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ZeroLengthCurve  
#1 Posted : Friday, May 29, 2009 5:46:13 PM(UTC)
ZeroLengthCurve

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My model now has maybe 100 layers, and many of these layers have sublayers and even a third layer in still lesser cases.

I realize there are various ways to select geometry change the layer on which that geometry resides. The Concept Explorer is useful for when i want an overall view of things. The Object Properties box is useful to change to a layer a bunch of selected stuff. I know i can right-select an object and change the properties.

However, i am having (obvious) issues with scrolling up and down long lists. So, i would like to aloud wish there can be a way to change the layer on which a selected (single or multiple) geometry exists simply by clicking on the Concept Explorer layer tree item and then maybe right clicking and committing, or clicking on a column that exists just for assigning various items. This last aspect might be useful for correcting a drawing in which many items are on the wrong layers (sometimes i get on a roll creating stuff and then have to go back and fix things...), and in correcting things, i assign selected items to a layer as i move along. It's a lot easier to visualize things in the Concept Explorer than in the context menu, mainly because it is resizable whereas the Object Info box is not resizable.

Addtionally, but maybe of lesser importance...

It might be nice to have a layer task or quick-task manger of sorts. Say i'm working on something convoluted/crowded, but i don't want the "master" layer on/off settings to be altered and forgotten. So, i click individual items (surfaces/solids/...) to "get them out of the way", then do my thing, then close that clipboard/taskboard and the view restores.

Issues i'm having with the right-click/context menu relate to the up/down scroll because my numerous layers.

Layers/X-Refs....

It would be really, reaaaallllly useful to model an monstrously large model in one view, but actually have space-and RAM/CPU-hogging geometry exist in another file. But, rather than explicitly create entity files by hand, it would be nice if ViaCAD allows for ad hoc file/layer creation and layer cloning to a new file for X-ref purposes. This way, if a file is damaged or references corrupted, the external entities can be reassembled, say by a relational database or referential integrity. Ideally, this would simulate or obviate the need to break up files everytime they get too large. I desperately want to work on actual solids and surface where they need to exist, and not be forced to throw out the solids because at only 1% of design, my model has enough solids to push the file to 150MB. After dumping some solids, its size reduced to some 37MB, but already it's up to some 54 or 58MB.

Alternatively, instead of XRefs (for now, that is) do more (of what it seems build 835 might be doing?): even further removal from view or from RAM the CPU monitoring of statistically "untouched recently" pieces of geometry so that pans, zooms, orbits, and so on would move much faster.

I will apply the 835 patch and see if i spoke too soon, hehehe....
Tim Olson  
#2 Posted : Saturday, May 30, 2009 4:42:02 PM(UTC)
Tim Olson

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>>Alternatively, instead of XRefs (for now, that is) do more (of what it seems >>build 835 might be doing?):

ZeroLengthCurve

The 835 patch updated the facet display list to support a mix of quad and triangles. For NURBs, this can reduce the total number of facets quite a bit (not quite half as the edges are still triangles). The lower facet count helps lower virtual memory requirements for large files (as in JoeV case) and makes the opengl display faster.

XRefs are something we are testing/exploring in Shark FX V6.


Tim
Tim Olson
IMSI Design/Encore
ZeroLengthCurve  
#3 Posted : Friday, May 28, 2010 2:39:38 PM(UTC)
ZeroLengthCurve

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Wow! Funny. I forgot that "Encore Software" was part of Tim's signature way back in 2009. Almost a year now in a few days.
ZeroLengthCurve  
#4 Posted : Tuesday, June 8, 2010 4:52:12 PM(UTC)
ZeroLengthCurve

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I would like to update/modify my layers suggestion from above.

I think this should apply to the Objects/Properties Inspector:

-- Ability to right-click assign objects to a layer already being looked at. This would save steps otherwise needed to go into the Concept Explorer pane and scroll around looking for the layer in question. Alternatively, a contextualy right-click on the Select Mask layer could be a "jump button" to cause the CE to bring up to view the layer to which one wants to assign some geometry.

I might have mentioned this in a different suggestion thread: Instead of going into the the CE and OI (Object Inspector), a mouse-over could bring up user-pre-defined/of-user-interest properties such as name, color, length/radius/mass/etc. This would reduce the steps needed to go into and out of other inspector palettes.

I think this should apply to the select mask:

-- Check boxes to mid-stream disregard normal selections already made in the Select Mask pane. When a model has more than 50 layers (i have more than 100), those of us with short-term memory and bad hand writing have a tough time recalling what layers we want to STAY on during general editing. If a check box were available, we could add or remove other layers to make it easier to administer objects we KNOW we put on the wrong layer. Even if we didn't make big mistakes, this could be useful for selecting or deep-selecting objects from various parts of a an object in one mini-session, instead of constantly returning to the Select Mask or instead of trying to accurately sweep or shift-click objects that touch or overlap. In those cases, the Ambiguity popup could act as a temporary "collection" tab so we can "gather up" different things and then move them, translate copies, or change properties...
posh.de  
#5 Posted : Wednesday, June 9, 2010 6:27:48 AM(UTC)
posh.de

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Originally Posted by: ZeroLengthCurve Go to Quoted Post
...signature way back in 2009.

the signature is defined globally in the user control panel settings, i.e. changes with every posting if redefined.

hth,
Norbert
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