A new enhancement available in Pro/ENGINEER® 2000i and above provides a shortcut for modifying most dimensional entities, reducing the time required to map through the Menu Manager. When drafting a part for a drawing, you can right-click on the graphics screen to open the Modify Item option, which lets you modify an item on the fly. Simply selecting a drafted entity and dragging the mouse pointer to a new location updates the selected entity.

Here’s how to do it.

1. Open a drawing created in Pro/ENGINEER.

2. Zoom in on a dimension or drafted entity.

3. Using the mouse, hold down the right button and select Modify Item.

4. Select the dimension. (It will now be magenta.)

5. Using the mouse, select any of the small square tags and move it to a new location. (The entity now turns red.)

6. While an entity is selected, right-clicking again opens another menu that duplicates the options shown in the Edit/Actions section of the Menu Manager.

7. Left-click to accept, middle-click to cancel the changes.

Dennis Sledge is a mechanical designer currently attending Valdosta State University in Georgia, USA. He can be reached by email at sledged@bellsouth.net.