Chapter 30: Using Imported Geometry and Direct Editing Techniques
Direct edit strengths include:l Avoid feature order problemsl (^) Avoid rebuild time
l Changes are more intuitive
l (^) Concept of moving faces directly is very intuitive
Probably the most serious limitation of direct edit tools is that once a face has been eliminated
from the model, you cannot bring it back using more direct edit tools. For example, take the part
in Figure 30.14.
FIGURE 30.14
Editing limitations with direct editing
If you change the bottom square area such that the flat face between the bottom square and the arc
disappears, you cannot get it back. This limitation is less serious when the direct edit tool is just
another tool within a history-based modeler, because you can resort to the more powerful history-
based tools to compensate, but with a dedicated direct edit–only tool, you will be up against a
more difficult task.