Copy

Copying and Inserting objects can be carried out in pCon.planner either with the keyboard, the context menu or the relevant buttons on the ribbon. What is important is that pCon.planner will distinguish between genuine (standard) copies and reference copies.

Standard copies are copies of an original object which exist independently of it and of its properties. A standard copy can be regarded in isolation from all other objects.

There are different ways of creating single copies in pCon.planner. The options are shown in the following example.

pCon.planner_single_copy_01

1.Select the object to be copied.

2.Click on the Copy button (Home tab, Clipboard group), so that a copy of the object is produced. It is also possible to use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+C.

3.Clicking on the Paste button (Home tab, Clipboard group) will insert the copied object and the position of this can now be fixed with a click of the mouse (top left screenshot). It is also possible to use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+V.

pCon.planner_single_copy_02

4.The rotation of the object can then be altered by moving the mouse (lower left screenshot).

5.The rotation can be fixed with a click.

6.To insert further copies, simply click on the Paste button again.

While editing objects, it is possible to create copies of them using the context menu. This option is particularly useful when moving, rotating or mirroring objects. The example below shows the copying procedure in the case of moving.

pCon.planner_single_copy_03

1.Select the object to be copied.

2.Click onto one of the edges or surfaces. Now the object can be moved by shifting the mouse.

3.A click on the right-hand mouse button will open the context menu: select Work on Copy to create a copy.
It is also possible to press Ctrl while moving the object as an alternative to using the context menu.

4.Now move the object to the position you want it to have and fix it there with a click.

The Quick Copy button (Home tab, Clipboard group) or the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Q enables any number of copies to be inserted one after another. This is how:

pCon.planner_multiple_copies_01

1.Select the object to be copied.

2.Now click on the Quick Copy button (Home tab, Clipboard group) or use the keyboard short Ctrl + Q. The cursor will change in appearance (see top left screenshot).

pCon.planner_multiple_copies_02

3.Use one click to set the basis point. This point marks the position on which the future copies depend before they are inserted.

4.Each further click causes the copy created to be inserted (again). The procedure can be concluded with the Esc key or the Cancel context menu item.

It is possible to make reference copies in pCon.planner PRO. In contrast to standard copies, there is linked content in reference copies. If the properties of one copy are changed, the changes will affect all the related copies as they all relate to one reference object. It is then only necessary to make changes of material, a specific property or object color in the case of one copy. The free-standing article Configuration describes the options for modifying the properties etc. of reference objects in detail.

To enable the user to distinguish between standard copies and reference copies, pCon.planner PRO will always highlight all reference copies when an object is selected, but this will not apply to standard copies.

The left-hand screenshot shows two objects, one of which is a standard copy of the other. If one of the two objects is selected, there will be no other highlighting. The program works differently for reference copies (see screenshot on right). Here all copies relating to the same reference are given a greyish green marking as soon as a reference copy is selected. It should be noted that the actual reference to which the copies relate will not be visible to the user. It only exists in the background.

As in the case of standard copies, reference copies can be pasted either once or more than once. The following two sections describe the procedures.

pCon.planner_reference_copy_03

1.Select the object of which you wish to make a reference copy.

2.Click onto one of the edges or surfaces. Now the object can be moved by shifting the mouse.

3.A click on the right-hand mouse button will open the context menu: select Work on Reference Copy to create a reference copy.
It is also possible to press Alt while moving the object as an alternative to using the context menu.

pCon.planner_multiple_copies_01

1.First select the object of which you wish to make a reference copy.

2.Now click on the Reference button (Edit tab, Tools group) or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + F. The cursor will change in appearance (see top left screenshot).

pCon.planner_multiple_copies_02

3.Use one click to set the basis point. This point marks the position on which the future reference copies depend before they are inserted.

4.Each further click causes the copy created to be inserted (again). The procedure can be concluded with the Esc key or the Cancel context menu item.

By clicking the Isolate button (Edit tab, Object group) it is possible to convert a reference copy into a standard copy. To do this, mark the reference copy and then click Isolate. It is also possible to use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + I instead of the Isolate button.