Move Boundaries

Boundaries can be moved with the Move Boundaries option. You can also move a boundary by simply clicking on a boundary and dragging with the mouse or pressing the arrow keys.

To use the Move Boundaries option:

1. Select Move Boundaries from the toolbar or the Edit sub-menu of the Boundaries menu.

2. Use the mouse to select the boundaries you would like to move.

3. When you are finished selecting, press Enter or right-click and select Done Selection.

4. You will then be prompted to enter two points defining the move. You can enter the points graphically with the mouse, or with the keyboard in the prompt line (see notes for additional information).

5. After the second point is entered, all of the boundaries selected in Step 2 will be translated from their original positions according to the vector defined by the two points.

NOTE:

• The two points defining the move can be anywhere in the x,y plane, only their relative positions are important.

• You can define a relative displacement by typing the "@" symbol in the prompt line followed by the relative x and y displacement (Step 4). For example, type @50 -20 followed by Enter, to move the excavation 50 units to the right and 20 units down.

• You can also define a relative displacement by entering 0 , 0 as the base point in the prompt line (Step 4), and the relative distance as the second point (Step 5). For example, if you want to move a boundary 5 meters to the left, enter 0 , 0 as the base point (Step 4), and –5 , 0 as the second point (Step 5).

Right Click Shortcut

Move Boundaries is available as a right-click shortcut for individual boundaries:

1. Click the right mouse button on a boundary, and the boundary will be "selected".

2. A popup menu will appear, from which you can select the Move Boundary option.

3. Select Move Boundary and follow steps 4 and 5 described above.

Left Click Shortcut

A boundary can be moved interactively by clicking on a boundary and dragging with the mouse:

1. Click the left mouse button on a boundary, and the boundary will be "selected".

2. Hover the mouse over the boundary, and when you see the four-way arrow cursor , you can click and drag the boundary to a new location.

3. Click the mouse or press Enter or Escape to un-select the boundary and complete the move.

Arrow Key Shortcut

A boundary can be moved interactively by clicking on a boundary and pressing the arrow keys:

1. Click the left mouse button on a boundary, and the boundary will be "selected".

2. Press any arrow key (left, right, up, down) to move the boundary in the desired direction. NOTE: by default, the boundary will move ONE UNIT each time you press an arrow key (i.e. either 1 meter or 1 foot, according to your unit system selected in Project Settings). If you press and hold an arrow key, the boundary will move repeatedly in the given direction. The move increment can be changed as described below.

3. Click the mouse or press Enter or Escape to un-select the boundary and complete the move.

TIP: the arrow key move option is very useful for interactively moving boundaries in the horizontal or vertical directions, in a controlled manner by a known increment.

Arrow key move increment

If desired, you can change the arrow key move increment, by typing the letter m in the prompt line, and entering the desired increment in the dialog which appears. This determines the distance moved by the boundary each time you press an arrow key. This option can be useful for fine tuning an interactive stress analysis demonstration, according to the scale of your model.