B-Plane Template Tool
The B-Plane Template tool allows you to create templates that define the configuration of b-planes that can be displayed in the 3D Graphics window. A template created using this tool will be saved along with the scenario in which it is created, allowing you to utilize the template with any satellite in the scenario. To display a b-plane, add the template to a satellite by editing the B-Plane 3D Graphics properties of the satellite.
To open the B-Plane Template tool, highlight the scenario or satellite in the Object Browser and select B-Plane Template... from the Scenario or Satellite menu.
For practice using the B-Plane Template tool, try the Moon Mission exercise.
Creating and Managing B-Plane Templates
The B-Planes area of the window displays all the b-plane templates that are currently attached to the scenario, if any. Click a template to select it, and the rest of the window will be populated with its configuration settings - which you can then edit.
- Add - Click to create a new template with the default configuration.
- Duplicate - Click to create a new template that is a duplicate of the currently selected template.
- Remove - Click to delete the currently selected template.
Each time you add, duplicate, or remove a template, the change is applied automatically, although the display of the 3D Graphics window - if affected by the changes - will not update until you click OK, Cancel, or Apply.
Defining B-Plane Templates
Enter a Name and a description for the template, if desired, and then select the Central Body and Reference Vector.
Cartesian and Polar Grids
If the b-plane is set to Show, you can also choose to display the Cartesian and Polar grids within the plane. Select Show Cartesian Grid and Show Polar Grid to have the respective grids displayed as a part of the b-plane. Define the distance between grid lines in the Grid Spacing field.
B-Plane Elements
For the following fields, Select Show to allow the item to be displayed in the 3D Graphics window, define the Color and Scale with which the item should appear, and select Label to allow the item to be labeled in the 3D Graphics window when displayed.
The scale selected for these fields will set the display size of the element to be the value indicated multiplied by the radius of the central body. The scale setting on the Vector page of the object's 3D graphics properties has no impact on the display size of a b-plane.
Click Apply to save any changes you have made to the currently selected template, or click OK to save the changes and close the B-Plane Template tool. Click Cancel to close the B-Plane Template tool and discard any unsaved changes made to the currently selected template.
Each time you select another template while working with the B-Plane Template tool, any changes you made to the previously selected template are automatically applied.