Panels are the mainstay of CCD drawings. A panel is defined as part of a net that will form one of the final model’s sides when assembled.
The panel drawing commands (Rectangular Panel and Polygonal Panel), and the supplemental panel commands (Panel Multipoly and Change To Panel) automatically create two CC3 entities, one on each of the layers set within the Dioramas Options defaults (usually BACKGROUND 1 and FOREGROUND 1).
Because panels are created using standard CC3 entities, they may be manipulated in exactly the same way. CCD provides the additional functionality to treat the two panel objects as a single unit, particularly when deciding fill styles.
CCD provides several symbol and bitmap fill styles for use within your dioramas drawings. Since certain fill styles, such as those depicting roofing tiles, will need to be set at different angles within a single net (e.g., a roof net will consist of two or more panels, and the roof tiles depicted on each panel will need to be orientated differently for each panel to avoid such anomalies as tiles sloping upwards on a completed model), certain fill styles are also provided for at several different angles, in 45° increments. These fill styles are identified with a numerical value indicating the angle to which the fill style is orientated (e.g., Slate Roof Tile 225).
The usual manner in which panel fill styles are used is to set the foreground fill style to a symbol fill, and the background to either a solid color or bitmap fill. CCD provides several bitmap fill styles, showing various surfaces. Because the bitmap fill styles are based on universal bitmap tiles, they do not need to be orientated to the angle of the panel they are used within.
Default panel fill styles can be set within the Dioramas Options dialog. Foreground and background fill styles for previously drawn panels can be changed simultaneously by using the Change Panel Fill command.
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