Icon Bar - Edit

This bar contains a total of five icons. With these tools it is possible to select one or more nodes and change their position in 3D space. These tools work exactly like their counterparts in 3D applications. By holding and dragging the mouse, position, rotation, or scale changes are executed. The fifth icon lets you choose between the global and local axis system.

Select

With this tool you can choose any visible node from the viewport. Multi-selections can be performed with a pressed Shift key. When a node is selected it will be highlighted in the “Nodes” panel and the “Relationship Editor”.

In RealFlow's viewports you can also draw a virtual rectangle around one or more objects to select them at once. The “Select” tool supports hierarchical selection: for example, a node cannot be selected directly from the viewport, because it is overlapped by other objects, click on the desired node until it becomes active. Of course, you can select it from the "Nodes" panel or the “Relationship Editor” as well.

Move

When “Move” is active, the currently selected object shows three coloured arrows. Each colour represents one of the three spatial directions: the X axis is red, Y is displayed in green, and the Z direction is blue . The node can be moved along one of these directions by dragging the arrow – the other two directions are locked at this moment. With the coloured squares it is possible to move the object in two directions, e.g. XZ or XY. You can always see which directions are currently active, because they are displayed in yellow. The “Move” tool's shortcut is M.

Rotate

To rotate an object, point the mouse cursor over one of the surrounding circles and drag. The active circle turns yellow and the object will follow your motion until you release the mouse. Rotations can only be performed in one direction at a time. The “Rotate” tool's shortcut is E.

Scale

The mode of operation is similar to “Move” and “Rotate”, but here the object's dimensions are changed. There is also a small cube in the middle of the coordinate axes. When you click and drag the mouse over this box, all axes turn yellow and it is possible to scale the node in all three dimensions simultaneously. The “Scale” tool's shortcut is R.

Copy Transformations

Transfers all available node data to the target object.

Snap - Nearest side

Brings two nodes together as close as possible. This function calculates the nearest sides between two selected nodes and snaps them together. The first selected object is the reference and will not be repositioned when the second node is translated. This mode is especially useful for object dynamics – for example brick walls.

Axis

This icon provides two different states: global and local. 3D programs also offer the possibility to distinguish between these coordinate systems. When you work in “local” mode, a transformation matrix will be added to the object. An example: Let's say you rotate a cube around two axis in global mode. In this case, each axis points into a certain direction. When you switch to “local” you will see exactly the same setup – there is absolutely no difference.

Now, reset the rotation and repeat the rotation in “local” mode. Again, the three axis have a certain direction, but when you turn on the “global” mode you will see that they have their initial orientation. This way it is possible to introduce a local transformation, for example to create an initial rotation or position, while the global orientation remains the same. When the object is then moved by rigid body dynamics, or a fluid, the rotation and position changes will be performed globally again.