Views, Workplanes & Coordinate Systems

When drawing in either 2D or 3D Model Space, the View, Workplane and Coordinate System represents the way in which entities are drawn and viewed in plan and elevation-type drawings.

Coordinate System & UCS

Modes | Coord System

When drawing in either 2D or 3D Model Space, the Coordinate System represents the way in which entities are drawn and viewed in plan and elevation-type drawings.

User and World UCS (User Coordinate System)

From the Options menu, select Preferences, then activate both the Show User CS and the Show World CS options.

The abbreviation CS relates to Coordinate System and is used frequently throughout this Training Guide.

Options | Program Setup | Preferences

World Coordinate System

The World Coordinate System (World CS) represents the way in which entities are drawn and viewed in standard isometric and orthographic views.

The World coordinate system is represented by an icon, shown below.

The location of the World coordinate system icon, shown below, remains fixed in the workspace.  The default position being the lower left corner.

The world coordinate system cannot be changed ; it responds strictly to the current view of the model.  When the coordinate system should be changed to create a new definition of the axes, a User Coordinate System is created.

When drawings are viewed from a Plan view, the icon, shown below will represent the X, Y and Z axis.  In this example, all objects drawn horizontally will be drawn in accordance with the X axis.  All objects drawn vertically will be drawn in accordance with the Y axis.

The Z axis represents the positive or negative elevation.

The World Coordinate system icons are shown in the illustrations below from different viewpoints.

 

Top / World Plan View

 

Right Side

 

 

Front View

Isometric South East View

The World Coordinate System icon, shown in the illustrations above, is activated in Options | Preferences, shown below.

Options | Program Setup | Preferences

User Coordinate System

The User Coordinate System, (User CS) allows the user to define the orientation of the X-Y-Z axis.

The origin of the User CS and the Workplane will always lie in the same plane.

The User Coordinate System is represented by an icon, shown below right.

The position of the UCS icon is not fixed; it will respond to the current view of the model and can be moved to a more appropriate position.

The User Coordinate system icon, shown circled below, is significantly larger than the World Coordinate system icon and can be adapted to user requirements.

In the example below, both the User CS and the World CS are in alignment. Only when the Workplane is changed will the User CS differ from the World CS.