add Circle is about to be selected.

Note: Edit Part in Part-Editor is at the top of the shortcut-menu.

1.Click Edit Part in Part-Editor to close the Part-Editor.

RightClick-LineinPartEditor

Hover + Right-Click an element

1.Hover above an Element, so that the element is selected.

2.Right-Click

The commands that you can do to the element are in the shortcut-menu

or

1.Click an Element  

The element is in the Selection-Window.

2.Right-click the element in the graphics-area

Double-click

See also: How to Edit an Element.

When you double-click an element, you open its dialog.

GST-DoubleClick-PartOutline

To edit a Part:

1.Double-Click a Part-Outline

The Part-Editor opens.

GST-DoubleClick-SketchElements

or

1.Double-Click a sketch-element that you have added to a Part previously

The Part-Editor opens.

GST-DoubleClick-DimensionArrow

To edit a Dimension in the Part-Editor:

1.If necessary, de-select Add Dimension  

2.Double-Click the arrowhead of a Dimension

Note: nothing happens if you double-click the dimensional number

GST-DoubleClick-Sketch-to-ClosePE

To close the Part-Editor:

1.Double-Click the Y-axis* or a sketch-element (see image)


* The Y-axis is a easier to double-click than the X-axis.

The X-axis and the CAD-Line are collinear.

GST-DoubleClick-GearstoEdit

To edit Gear-Pairs or 2D-Cams

Best-Practice:  Use the Assembly-Tree or the Selection-Window to locate the Gear-Pair or 2D-Cam elements:

1.Click the Gear-Pair or 2D-Cam in the graphics-area or Assembly-Tree

2.Right-click the Gear-Pair or 2D-Cam in the Selection-Window

3.Click Edit element in the shortcut-menu

AT-Double-click-MD

In the Assembly-Tree or Selection-Window

1.Double-click an element in the Assembly-Tree

or

1.Double-click an element in the Selection-Window

If it is possible to edit the element, the element's dialog opens.

To stop 'Tool-Tips' showing next to your pointer:

Menu-ToggleHints

Tool-tips, or Hints, can hide the tool and icon that you want to use.


To show or hide Tool-Tips next to your pointer:

1.Click Help menu >Toggle Hints

or

1.Click Application Settings > Accessibility tab > Show Hints check-box