Create or Edit Complex Profile

To create or edit a Complex Profile, you will use the Profile Editor window - a separate 2D editing window which opens automatically whenever you open a Profile to edit, or when you create a new one.

It is always open in conjunction with the Profile Manager palette, which contains controls specific to the Profile Editor environment.

For a New Profile

1.Open Profile Manager (Options > Element Attributes > Complex Profiles)

2.Click the New command.

3.Name the new Profile.

NewComplexProfile.png 

The Profile Editor window opens, where you can start creating the Profile element.

See Create/Edit Profile Components, below.

ProfileEditorWindow1.png 

To Edit a Profile

Do one of the following:

From Profile Manager, choose a Profile from the pop-up:

ProfileManager.png 

Notice the icon that indicates whether the selected profile contains a core component, or not. (In this image, the icon indicates “No Core.”) See also Partial Structure Display.

From the model window, select an existing Complex Profile Element, then click Edit Selected Composite/Profile from the context menu.

EditSelectedProfile.png 

The selected Profile opens in the Profile Editor.

ProfileEditorWindow.png 

Open Profile Editor (From Model Window)

If you switch out of Profile Editor to a model window, the Profile Manager remains open, but its editing controls are not available. To open Profile Editor again, choose a Profile from the pop-up and click Edit.

OpenProfileEditor.png 

Create/Edit Profile Components

Use the Fill tool to draw or edit the cross-section of the complex profile, with the usual 2D techniques, to achieve the desired shape.

In Profile Editor, only 2D drawing tools are available.

Use Fill Selection Settings to assign Building Material and Cut Line type.

Notes:

Your cross-sectional profile can contain multiple fill shapes (components); they will all be saved together as a single profile.

Overlapping fills are supported, and will be cut out based on their Building Material Priority at the placed element level.

Profile attribute definition is also available in Attribute Manager: See Profiles (Attribute Manager).

The Profile Origin is a significant reference point. See Profile Origin in Profile Editor Window.

ProfileFillSettings2.png 

Only Hotspots, and Fills drawn with the Fill tool, will be part of the saved profile.

Other 2D elements added to the Profile Editor window (lines, dimensioning, etc.) can be used as local drafting aids, but will have no effect on the final appearance of the complex profile. These drafting aids are located on the “Drafting” Design Layer of Profile Manager.

See Design Layers Panel.

Use the other controls of Profile Manager to edit the Profile geometry and behavior:

Components Panel

Uniform Contours Panel

Stretch Modifiers

Offset Modifiers

Save Named Profile

Do one of the following:

Click the Save button in the Profile Manager, or

Switch to another profile and choose “Store” from the appearing dialogue.

StoreProfileChanges.png 

See also Save Custom Profile.