Page 965 - Chief Architect Reference Manual

Editing Custom Symbols

• To insert the bottom of the symbol into • The Depth is measured from the sym-
the top of another object, specify the bol’s origin point towards its front.
distance that it should be dropped as a • The Height is measured from the sym-
negative value in the Z field. bol’s origin point towards its top.

Bounding Boxes You can also allow a symbol to set into
another object by reducing its bounding box
An object’s bounding box determines the size. Unlike the symbol itself, the bounding
amount of space it requires in 3D and thus box and 2D block cannot be offset from the
how close it can be moved to other objects origin.
before it bumps into them.
Stretch Planes and Zones
The bounding box also defines the selectable
area around a symbol: when you click within Stretch Planes and Stretch Zones define
an object’s bounding box, it will become where a symbol stretches when resized.
selected. Similarly, the bounding box affects
whether an object is included in a selection If a symbol has no Stretch Planes or Zones,
marquee. See “Selecting Objects” on page its surfaces will all resize uniformly; if, on
213. the other hand, a Stretch Plane or Zone is
defined, the object will resize only within the
When a symbol is selected, its edit handles plane or zone. Any portions of the symbol
display around the perimeter of its bounding located outside of the plane or zone will not
box. See “Edit Handles” on page 35. resize at all.
You can create setback space for a symbol by • A Stretch Plane is a two dimensional
increasing its bounding box size on the SIZ- plane within a symbol which increases or
ING panel of the Symbol Specification decreases in thickness as the symbol is
dialog. See “Sizing Panel” on page 958. resized.
• A Stretch Zone defines an area between
To create setback space for a symbol two Stretch Planes that resizes uniformly,
1. Make a note of the symbol’s actual size leaving the area outside unaffected.
on the GENERAL panel of its specifica- Stretch Plane coordinates are relative to the
tion dialog. symbol’s origin point. For many object types,
the origin is located at the bottom center of
2. Click the Open Symbol edit button
to open the Symbol Specification dia- its back surface.
log.
To define a Width stretch plane
3. On the SIZING panel, increase the
Width, Depth and/or Height values by 1. Open a symbol’s Symbol Specification
the amount of the desired setback space. dialog using any of the available meth-
• The bounding box Width is always ods. See “Symbol Specification Dialog”
centered on the symbol’s origin point. on page 951.

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