T-FLEX Parametric CAD. Fundamentals. 2D Design

PICTURES AND OLE OBJECTS
Pictures
Pictures and OLE Objects
You can add to a T-FLEX drawing vector or bitmap images stored in files using different graphic formats –
grb (T-FLEX CAD drawing), bmf (T-FLEX Metafile), bmp (Windows Bitmap), wmf (Windows Metafile),
emf (Enhanced Windows Metafile), JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group), GIF (Graphic Interchange
Format), DIB (Device-independent bitmap), and images in the TIFF, PCX and TGA formats.
T-FLEX CAD Metafiles are graphic images of T-FLEX drawings, they do not require parametric
regeneration and are quickly displayable on the screen. Those are stored on disk with the extension
“.BMF”. Metafiles can be generated in the command “EX: Export” or produced by an animation
(the command “AN: Animate Model”).
Such images can be inserted using various scale, rotated various angles and fixed to nodes, which helps
parametrically define their position on the drawing. Unlike fragments, pictures themselves are not
parametric, do not use variables or special fixing elements.
Transparent font color can be set for bitmap pictures.
Connection with Source File. Links Mechanism
Pictures, just like fragments and databases, use the links mechanism that allows managing relations of
objects with their source files. A picture is related with an object by a “link” that indicates the source of
external data.
Recall that the object of a link can be external (external file) or internal (a picture copied from internal file
and saved inside the main document, fragment document etc.). Links management is done by the command
“AL: Links to other files…”.
Links to files are used for 2D and 3D fragments, OLE objects and pictures. The command
“File|Assembly|Update links” updates all links to files.
By default an inserted picture uses an “external link” to the source file. By changing the link to embedded (in
the command “AL: Links to other files…”), you can save the picture directly in the drawing file (without
relation to the source file).
Internal document-picture can be generated automatically right after inserting the picture. In this case a
created picture will be at once connected with two links: a link to an external document (source file) and to
an internal document. Such picture will function as an internal one, keeping the image of the source
document in the form that the image had at the moment of insertion, but updating an internal image from the
source file in case of need will still be possible.
Pictures on the basis of files “*.grb” are always generated as internal ones with the preserved connection
with the source file.
Methods of Fixing on Drawings
The position of a picture on the drawing can be defined by the following methods:
By two corner fixing points. The graphic image of a picture is bounded by a box. By defining two opposite
corners of this box on the drawing, you can change the position and size of the picture’s image on a drawing.
The original aspect ratio of the picture is not preserved in this way. The picture is fit in the specified box.
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