Edit position of all items on a layer?

[crispychase]

OK, so I figured out how to move certain items to a specific layer (in WF2) which makes hiding/unhiding very easy, helpful, useful, etc., but what I really need to do is move all of the items on the layer together. When I attempt to use the Explode/Edit Position function to move them, it acts like I'm speaking a foreign language. When I select the layer, all of the items on that layer highlight as if they were selected, but the Explode function doesn't acknowledge that anything has been selected. Clicking "OK" on the Explode function's Selection box, or clicking on additional items to add to the current selection (with the crtl key down) rejects anything previously selected and starts the selection process all over again.

Am I missing a simple step here, or is this yet another one of WF's multitude of seemingly simple yet illegal chess moves that I am trying to make?

Thanks for any advice,
Chris

 

[crispychase]

No, it is not an illegal move!! - I just found out that while in the 'Explode/Edit Position' function, when you click on a specific layer (in the layer tree window) to select all of the items on that layer, they do not register as 'selected' until you right-click on the layer and choose 'Select Items' from the resulting popup menu, even though all the items on that layer are already highlighted and appear to be selected. The system then goes through this inane process of highlighting (in white) everything that is not on that layer (which may take a while with a large model), but then afterwards allows you to move everything on that layer together as a group.

Although this doesn't seem to have been much of an issue for anyone (judging by the number of responses to this thread), I have been pulling my hair out searching for a way to do this for WEEKS, and felt the need to post the answer in case someone does need this info in the future.

Chris

 

[Hora]

Why do you need layers when you have simplify reps?

-Hora

 

[crispychase]

A little background info may be helpful here: I am a technical illustrator for a company that mainly does tech manuals for the aerospace industry. Part of what I do is take the 3d models that our customers supply and deconstruct them into exploded views for use in their manuals. This requires knowing a little about a lot of different programs (depending on which software the customer used to create the model). The only ‘training’ I’ve had on Wildfire 2.0 is literally what I have been able to pick up by myself.

One of the things that I need to do on a regular basis is take groups of items (say a mounting bracket and all of it’s attaching hardware) and explode them out along a specific plane together. The best way that I have been able to figure out how to do that at this point (other than clicking on hundreds of parts individually each time I need to move them – not very practical) is to group certain items on a different layer, and then select the items on that layer to move all of them together.

I’m not really sure what “simplify reps” are (as you have stated here), but if there is a better way to accomplish what I'm trying to do, I’m all ears!!

- Chris

 

[jeff4136]

A couple of thoughts...

Organize the components into sub assemblies that satisfy your needs, can be manipulated as a unit.

Try exporting to another software to perform the manipulations. Rhino comes to mind; sorta like Acad on steroids.

 

[Hora]

Chris,

Take a look into simplified representations aka "simplify reps" or visualisation tools and you'll discover that it will be easier to manipulate components with these tools than layers.

-Hora

 

[Guest0527211403]

Crispychase

A good way to do what you described is to use the "Copy Pos", and "Move with Children" option when creating the exploded view.

For example, if you have a bracket and all of its hardware, move it to its final position. Press the "Preferences" button, and select Move Many as the motion preference. Then, under the Motion Type option, select "Copy Pos", and select the bracket. Then, you will be able to select all of the hardware (while holding control, or even based on a layer as you have found). It will then apply the same motion to the parts that you have selected as you did to the bracket.

You can also choose "Move with Children" in the preferences dialog. Selecting the bracket will also move anything which has been assembled to it as well.

Both of these methods should make your life a little easier. I do work similar to what you described sometimes, and those are the techniques which I find to be fastest for making exploded views.

Hope it helps