Orient by One Axis

The orient one axis method is used to orient axisymmetric entities. You can orient any one of the three axes of a coordinate system, and MotionView computes the remaining two.

  1. Select Orient one axis from the orientation method drop-down menu.
  2. Select an axis to orient from the axes drop-down menu.
  3. Use the collector-combo box to specify the alignment method for the axis.


    Figure 1.

    If you choose Point or Vector, use the collector to select the point or vector to which you want to align the axis. Point or vector coordinates are displayed beneath the point or vector label. The coordinates are protected by a lock and can be edited when the lock is green.

    For a point, the axis lies on a line from the origin to the specified point. For a vector, the axis lies on a line parallel to the selected vector.

    If you choose the DxDyDz alignment method, enter the global dx, dy, and dz components of the axis in the text boxes. You may also enter a mathematical expression in any of the text boxes to define dx, dy or dz.

Tip: Click [DC] to view the direction cosines' matrix for a coordinate system. See the Direction Cosines topic for additional information.