Copy and Mirror Operations

SA also offers a selection of Copy and Mirror operations .

Options to Copy Objects:

Objects can be copied. The copy is always placed into the active collection. If the collection containing the copied object is the active collection, the object will be renamed as necessary to maintain uniqueness. There are two main methods for copying an object: Copying and then applying a transform (which can be unity to leave the object unmoved), or copying and then applying a point to point translation. Keep in mind that since point groups are objects, copying a point group will duplicate that group of points. However, since the copied points were not actual measured points (after all, they are copies) they will be depicted as constructed points. It is probably most common for copies to be made without applying any transformation so that the copy is in the same position as the original.

Options to Mirror Objects:

Objects can be mirrored (reflected) about any of a frame’s three planes (XY, XZ, or YZ). This is most often used with symmetric parts. For example, if certain nominal features of an aircraft model are only available on the left side, it will need to be mirrored to the right side when it comes time to work on the right side of the aircraft.

You can either create a mirrored copy of selected objects (creates a duplicate, then reflects the duplicate), or you can mirror the objects directly without creating any copies. Mirrored copies are placed into the active collection and are renamed as necessary to ensure uniqueness. An object moved via a mirroring operation will not be renamed at all. Always use care when mirroring—depending on the object being reflected and the plane being mirrored about, the object’s normal may flip directions.