Basic Terms

The T-FLEX CAD system provides a wide range of built-in functions to achieve the best quality models and drawings. There are many different commands for this. These are commands for working with support geometry, commands for creating solid and surface bodies. You can also work with sheet metal and welding. There is a set of commands designed to automate the modeling of power supply, ventilation and piping systems. There is also a powerful system for parametrizing 3D objects and construction elements. In addition, there is a geometry analysis system that allows you to recognize mass-inertial characteristics, measure objects, their curvature, gaps, deviations, and so on.

 

T-FLEX CAD uses several types of elements (entities). In context of this help document words "elements" and "entities" are used mostly interchangeably.

Three major types of elements can be distinguished: 2D, 3D and Service.

2D Elements

It's everything that being displayed on drawing sheet or in the drawing on workplane mode. 2D elements elements can be further divided into Construction entities and Graphic entities.

Construction entities

Construction entities make the framework of a drawing. Graphic lines are drawn over the construction entities. The construction entities include construction lines and nodes.  These construction lines and nodes are the principal elements for defining the parametric layout of the drawing. The analog for these in the conventional drawing is the thin pencil lines to be later marked in ink. The parametric behavior of the drawing will be driven by the relationships between the various-type construction lines and the nodes. This will result in a particular way in which the drawing geometry will adjust to changing parameters. The construction entities are displayed solely for user reference. They do not appear on printouts or plots.

Graphic entities

These constitute the actual drawing of the drawing. Graphic entities include the graphic lines, dimensions, text, hatches, GD&T symbols, etc. These entities may be snapped to respective construction entities. In this case, modifications in the construction entities and nodes propagate on the corresponding graphic entities. This is the main technique for parametric design in T-FLEX CAD. The other type of the parametrization is the parametrization of the graphic lines using the Constraints command. The graphic entities constitute the drawing image on a printout or a plot.

2D Fragments and pictures are complex graphic entities.

3D elements

These are everything that can be displayed in the 3D scene. Main types of 3D elements are Bodies, Operations, 3D Constructions and Geometrical entities.

Bodies

There are two types of bodies - solid and surface. Bodies are created upon creation of some 3D modeling operations.

Operations

Operations are results of applying 3D modeling commands. Upon creation of operations, sometimes new bodies being created, other times existing bodies being edited. Final shape of a particular body might be a result of creation of a single operation or multiple various operations.

3D Constructions

These are diverse auxiliary elements, which serve various purposes. Most 3D Constructions are used as Support Geometry upon creating Operations. Others serve instrumental purposes (mostly for visualization).

Geometric entities

These are faces, edges and vertices of bodies and support geometry.

Service elements

These are variables, databases, reports, materials etc.

Global and Local coordinate systems

Global Coordinate System (GCS) is a coordinate system used by default for calculating positions and orientations of all 3D elements in a document. Instead of GCS, you can create and use Local Coordinate Systems (LCS) for calculating particular elements.