1. 1© 2009 Autodesk Interface Basics Full Interface Simplified Interface Navigating Views Working with Windows Directory Structure Current Project Canvas Planes

2. 2© 2009 Autodesk Full Interface: for Experienced Users Menu Prompt Line Work Area Layer Bar Palette Shelf Marking Menus Control Panel

3. 3© 2009 Autodesk Simplified Interface: for Beginners Limited Use of the Control Panel Use the Help Menu Pick and Transform Palettes Open No Marking Menus or Shelves Prompt Line

4. 4© 2009 Autodesk Navigating Views TumbleTrack (Pan) Zoom (Dolly) Muscle memory is fashioned over time through repetition of a given motor skill and the ability through brain activity to remember it. Activities such as brushing teeth, combing hair, or even driving a vehicle are not as easy as they look to the beginner. As one reinforces those movements day after day after day, the neural system learns those fine and gross motor skills to the degree that one no longer needs to think about them, but merely to react and to perform. Wikipedia Muscle memory is a common term for neuromuscular facilitation, which is the process of the neuromuscular system memorizing motor skills.

5. 5© 2009 Autodesk Working with Windows Layouts Menu The Layouts menu offers different pre-set arrangements of the modeling windows. The most commonly used arrangement of four windows is given the hotkey F9 – use this to quickly return to viewing the four windows at any time. Active Window Shown with a white border instead of a black one. Window Icons Close Box Maximize Box Title Bar Resize Corners (4)

6. 6© 2009 Autodesk Directory Structure: Filing Your Work User_data DirectoryStandard Project StructureLessons Project Structure Only the wire and pix directories are provided, to save space. The other directories can be created when required. See what you can achieve when you’re well organized.

7. 7© 2009 Autodesk ‘Current Project’ Decide what you’re working on today. 1. Select your project. 2. Use Set Current to tell Alias that’s where you want to work. 1. Select Your Project 2. Set Current

8. 8© 2009 Autodesk Canvas Planes Canvas Planes for Design Canvas planes are designed to integrate 2D and 3D methods. Sketches or images can be imported or drawn directly onto blank canvases. The canvas planes can be positioned in 3D space to guide the 3D modeling. Canvas Planes for Teaching In this curriculum, canvas planes are used to include information and instructions in the exercise files. They are easy to view and can be turned on or off quickly. You can also zoom in closer if you need to see more detail.

9. 9© 2009 Autodesk Exercises EX1-How-To.wire Shows you how the exercise files are constructed and how to use the instruction canvas planes. EX2-Setting-Up.wire Guides you through simplifying your interface EX3-Zoom.wire Gives you practice in using the Alias windows and zooming, tracking, and tumbling the views. Set ‘Lesson1’ as Your Current Project

10. 10© 2009 Autodesk Tips Card Use the ‘Tips’ card to help you remember mouse and keyboard functions.

11. 11© 2009 Autodesk Viewing Objects in 3D Space Pick Nothing, Pick Object Diagnostic Shading Perspective Window: Viewing Panel Look At: Workflow Point of Interest Working with Layers

12. 12© 2009 Autodesk Pick Nothing, Pick Object Click/Drag Single Click (Unambiguous Selection) Single Click (Ambiguous Selection) Pick Chooser Keep the mouse button held down and move between the selections on the list. Release when you have found the right one. Pick>Nothing Deselects all objects Pick>Object

13. 13© 2009 Autodesk Control Panel: Diagnostic Shading Not All Options Are Available It depends on which version of Alias you have. Pick>Nothing All objects will be shaded/unshaded Pick>Object Selected objects will be shaded/unshaded Diagnostic Shading Shade Off/Shade On Surface Quality A tolerance of 0.01 will be more accurate and smooth. Use the slider to modify. Fast/Accurate Use Accurate for the smoothest shading results. Use Fast to improve performance on large models. Click on the To open the Color selector Use this to create different colors for different parts of the geometry. Visual States Use different Hardware Shade settings to render the model.

14. 14© 2009 Autodesk Viewing Options: Window Shading NoneLinearCentered Choose whichever style you prefer.

15. 15© 2009 Autodesk Viewing Options: Perspective Window View Cube Top right - Default option, recommended for new users View Panel Top left - Method used in earlier software versions

16. 16© 2009 Autodesk Using the View Cube Preset Views Top, bottom, and all sides, plus the 3/4 views Look at selected objects Enable/disable perspective Click Edit to open the BookMarks editor BookMarks Editor Return to the previous view Click Add to save and ‘bookmark’ a view Camera/object based tumble View twist View azimuth/elevation Plane view Bookmarks List of saved bookmarked views View Cube Options Click on the small pull-down menu icon to open the option menu. Use Ctrl and double-click to rename a bookmark.

17. 17© 2009 Autodesk Using the View Panel Preset Views Top, bottom, and all sides, plus the 3/4 views Look at selected objects Enable/disable perspective Open BookMarks list BookMarks Editor Use Ctrl and double-click to rename a bookmark Return to the previous view Click new to save a view and create a new bookmark for it

18. 18© 2009 Autodesk Look At: Workflow If nothing is selected, all the geometry is brought into view. If something is selected, the selected geometry is brought into view. The Look At tools help you to find your model and focus on the parts you are working on....or hotkey +L...or hotkey +L

19. 19© 2009 Autodesk Point of Interest If you have a large or spaced out model, it can be useful to specify and change the center of viewing to make zooming and tumbling more focused. The Point of Interest locator allows you to do this at any time during tumbling. Point of Interest Locator During tumbling, if you click on a piece of geometry, the POI locator will jump to it, and it will become the Point of Interest. Click on the RGB Arrows and the view will jump to the direction of the arrow chosen. RGB Point of Interest Locator

20. 20© 2009 Autodesk Working with Layers Create a new layer A new Layer tab appears in the Layer bar at the top of the screen Double-click the layer name, and type a new name, followed by ‘Enter’ Choose Pick>Object Select Assign on the Layer tab pull-down menu Select the objects you want on the layer

21. 21© 2009 Autodesk Layer Bar and Layer Menus Visible off Set state  Reference Set state  Pickable Set state  Inactive Layer States Layer Colors Each Layer tab can have a color assigned by clicking on the square.

22. 22© 2009 Autodesk Exercises EX4-Point-of-Interest.wire This file with two cars provides the opportunity to practice repositioning the Point-of-Interest when viewing. EX5-Picking.wire Practice using the Pick tools and the Pick Chooser to place shapes on layers. EX6-Layers.wire This file contains a more complex Picking task with many touching and overlapping surfaces. You will work out a sensible layer structure and then create layers and assign geometry.