Face Editor

Face Editor Overview

The Face Editor allows you to customize the faces of your enclosure using standard editing tools for creating cutouts, silkscreens, exclusions zones, and construction lines.

File:Face-editor-window.png

Face Editor Window

A. Standard Toolbar

Contains common commands such as Cut Copy, Paste, Undo, Redo, as well as zoom and grid related commands.

B. Drawing Toolbar

Contains tools to draw shapes, add text, and add images to the face.

C. Viewport

Working area that shows a 2D view of your enclosure face.

D. Status bar

Displays the currently selected view, X- and Y coordinates of the pointer, side of face showing (outside or inside), and the name of the face.

E. Help pane

Displays contextual help that changes based on the selected drawing tool.

F. Properties pane

Displays properties that can be changed for the selected object.

Viewing the face

Pan model

To Pan the face, do one of the following.

Method 1

• In the viewport, click the wheel button and drag to pan the model to the desired location.

Method 2

1. On the Standard Toolbar, click Pan.
2. In the viewport, left-click and drag to pan the model to the desired location.

Method 3

1. Press and hold the Alt key.
2. In the viewport, right-click and drag to pan the model to the desired location.

Zoom model

To Zoom in or out, do one of the following:

Method 1

• Rotate the wheel button forward or backward.

Method 2

1. On the Standard Toolbar, click Zoom In or Zoom Out.
2. Click within the viewport to incrementally zoom the model in or out.

Method 3

1. On the Standard Toolbar, click Zoom In.
2. Drag a diagonal selection within the viewport to zoom in to a desired area of the model.

Method 4

1. On the View menu, click Zoom In.
2. Click within the viewport to incrementally zoom in the model.
3. On the View menu, click Zoom Out.
4. Click within the viewport to incrementally zoom out the model.

Method 5

1. On the View menu, click Zoom In.
2. Drag a diagonal window within the viewport to zoom in the desired area of the model.

Note: The model moves toward the mouse pointer when zooming out and away from the mouse pointer when zooming in.

Reset view

The Reset View command displays the face in the centre of the viewport at its original zoom level.

Do one of the following:

Method 1

• On the Standard Toolbar, click Reset View.

Method 2

• On the View menu, click Reset Zoom to display the model in its original orientation.

Drawing shapes

Select the drawing mode

Selecting a drawing mode changes the type of objects created using the drawing tools as follows:

Cutouts

Cutout drawing mode allows you to draw shapes on your enclosure for accommodating connectors, switches, ports, etc. You can also draw custom shapes to create cutout logos and images.

Silkscreen

Silkscreen drawing mode allows you to draw shapes, images, and text on your enclosure for labelling or adding logos and product identifier graphics.

Exclusion

Exclusion drawing mode allows you to add shapes to your enclosure to mark areas where other objects cannot be added.

Construction

Construction drawing mode allows you to draw shapes on your enclosure for use as reference when creating cutouts, silkscreen or exclusion zones, as well as when placing hardware. Template:Procedure

Draw circles

Available in Cutout 40px, Silkscreen 40px, Exclusion 40px and Construction 40px drawing modes. Template:Procedure

Draw ellipses

Available in Cutout 40px, Silkscreen 40px, Exclusion 40px and Construction 40px drawing modes. Template:Procedure

Draw rectangles

Available in Cutout 40px, Silkscreen 40px, Exclusion 40px and Construction 40px drawing modes. Template:Procedure

Draw squares

Available in Cutout 40px, Silkscreen 40px, Exclusion 40px and Construction 40px drawing modes.

Draw custom paths

Available in Cutout 40px, Silkscreen 40px, Exclusion 40px and Construction 40px drawing modes. Template:Procedure

To create an arc using the Path tool. Template:Procedure

Draw lines

Available in Cutout 40px, Silkscreen 40px, Exclusion 40px and Construction 40px drawing modes. Template:Procedure

Add text

Available in Silkscreen 40px drawing mode only.

Note: Selecting the Image Tool will switch the drawing mode to Silkscreen, regardless of the current drawing mode.

Add images

Available in Silkscreen 40px drawing mode only.

Note: Selecting the Image Tool will switch the drawing mode to Silkscreen, regardless of the current drawing mode.

Note: Colors are automatically adjusted to match stock Protocase silkscreen colors.

Changing object properties

File:Propertiespane-circle-silkscreen.png

Properties Pane for circle silkscreen

File:Propertiespane-text-silkscreen.png

Properties Pane for text silkscreen

Fill

Applies to silkscreen and construction objects including circles, ellipses, rectangles, and paths.

• Select the check box to fill in the object. The line thickness option is not available when the check box is selected.

Line Thickness

Applies to silkscreen and construction objects including circles, ellipses, rectangles, paths, and lines. Also applies to lines of all object types.

• Select a value from the list below the Filled check box.

Type

Applies to all objects.

• Change the object type by selecting a different type from the list.
• Object types include:

Cutout

Silkscreen

Exclusion

Construction

Origin

Applies to all objects.

• Change the location of the X and Y origins with respect to the absolute coordinate system.
• Enter a number and press the Tab key to accept.
• The origin of an object is indicated by a red square.
• [image]
• The origin for each object is determined as follows:

Circles—centre

Ellipses—centre

Rectangles—corner closes to the absolute origin

Text—bottom left corner

Paths—start point

Lines—start point

Images—bottom left corner

Size

Applies to all objects (options displayed depend on object selected).

• All values use the default Display Units, unless otherwise specified. See Preferences [add link] to change the default Display Units.

Circles

• Radius, Diameter—Changing one of these properties will automatically update the other. Diameter is twice the radius.

Ellipses

• RadiusX—Radius along X-axis (defines horizontal length).
• RadiusY—Radius along Y-axis (defines vertical length).

Rectangles

• Width, Height—Width and Height of the object.
• Rotation—Angle with respect to origin in degrees. Positive value rotates object clockwise and negative value rotates object counter-clockwise

Text

• Rotation—Angle with respect to origin in degrees. Positive value rotates object clockwise and negative value rotates object counter-clockwise
• Font—Change the font to Arial, Courier, Garamond, Avant Garde, Times New Roman, Palatino, or Bookman.
• Font Size—Change the font size within the available range of 7–99.
• Font Style—Change the font style to Regular, Bold, Bold Italic, or Italic.
• Text—Change the text to appear on the face. Press the Tab key to accept.

Path

• Rotation—Angle with respect to origin in degrees. Positive value rotates object clockwise and negative value rotates object counter-clockwise

Lines

• Length—Distance from origin to end point.

Images

• Width, Height—Width and height of the object.
• Rotation—Angle with respect to origin in degrees. Positive value rotates object clockwise and negative value rotates object counter-clockwise