Breaking objects

Breaking an object means transforming it into discrete objects. In EngView you can break any geometric object. The program decomposes the object to all possible line or curve segments that are defined by point of intersection with other objects. Unless an objects has points of intersection with other objects it cannot be broken.

NOTE: You can reverse the breaking of an object and produce the original object. Learn how to merge duplicated or adjoined objects.

To break an object

1. (Optional) Select the objects which have points of intersection with the object which you want to trim.

NOTE: You may need this if you want to apply the trimming only to a group of objects, but not to other objects to which the object you want to trim is also connected. The trimming is applied only to the selected objects, not to points of intersection that are outside the area of the selected objects.

2. Do one of the following:

• On the Transformation toolbar, click Break .
• On the Transformations menu, click Break.
• Press CTRL+T+B.

A contextual edit bar appears above the graphical area.

3. (Optional) Set a style for the resultant object.

IMPORTANT: When you break an object, EngView applies to it the style that is active at the moment of breaking. Learn more about how to format and apply styles.

4. (Applicable only for selected objects. See Step 1.) To apply the trimming only to the selected group of objects, on the contextual edit bar, click Use Selected .

• When the Use Selected button is pressed in, the program breaks only the objects that have points of intersection with the selected objects, overriding any points of intersection with non-selected objects. Also, breaking will be unavailable for objects with no points of intersection with the selected objects; such objects will not be highlighted.
• When no objects are selected in the graphical area, the Use Selected button is unavailable.

5. Rest the mouse pointer over the segment that you want to break.

The segment is highlighted to the nearest point of intersection points with other objects; if the Use Selected button is pressed in, the highlight is to the nearest point of intersection with a selected object.

6. To make the highlighted segment a discrete object, click it.