Help w/TurboCad

[Sam the Cat]

slightly off topic -- but I am designing something out of wood......

I am finally getting serious about learning a cad program -- and I have decided to use TurboCad.

Things are going well but I am having a devil of a time trying to figure out one "action", the project I am working on is a coffee table -- I am trying to attach an apron board to a leg with a 1/4" setback. I want to use the assemble tool and somehow I'd like to create a "construction point" on the leg that is not at one of the predefine snap points -- cannot seem to find this in the manual. Any hints would be appreciated

CHeers

[CW]

Use the "assemble by three points tool to snap the apron to the leg aligned with the corner. After it is there, click the selection tool and select the apron piece. Right click, go to "selector 3D properties". Make sure the position X,Y and Z boxes are checked. Set "extents CS" to user. Set "coordinate system" to user. Click okay and right click again. Click on "set UCS by selector". Now the position coordinates for the apron piece will read zero. Type in your setback (in the appropriate field) and press enter. Putting a reference point where you want the apron piece to go is possible but may well take some manipulation of the wokplane. Unless you are very familiar with workplanes, it is much easier to do as I described. I make all parts in place myself but this requires moving workplanes to the various points for those individual parts. Go here:

is the Turbocad forum on IMSIs site. Very helpful people there.

[Sam the Cat]

CW -- Thanks, just what I needed

cheers

[Jerry Johnson]

Hi Sam, Here's another way that I use; unsophisticated maybe, but it works. I would attach a 'box' to the corner of the leg and with a side dimension corresponding to the set back you want. I would then select the apron, move the anchor point to the appropriate corner of the apron, then snap that point to the corner of the box that equalled your setback. You can then delete the box.