Manipulators are 3D tools that display while a command is active. Drag the manipulator to change a value or location.
The active manipulator is yellow and inactive manipulators are red. Click on a manipulator to activate it, or press Tab to cycle through them.
Sketch and Feature commands use arrow, sphere, and ring manipulators. Move uses a triad manipulator.
When using manipulators, it is not necessary to keep your cursor exactly on the 3D arrow. You can drag anywhere in the graphics window. Many manipulators can also snap to other geometry on your model. While a manipulator is active, you can move your cursor over other geometry to display prompts for snapping.
Feature and Model Geometry Manipulators
Use manipulators to create features and modify model geometry interactively. The active manipulator is yellow and inactive manipulators are red. Click on a manipulator to activate it, or press Tab to cycle through them.
There are four basic manipulator types. The purpose of each manipulator can vary by command:
The triad provides constrained translation or rotation for an object. The triad has arrow, plane, arc, and sphere manipulators. You can translate using the arrows, planes, or sphere; and rotate using the arcs.
Drag the manipulator to complete (or preview) the operation. The value that is set by dragging the manipulator can also be set in the ribbon or heads-up-display (HUD).
The manipulator has priority when it is active. You can click and drag anywhere in the graphics window, so it is not necessary to position the cursor exactly over the manipulator.
The active manipulator is yellow and inactive manipulators are red. Any manipulators that are not valid for a selection are disabled and display in gray. Click on a manipulator to activate it, or press Tab to cycle through them.
You can measure geometry using the drop-down next to any HUD. You can enter simple arithmetic expressions and mix units when you enter values into the HUD.
Many manipulators can also snap to other geometry on your model. Move your cursor over other geometry to display a prompt for snapping. When you snap a manipulator to other geometry, the manipulator becomes blue to indicate it is constrained.