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#Orient and #Align #3D #Body in Altium Designer This command is used to align a #3D Body with the #PCB (e.g. the mechanical housing/enclosure), or 2D footprint, when viewing the current board/footprint in 3D. It uses 6 points to perform its function; three points selected on the 3D model and then three corresponding points picked on the board/footprint. This technique does not necessarily require snap points to have been placed since any vertex on the 3D model can be used. Access This command is accessed from the PCB Editor, and PCB Library Editor - in 3D Layout Mode - by choosing the Tools » 3D Body Placement » Orient And Position 3D Body command, from the main menus. The current viewing mode for the PCB document can be changed using the corresponding commands from the main View menu. To switch to 3D Layout Mode, use the command of the same name, or use the 3 keyboard shortcut. Use First, ensure that you are viewing the board/footprint in 3D (use the 3 keyboard shortcut to quickly change to this mode, if not). After launching the command, the cursor will change to a cross-hair and you will be prompted to select the 3D model that you wish to position. The procedure for placement is as follows: #Position the cursor over the #3D model of interest and click, or press Enter. The cursor will change to the #3D positional cursor (blue, six-pointed), and you will be prompted to select points on the 3D model. Move the 3D cursor over a vertex, or snap point, and click, or press Enter, to define the main anchor point. This is the 3D model anchor point, which will be used to intersect precisely with the board/footprint anchor point. Move the 3D cursor over a vertex, or snap point, and click, or press Enter, to define the second anchor point. This is the 3D model alignment point. This point is used in conjunction with the previous one to calculate an alignment line that passes through both points. Move the 3D cursor over a vertex, or snap point, and click, or press Enter, to define the third anchor point. This is the 3D model plane point. This point is used in conjunction with the previous two to calculate a plane that passes through all three points. The cursor will now change to appear as two blue cones (selection mode), and you will be prompted to select points on the board/footprint. Position the cursor and click, or press Enter, to define the main anchor point's destination. This is the destination point for the 3D model's main anchor point when the body is repositioned. Position the cursor and click, or press Enter, to define the second anchor point's destination. This point is used in conjunction with the previous one to calculate an alignment line that passes through both points. The line of alignment on the board/footprint will align with the line of the alignment on the 3D model once it is repositioned. Position the cursor and click, or press Enter, to define the third anchor point's destination. This point is used in conjunction with the previous two to calculate a plane that passes through all three points. The board plane and 3D model plane will be one and the same, once the 3D model is repositioned. After the third destination point is chosen for the board/footprint, the 3D model will be repositioned accordingly. Tips This feature will not work with extruded 3D models, since that model type has no 3-dimensional rotation support. Resulting rotation values and standoff height will be reflected for the selected 3D Body, after the move, in the Properties panel. These can be adjusted to fine-tune placement as required. Generic model support includes #STEP (*.Stp and *.Step), Parasolid (*.x_t and *.x_b), and SolidWorks (*.SldPrt) formatted models.
