Bundle Configuration > Bundle Manipulation > Using the Manipulation Handles

Manipulation Handles

If you hover over or select a segment on a bundle, manipulation handles are displayed which can be used to change the position and shape of bundles.

Note

When working with partially hidden bundles (see Hide Pre-Assembled Content from Final Assembly Formboards) certain handles may not be available, or appear in different positions than shown in the following videos. This is to prevent making changes to bundle structures which are not visible.

Note

If you have multiple languages or keyboard layouts installed on Windows, you might encounter conflicts with Windows shortcuts for switching languages or layouts when using keyboard modifiers like Ctrl+Shift or Alt+Shift for manipulation handles. You can disable the Windows shortcut in Windows settings. For information on how to do this, search the web for "Disable language switching in Windows."

Activating Manipulation Handles

The manipulation handles are not displayed in diagrams by default. Click the Manipulation Handle icon () on the Status Bar to toggle between displaying the manipulation handles On or Off.

Cursor Icons and Actions

When you hover over the manipulation handles, the cursor icon for each action is displayed. The cursor icon changes as you toggle between the available options, and a tooltip is displayed in the Message bar.

Cursor Icon	Action	Video
Bend	Bends the segment to a grip point or an arc.
Move (Center)	Moves the segment in a perpendicular direction and modifies the adjacent segments.
Move (End)	Moves the segment in a perpendicular direction and modifies the bundle.
Resize	Creates, removes, or resizes an arc between two segments.
Rotate (Center)	Rotates the segment and its adjacent segment around the selected ends.
Rotate (End)	Rotates the segment and modifies the bundle.
Stretch	Moves and stretches segment ends freely.
Stretch Segment	Moves the segment freely and stretches its adjacent segments.
Move Section	Moves a junction node or grip point, with all attached bundles, preserving their geometry.
Unhide	Unhides hidden sections of a harness. Full scale diagrams only.

Primary and Secondary Handles

To manipulate a bundle, you can click the manipulation handles or anywhere along a segment.

The handles are displayed in groups with a primary handle shown with a darker boundary than the secondary handles. The primary handle is the active action for the group and controls which action is performed if the segment is selected instead of the manipulation handle. The active action changes automatically depending on which group you are closest to when you hover over or select the segment.

Figure 77: Primary Handles and Active Action Example

Manipulation Handles on Segments

Different manipulation handles are available depending on the bundle or segment type and its position on the harness. See Table 10 for the available options and links to the procedures for each handle.

Type	Manipulation Handles	Instructions
Arc		Creating and Editing Arcs Moving Segments
Bundle (External)		Bending Segments Moving Segments Rotating Segments
Bundle (Internal)		Bending Segments Rotating Segments Move Section
Segment (External)		Bending Segments Creating and Editing Arcs Moving Segments Rotating Segments
Segment (Internal)		Bending Segments Creating and Editing Arcs Moving Segments Rotating Segments

On flex bundles and in non-full scale diagrams, the Stretch handles are available on the segments to move and stretch the segment freely. As the graphical length of the bundle can be changed, the Bend handle is also available on the segment center.

Figure 78: Bend and Stretch Handles on Flex Bundles Example

Manipulation Handle Toggle and Zoom Display

If you are zoomed out from a segment, multiple manipulation handles are available but only a condensed selection of available handles is visible. See Figure 79 as an example.

You can hover over the handle or segment and use the middle mouse button to toggle between the available options, or zoom in to display all the handles.

Figure 79: Manipulation Handles (Condensed Selection) Example

If you are zoomed in to a segment, and the manipulation handles are not visible, you can also hover over the segment and toggle to select the options closest to the cursor.

To view manipulation handle toggle and zoom display:

Manipulation Handle Behavior

Depending on the segment type, see Table 10, the Move and Rotate handles are available at both the center and ends of the segments Figure 80. Selecting the handles at different positions on the segment changes the behavior of the manipulation on the segment and the bundle:

Center handles affect the segment.
End handles affect the segment and the adjacent bundle end.

Figure 80: Handles at Segment Center and Ends Example

When manipulating full scale bundles, the bundle is modified dynamically to preserve the graphical length. On non-full scale bundles, the bundle ends are fixed and the segments are modified to apply the graphical length changes.

To view manipulation handle behavior:

In non-full scale diagrams, when Proportional Bundle Stretch is On, any reference nodes are automatically repositioned on the bundle. When the setting is Off, the manipulation is limited and stops at the reference nodes to avoid nodes from switching segments. See Using Proportional Bundle Stretch for more information.

The manipulation behavior changes, if you press the following hotkeys:

Alt — Preserves the graphical length of bundles.
Ctrl — Preserves the orientation of rotated attached bundles.
Shift — Rotates the geometry to the closest 0, 90, 180, 270 degrees. Toggles proportional bundle stretch when using the Stretch and Stretch Segment handles.

To view the hotkey behavior:

Preview Graphics

When you click and drag a manipulation handle, preview graphics display the following geometric changes:

Degrees of rotation
Lengths of segments
Positions and shapes of bundles
Radius of arcs

Release the mouse button to place the bundle in the required position or press Esc to cancel the movement.

The preview graphics display in the default Object Selection Color, see Figure 81:

Solid line – bundles with no graphical length changes.
Dashed line – bundles with graphical length changes.
Gray text – dimension changes.

Figure 81: Preview Graphics Examples

Note

The Error icon () is displayed on the cursor wherever a manipulation is not valid.

To view the preview graphics:

Parent Topic:

Using the Manipulation Handles