Creating Reflect Lines

You can create reflect lines, whether closed or open. Reflect lines are curves for which the normal to the surface in each point present the same angle with a specified direction.

Before you begin: Create a 3D shape containing curves.
Related Topics
Creating the Nearest or the Farthest Entity of a Multiple Element
Creating Silhouettes

  1. Click Reflect Line in the Wireframe toolbar (Project-Combine sub-toolbar).

    The Reflect Line Definition dialog box appears.

  2. Select the Type of reflect line to be created:

    • Cylindrical: corresponds to reflect lines with an infinite light source.
    • Conical: corresponds to reflect lines with a finite point light source.

    By default, Cylindrical option is selected.

  3. In the Support box, select the support surface.

  4. Select an axis in the Direction box (for cylindrical type) or a point in the Origin box (for conical type).

  5. In the Angle box, type the value or use the arrows to change the value.


    • For cylindrical lines, it represents the value between the selected direction and the normal to the surface.
    • For conical lines, it represents the value between the normal to the surface and the vector between the origin and the point on the surface where the normal has been computed.

    Cylindrical reflect line

    Conical reflect line

    You can also use the displayed manipulators to modify the angle value (green manipulators), to reverse the support (red arrow) or to reverse the direction (red arrow, only available for the cylindrical type).

  6. Select the Angle Reference, that is whether the angle should be computed:


    • Normal (by default) between the normal to the support and the direction. It is set by default to 90deg.



    • Tangent to the plane tangent to the support and the direction. It is set by default to 0deg.


  7. Click OK to create the element.

    The reflect line (identified as ReflectLine.xxx) is added to the specification tree.

    Cylindrical reflect line

    Conical reflect line