How many knew the Tab key hides components?

[CorBlimeyLimey]

After 11 years of using SW, I've just discovered that the Tab key can be used to hide components.

Either select or even just hover the cursor over a part and hit the Tab key, and the part is hidden. Shift Tab combination will show the part.

 

[49again]

Don't feel bad about just discovering this after eleven years....

....it's in the "What's New" for 2012

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

I looked there but saw nothing listed. Just the following in the main Help section.

http://help.solidworks.com/2012/English/solidworks/sldworks/t_hiding_component_by_using_tab.htm

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

OK, just found it buried deep.

http://help.solidworks.com/2012/English/WhatsNew/wn2012_ASSY_hiding_showing_components.htm

Someone from the main SW forums has been finding it detrimental to his workflow, with parts accidentally being hidden.

https://forum.solidworks.com/thread/53235?tstart=0

Has anyone found this new function to be helpful or harmful?

 

[Nella95]

I approve.

 

[mjcole]

Yeah they took that great shortcut button from Their 3dVia Composer originally made by Seemage

http://www.3ds.com/news-events/spotlights/dassault-systemes-acquires-seemage/

Which had it in 2008 release of 3dVia Composer.
Tab could be used like right button in select other to temporarily remove items from screen. or return using Shift+Click which Select Other can also do. I wish that Select Other could be hotkeyed. H likewise was used to hide objects permanently.

Slowly but surely they'll have all sorts of functionality shared between SolidWorks, 3dVia Composer, Catia.

If you haven't seen it yet I'm awaiting SolidWorks getting 3dVia's Digger Tool.
Check out the following video demo of it.
The X-ray and SectionPlaneTool options are frigging Awesome.

Michael

"It's not the size of the Forum that matters, It's the Quality of the Posts"

Michael Cole
Boston, MA
CSWP, CSWI, CSWTS
Follow me on !w¡#$%
@ TrajPar - @ Shweep
= ProE = SolidWorks

 

[Eltron]

Yeah, I saw it in the What's New. Hiding is fine, but the unhide is a little wonky especially if you don't exactly know where the component is. All-in-all, I don't see it as being very useful...yet.

Dan

http://www.eltronresearch.com

Dan's Blog

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

Someone from the SW forums stated that it's not a good function unless we have the option to disable it. I agree with that opinion.

 

[DiegoLGraves]

If you have a filter selected, for example filter faces, the tab key doesn't hide the component. CBL, thanks for bringing this up. I'd not have found it without a fat-finger error.

regards, Diego

 

[manxJim]

I find it a nuisance as I use Tab&Control to switch between parts
Anyone found a way to disable this function

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

That appears to be a 'hard-coded' function ... or at least a method of disabling that function hasn't been posted yet. SW have remained silent about it.

Workaround is to train your self to press the Ctrl key before touching the Tab key. You have to do that anyway when "flipping" through different documents in SW, & different apps in Windows.

 

[KevinDeSmet]

After all this time, they hard code something like this...
*italian voice* "Whatta mistaka to maka!"

Certified SolidWorks Professional