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Interactive Transform

The Interactive Transform tool provides visual manipulation of volume meshes using 3D gizmo widgets. Instead of entering numerical values, you can drag handles directly in the 3D view to translate, rotate, or scale volume mesh objects intuitively.

Accessing the Tool​

Navigate to the Volume Mesh ribbon tab and click Interactive Transform in the Transform section.

When activated, a 3D manipulator gizmo appears centered on the active volume mesh's bounding box. The transformation affects all selected volume mesh objects simultaneously.

Manipulator Gizmo​

The manipulator gizmo displays colored axes and handles for different transformation operations:

Translation Axes​

Colored arrows indicate translation directions:

  • Red arrow: Translate along X-axis
  • Green arrow: Translate along Y-axis
  • Blue arrow: Translate along Z-axis

Drag an arrow to move the mesh along that axis. The mesh moves in real-time as you drag (when preview is enabled).

Rotation Rings​

Circular arcs allow rotation around each axis:

  • Red ring: Rotate around X-axis
  • Green ring: Rotate around Y-axis
  • Blue ring: Rotate around Z-axis

Drag a ring to rotate the mesh around that axis.

Scale Handles​

A small sphere on the tip of each axis arrow enables scaling:

  • Red sphere: Scale along X-axis
  • Green sphere: Scale along Y-axis
  • Blue sphere: Scale along Z-axis

The manipulator with its centre handle, the red, green and blue axis arrows, the plane handles, the rotation rings and the scale spheres on the arrow tips

Drag a sphere to scale the mesh along that axis.

Plane Translation​

Colored planes between axes allow translation in two dimensions simultaneously:

  • Red plane (YZ): Translate in the YZ plane
  • Green plane (XZ): Translate in the XZ plane
  • Blue plane (XY): Translate in the XY plane

Manipulator Options​

Show manipulator in 2D views​

When enabled, the manipulator gizmo appears in 2D slice views (Plane 1 (YZ), Plane 2 (XZ), Plane 3 (XY)) in addition to the 3D view. This allows transformation in specific planes while viewing orthogonal slices.

Apply transformation on mouse drag​

Controls whether transformations are applied in real-time:

  • Enabled: Mesh transforms immediately as you drag (preview mode)
  • Disabled: Transformation is applied only when you release the mouse

Real-time preview provides immediate visual feedback but may be slower with large meshes.

Show plane axes​

Toggle visibility of the planar translation handles. Disable to reduce visual clutter when only single-axis operations are needed.

Show rotate axes​

Toggle visibility of the rotation rings. Disable if rotation is not needed.

Show scale axes​

Toggle visibility of the scale handles. Disable if scaling is not needed.

Lock interaction​

When enabled, the manipulator becomes non-interactive. This prevents accidental transformation while still displaying the gizmo for reference.

Current Transformation Values​

The tool panel displays the current transformation state relative to the initial position when the tool was opened:

Translate Distance (mm)​

Shows the cumulative translation applied:

ParameterDescription
XDistance moved along X-axis in millimeters
YDistance moved along Y-axis in millimeters
ZDistance moved along Z-axis in millimeters

Rotate Angle (°)​

Shows the cumulative rotation applied:

ParameterRangeDescription
X-180 to 180Rotation around X-axis in degrees
Y-180 to 180Rotation around Y-axis in degrees
Z-180 to 180Rotation around Z-axis in degrees

Scale Factor​

Shows the cumulative scale factor applied:

ParameterDefaultDescription
X1.0Scale factor along X-axis
Y1.0Scale factor along Y-axis
Z1.0Scale factor along Z-axis

Reset​

Click Reset to restore the manipulator to its initial state. This resets the displayed transformation values to zero (translation), zero (rotation), and 1.0 (scale).

note

The Reset button resets the manipulator state, not the mesh transformation. To undo mesh changes, close the tool without applying final transformations.

Interaction Tips​

Precise Axis Alignment​

The manipulator axes are aligned with the world coordinate system. For best results when working with specific axes:

  1. Use the View tab to set a standard view (Top, Front, Right)
  2. The corresponding plane translation and rotation become more accessible

Transforming Multiple Objects​

When multiple volume meshes are selected:

  1. The manipulator appears at the combined bounding box center
  2. All selected meshes transform together
  3. Each mesh rotates/scales relative to its own center

Camera Navigation​

While the Interactive Transform tool is active:

  • Standard camera controls (rotate, pan, zoom) remain functional
  • Click on empty space to orbit the camera
  • Click on gizmo handles to transform the mesh

Workflow Example​

Positioning a Mesh for Analysis​

  1. Open Interactive Transform
  2. Enable Show manipulator in 2D views
  3. Switch to Plane 3 (XY) view for top-down positioning
  4. Drag the XY plane handle to position horizontally
  5. Switch to 3D view
  6. Use the Z translation arrow for vertical positioning
  7. Rotate as needed using the appropriate ring
  8. Close the tool when positioning is complete

Fine-Tuning Alignment​

For precise adjustments:

  1. Open Interactive Transform
  2. Disable Apply transformation on mouse drag for non-real-time mode
  3. Make small adjustments
  4. Release mouse to apply each change
  5. Check alignment in multiple views
  6. Use Reset if needed and try again