How do I use the Component Properties form to adjust height, base height, fade, tilt, and appearance on existing components?

Overview

Component Properties is the non-destructive adjustment panel for 3D components. After creating a component with any modeling tool, you can open Component Properties at any time to change its Combine Mode, adjust its height, add Fade or Tilt, or assign a material for visualization, without recreating it from scratch. All adjustments are dynamic and can be edited or reset until the component is Baked.

Opening Component Properties

Ways to open it:

1. Double-click the component's name in the Component Tree
2. Right-click a component: its pop-up menu offers quick access to the Combine Type and to the full Component Properties form
3. In the 3D view: select the component, then use the icons below it (Total Height, Shape Height, Base Height and Additional Settings). Additional Settings lets you change the Combine mode, Fade, Tilt and Appearance directly in the 3D view

If more than one component is selected, changes apply to all of them. Properties that make no sense for several components (such as the name) are grayed out.

What You Can Adjust

Combine Mode

Changes how the component interacts with the components below it in the tree: Add, Subtract, Merge (keeps the higher part), Low (keeps the lower part) and Multiply. See the dedicated Combine Modes entry for details.

Shape Height

Scales the component's height as a percentage of its current height (100%). Drag the slider or type a value.

• This scales the whole component up or down while preserving its profile shape
• Different from Base Height: Shape Height changes the peak of the shape
• The slider range is based on your material thickness setting, but you can type any value

Spacebar tip: After typing a value in a height field, press Spacebar to apply and preview without closing the form.

Base Height

Raises the component up on a flat plane of the thickness you specify.

• A 0.1" Base Height raises the entire component 0.1" above where it would normally sit
• Useful for making a component sit proud above a neighboring component it is merging with
• Level Base Heights (set on the Level, not on individual components) add the same height visually to everything on that Level, but are NOT included in baking. They are a separate value added after the Level's objects are combined
• To reset a height, double-click the Shape Height or Base Height icon below the selected component in the 3D view

Fade

Gradually reduces the component's height from one point to another, linearly.

1. Check the Fade checkbox
2. Click Set Anchor
3. Click two points in the 3D view: the first click is the point that stays at its current height, the second is the point the component fades down toward
4. Set the fade percentage. It is the amount you want to reduce the depth by, so 100% fades the component completely to zero at the second point

Use for: Making a component appear to recede into the background, taper off at one end, or create perspective depth. For a full comparison with Tilt, see the entry on the difference between Fade and Tilt in component properties.

Tilt

Raises one end of the component at an angle while the other stays put.

1. Check the Tilt checkbox
2. Click Set Anchor
3. Click two points in the 3D view: the first click is the pivot point (it does not move), the second is the point that is raised
4. Set the tilt angle

Use for: Raising part of one component above another where they overlap, without raising the whole component. Applying Tilt in Component Properties (rather than during shape creation) keeps it adjustable.

Dynamic vs Permanent Properties

Adjustments made in Component Properties are dynamic: they are stored as properties on the component and do not permanently change the shape until the component is baked.

Permanently applying: Click the Bake button within Component Properties to make the current dynamic properties permanent in the component's shape. The form is then reset, and you can apply further dynamic changes on top.

When to Bake in Component Properties: When you want to stack multiple rounds of dynamic adjustments. For example, set a fade, bake it, then set another fade on top of the already faded result.

Appearance Settings

Assigns a visual color or material for the shaded 3D view (customer approval proofs and visualization only, with no effect on toolpaths):

• Same as Parent: uses the appearance of the component's Level (or, for a Level, the model's appearance from Job Setup)
• Solid Color: shades the component with a single color
• Use Material: choose from the predefined material effects (wood grains, metals, stone, plastic)
• Color from Children: for a Group or Level, uses the individual colors and materials of its components

Red highlight issue: A selected component is tinted red, which makes it hard to judge a material. Uncheck Highlight Selected Component temporarily to see the material accurately. It turns back on when you leave Component Properties.