3D Model Glossary

This glossary defines the terms you should be familiar with while working with 3D models in the Canvas Envision Creator.

3D model

A 3D representation of an object produced by computer-aided design (CAD) software.

Assembly

Parts and other assemblies (subassemblies) are mated together. An example would be a car made of subassemblies (like four wheels) and parts.

Assembly branch

A parent in a hierarchical relation tree.

Assembly leaf

A child in a hierarchical relation.

Assembly root

The top level of your assembly tree.

Bounding box

An imaginary parallelepiped volume that bounds a 3D part.

HLR (Hidden Line Removal)

A view mode in which all model edges not visible from the current camera angle are removed from the display.

Mode

A persistent edit tool such as translation, rotation, or behavior, such as view modes. You can exit a mode by pressing the Esc key in general.

Neutral position

The default position and view of parts initially defined by the data that you import from the 3D model.

Object bounds

A proportional representation of a 2D object area that shows a scene of a 3D model when being placed in the main document.

Part

A single 3D object. A part may be a component in an assembly, and it can be represented in 2D in a drawing. An example would be a bolt.

Properties

Attributes of a part, such as size, color, opacity, that you see and can modify in the 3D Properties pane.

Scene

All 3D parts visible in the viewport.

Subassembly

An assembly that is part of a larger assembly. An example would be a wheel on a car.

Triad control

A graphical control that lets you manipulate parts in 3D.

Vector image

A 2D image in which shapes are drawn in their mathematical form. You can move and change appearances and positions of parts in a post-processing piece of software.

View

A 2D representation of a 3D model in user-defined orientation.

Viewport

A 3D model display area of the window where you manipulate your scenes.