1.7.2. Direction Picker

The Direction Picker is used to get the direction of constraints, forces and various other entities that require a direction by using a geometry, design point, design frame, and so on. The Direction picker has various features to get the direction on the screen easily as shown in the figure and table below.

Figure 1.77: Direction Picker properties dialog

Figure 1.78: Description of Direction Picker properties

Property	Description
1. Result	Select either Vector or Component to determine the display format for the direction. Refer to the Point Picker for more information.
2. Direction	Show the resultant direction or enter a direction vector.
3. Filter	Set a Filter for the Direction Picker.
4. Parametric	Create a parametric relationship between the resultant direction and the picking object. If the parametric option is selected, the resultant direction will be rotated when the picking object is rotated. The parametric option is only available for some filters such as Two Points, Three Points and Frame.
5. Hide Tree	Hide the history tree.
6. History Tree	Show the picker history, which contains all the used filters and picked objects and allows access to the filters in the history tree. This is useful when a picker has multi-step modeling depth and you change direction during modeling.
7. Operation	Access filters and objects in multi-step modeling.
8. OK/Parent	Return to the previous modeling step, applying the resultant direction. When on the first modeling step, this closes the direction picker.
9. Cancel	Return to the previous modeling step without applying the resultant direction. When on the first modeling step, this closes the direction picker.
10. Pre-defined Directions	Set the direction to one of the axes of the inertial reference frame.
11. Reverse	Reverse the direction.

The Direction Picker has various filters allowing selection of only a specific kind of object. The functionality of these filters is explained below.

Figure 1.79: Direction Picker filters

Filter	Symbol	Description
Any		The direction is determined automatically according to the selected geometry. This can use one of the filters below, except the Two Points and Three Points filters.
Two Points		The direction is determined by the two selected points. This function can be referred to in the MultiPointCenter filter filter of the Point Picker.
Three Points		The direction is determined by the normal direction of the plane through the three selected points. This function can be referred to in the MultiPointCenter filter filter of the Point Picker.
Curve		The direction is determined by the tangential direction of the selected curve. The position on the curve can be controlled by the parameterized ratio U. This function can be referred to in the Curve filter of the Point Picker.
Surface		The direction is determined by the normal direction to the selected surface. The position on the surface can be controlled by parameterized ratios U and V. This function can be referred to in the Surface filter of the Point Picker.
Cylinder		The direction is determined by the axial direction of the cylinder.
Frame		The direction is determined by a coordinate axis of the selected Marker or Design Frame. The functionality is as follows. 1. Use to select one of the directions of the reference frame.