I am still having to learn some basics. When using the extrude tool, the lower left window by default shows an east-west direction (i.e. the axis has the green and red direction arrows. How do I change this view to a north-south direction (i.e. green and blue axis).

If I understand well, you want to change some axis orientation without rotating the object.

Use the shift tool on the rightmost column.

Select the shift tool, the object and press the ctrl key. Rotate the object axis using the edit control axis. You'll see the amount of rotation at the bottom of the 3DC window.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: DOM107,

I read the question to be how to change the view in the window/panel. The way to do that is to right click in the window and then select the view that you want. The green and red direction is the front or rear view while the blue and red would be top or bottom view.

I should have been clearer. When I open the extrude tool, a smaller window opens where the actual extrusion is done. The lower left window pane in this window where you give some depth to the extrusion is the one I was referring to. I want my extrusion to be in a north - south direction, but cannot find a way to change that window so that the green- blue arrows show. (I notice in the tutorial on making a locomotive with an extrusion that the lower left window in the tutorial does in fact have red/blue arrows so there must be a way to switch the views in the tool.

quote:

Originally posted by BFM:
... cannot find a way to change that window so that the green- blue arrows show.

I don't know what tutorial you are referring to but the views cannot be changed.

quote:

Originally posted by BFM:
I want my extrusion to be in a north - south direction

It can be done:

I'm confused as well...LOL
When you Right click on the Extrude Opeation, there are two options you can tick.
Extrude As Region
Extrude Using Face Direction
If you tick Extrude using Face Direction the extrusion will extrude in the direction the face is facing.
I usually have both ticked.

Does this help

Bazza

Thanks for this. That's exactly the information I was looking for. The screen shot in the tutorial (http://www.3d-canvas.com/3DCanvasDocumentation/tutorialcrosssection1.htm) shows the green and blue axis arrows and I naturally assumed that there had to be a means of changing the window. I presume that the screen shot was taken from an old version of the game.