Open the FreeStyle_05.CATPart document.

1. Click the 3D Curve icon .
   The 3D curve dialog box is displayed.

2. Choose the curve creation type.

• Through points: the resulting curve is a multi-arc curve passing through each selected point.

• Control points: the points you click are the control points of the resulting curve

• Near points: the resulting curve is a single-arc, with a set degree and smoothed through the selected points.

3. Click OK to create the curve.

A 3DCurve.xxx appears in the specification tree.

• If the cloud is not tessellated, points of the resulting curve are constrained on both cloud and points of cloud. Therefore, you must snap from point to point on the cloud.

• If the cloud is tessellated, points of the resulting curve are constrained on the cloud but not on the points of the cloud. Therefore, you can select a point anywhere on the cloud.

For further information on the options of the dialog box, refer to the Creating Associative 3D Curves chapter.

Selecting all 3D points

The Select all points contextual menu is available within the 3D curve action only, when the 3D Curve dialog box is open.

• In the specification tree:
  • select the geometrical set just by clicking it, or
  • right-click the geometrical set and choose Select all points in the geometrical set from the contextual menu, or
  • select a point in the geometrical set, right-click it and choose Select all points in the geometrical set from the contextual menu.
• In the geometry: select a point, right-click it and choose Select all points in the geometrical set from the contextual menu.

Contextual Options

Double-click your curve, right-click on the manipulator to display the contextual menu. 

Refer to the Creating Associative 3D Curves to get the corresponding information.

• Use the F5 key to move the manipulators into a different plane of the compass. See Managing the Compass.

• Use the standard shortcuts (Ctrl and Shift keys) to select, multi-select, and unselect any combination of control points on these curves.

• You cannot add a point past the end points. To do this, you need to add a point before the end point, move the new point where the end point lies, then move the end point to a new location.

• The creation plane for each free point is defined according to the current plane/compass orientation on the previous point. Therefore you can change creation planes within the same curve, by setting a new current plane/compass orientation on several points.