Import 3D Model into Single or Two Sided Job
Initial Orientation
Choose one of the 6 options to determine the most suitable direction on the model that defines the top surface (upper Z) that you want to use when it's converted into a Component.
You can also use the five options for Rotation about Z Axis to modify the position of the part being imported at this stage.
To rotate the model interactively, the dynamic handles in the 3D view can be used. The red, green and blue circles allow for rotation about the X, Y and Z axes respectively, while the central grey sphere can be used for rotating around all three axes simultaneously.
Model Size
Lock XYZ ratio
Un-checking this option allows the model to be distorted from its original shape. This means independent X, Y and Z sizes can be entered. Leaving it checked ✓ fixes the ratio so it cannot be distorted. Instead it will automatically scale the other axes as you enter new values for X, Y or Z.
Apply
Applies the values you have entered for the X, Y or Z dimensions.
Many mesh files do not inherently have the units that they were made in embedde in the files, so the software is not able to tell if the files are supposed to be inches or metric, they will just have a particular value. Therefore it is quite common to need to scale the part from inch to metric or vice versa. If you import your model and you wish to work in inches and the file seems very large or if you work in Metric and the file seems very small then you will probably need to use the Scale mm/inches option. The next two items on the form cover this need.
Units
Choose the unit of measurement (mm or inches) that you are working in, within the part the file is being imported into.
Changing the units will result in resizing the model. For example, if you had 5x5 mm dimensions, they would become 5x5 inches so the model becomes a lot larger.
Scale mm/inches
Scales the X, Y and Z values up or down depending which Unit option is selected. If mm is selected then the software assumes you want to scale the values up so multiplies the current values by 25.4, if inches is selected it assumes you want to scale the values down and divided them by 25.4.
Center Model
The button which will move the center of the model's bounding box to datum position (XYZ zero). This is particularly useful if you intend to unwrap a model for rotary machining. This may change the Zero Plane position in the model.
Apply Perspective along Z
Checking ✓ this will enable you to apply a perspective distortion to the model along the Z axis by using the slider. Points on the model closest to the observer will become further apart as the distortion strength is increased - this makes the model appear as if it is coming out of the screen.
Position & Import
Selecting this button will take you to the Position & Import dialog
Cancel
Cancels the Import function and returns to the standard Modeling Tab icons.