Sphere

The Sphere command creates a spherical structure.

To access this command, go to Draw > Wire Grid / Solid Surface > Sphere in the main menu, which opens the Draw dialog box for the Sphere. The dialog box comprises three pages: Sphere, Attributes, and Materials, as detailed in Fig. 1.

The Sphere page

On the Sphere page, you can set the geometrical parameters for the Sphere. You’ll find a combo-box with two options: Curved segments and Straight segments. Choose Curved segments for an exact representation of the sphere’s curvature, while the Straight segments option provides an approximation using linear wires.

The Sphere is defined by specifying the Center coordinates, Radius, and orientation angles, Theta and Phi. These parameters uniquely define the sphere’s surface, as shown in Fig. 2.

After setting the geometrical parameters on the Sphere page, you can move on to the Attributes page. Here, you can specify the number of facets for the Sphere and choose whether it should be a wire grid or a solid surface. See Grid/Surface Attributes for additional parameters in the Attributes page and Wire Materials for parameters in the Materials page.