Guides

You can create lines as guides in 3D that help you position and align with other existing objects as you draw.

Tip:

  • To use the CityEngine tools, ensure the Tool Options window Tool options is open by clicking Window > Tool Options in the main menu.
  • Not all CityEngine tools have options under Tool Options.

To use the guide tool, do one of the following:

  • Click the Guide Creation tool Guide creation tool.
  • Click Shapes > Guide Creation in the main menu.

Create guides

To place guides, do the following:

  1. Click any shape, model, or street edge to create a guide from the edge.
  2. Move the guide to the location you want or snap to other objects.

    Alternatively, you can manually specify an offset.

  3. Click again to set the placement.
    Guide creation with offset
    A guide is created with an offset on the roof of a building

The guide is an additional snap target that allows parallel as well as extension snapping. You can have up to 20 guides at a time. If you add more, the first guide is removed. Guides are saved in the scene.

You can hover over an existing guide to display the remove guide icon Guide remove and click the guide to delete. Click the Delete All Guides button in the Tool options Guide Creation Tool tool options to remove all guides.

Tool options

The Tool Options window Tool options includes the following settings:

Tool options Guide Creation Tool
Offset (m)

The offset distance in meters from the edge that is clicked.

  • You can enter a value to lock the offset.
  • Preview the offset guide placement until the next click sets the guide.
Force Planar

Force the guide to be planar. Press (t) to turn force planar mode on and off. See Force Planar.

Delete All Guides

Click to delete all guides.