Show/Hide parts in Assembly 1

[LoveAeris]

I am wondering if any of you have same situation.

Let's say, you have an assembly file that you didn't create and you are designing a new part in the assembly. By the way, the assembly already has bunch of hidden parts. You select a few parts from Graphic Area because you have no idea about names in Feature Tree and hide them to design your part.

Well, what would you do if you want only one of them back and show after you insert your new part?

Make a configuration in advance may help, but not completely. You can only go back where you started and you have to hide a few again. Otherwise, you have to close the assembly without saving to get back to the point or go through Feature Tree and show everything including ones that were hidden prior to your operation. This is a painful and time consuming process.

I remember that AutoCAD had a feature "Show/Hide" and you can toggle between them. I called a user support of SW if there is a same kind of feature, but the answer was "No".

I wish I could be an expert to write a macro for this, but is there anybody who is willing to so? This is a brief specification I am thinking.
1. Once the program is executed, a temporally configuration is created that all show/hide status is opposite from the current configuration. The name of current configuration should be stored.
2. Then a dialog box pops up and there will be three bottoms, lets' say "Swap", "Hide" and "Exit".
3. "Swap" switches two configurations.
4. You select parts and hit "Hide". Then show/hide status of these parts are toggled in the configurations.
5. When "Exit" is hit while in the original configuration, the program deletes the temporally configuration.
6. When "Exit" is hit while in the temporally configuration, the program deletes the original configuration first and create a copy of the temporally configuration using same name as the original and switch to the newly created configuration and delete the temporally configuration.

I would like to exclude suppressed/unsuppressed from this program to avoid dealing with bunch of mating error. Anyway, I don't care about my specification and I just want to toggle between Show/Hide if anybody has another idea and willing to write the macro.

 

[brengine]

Why not just create your new "temporary" configuration, Hide/Show whatever you want in this configuration, and add whatever mates and relations to the new part(s) you want there. When you're done, then go back to the original configuration, and now delete your temporary configuration. You shouldn't loose any mates or relations to any new parts...I think...

Ken

 

[LoveAeris]

KenBolen,

It seems you haven't faced the situation I am talking about. A top assembly I am currently working on has about 30 sub-assemblies and 80 parts. It's just painful and time consuming to go through all parts to find a few parts I just hid. It's technically possible as I described and you suggested, but Macro can take care easily.

Speaking to mating error, you have a bigger change if you suppress a part in an assembly. As long as you use Hide/Show, you should not loose any mates, but that's exactly my point why I want to exclude Suppress from the macro I am hoping to have.

 

[sdb999]

Just a thought. You could possibly create a folder and drag the parts into it. Then I believe you can hide/show the entire folder until your done. Then delete it returning the parts to their original location. I do this with features in complicated parts all the time, but I'm not sure it works the same with parts.

 

[LoveAeris]

sdb999,

Correct me if I am wrong, but you can't put parts/assemblies into a folder if they are not same level. You create a folder somewhere in your feature tree, the folder still belongs to top assembly and you can't put, let's say, a part under a sub-assembly. I can see why can't because it's like a moving between assemblies.

Anyway, my point (wish) is that Show/Hide without dealing with feature tree. You can fine a part in your Feature Tree by right click on a part (surface) and select "Go to Featrue (in Tree) from a sub menu, but it doesn't work always. I believe it's a bug, but especially when you have folders, it tends to happen. I mean nothing happens evenif you do it.

Again, there is a way to find parts and hide them after making a new configuration, but I wish I could have Show/Hide toggle function.

 

[sheetmetalman]

I agree with loveaeris, solidworks needs more show/hide varations in the view tool box. things like isolate/un-isolate, show all, and an ability to quickly capture a shown/hidden state for later display. it would also be realy cool if the dynamic highlighting actually worked, from feature to graphics and from graphice to feature, even if the item is in a folder.

 

[brengine]

Take a look at the Visibitly Toggle program available at:

http://kentcontract.com/swmacros.shtml

Would this help?
Ken

 

[LoveAeris]

KenBolen,

First of all, thanks you very much.

I just downloaded and tried briefly, but this is what I wanted and the program has even more features.

It was $9.99, but it's worth the money.
I can hide everything, but I picked. (Other way to say is I can show only I picked.) You can even store a status and go back to the status after a few operations.

This is great!!!

 

[dgiy]

Ken,

I take it that it works with Animation.

In other words if you want to create an animation where several parts are hidden and then shown again, you can use your show<--> hide feature within the animation?

Thanks,
DG

 

[LoveAeris]

dgiy,

Since I installed the program, I tried it with Animation.

Well, it's working, but if you &quot;Turn on screen capture&quot;, whole processes are recorded, including some of temporally status when Show/Hide is switched.

For creating animation, I would make a few configurations and switch between those while &quot;Turn on screen capture&quot;.

Now it's really easy to make configurations showing only what you want with the program. Select parts from graphic area and just hit &quot;Hide Others&quot; button. Then only parts what you picked are remained on your screen. Then hit &quot;Show<->Hide&quot; button to toggle the status. Now you see all hidden parts. You don't have to find a name of a part or look for the part in a feature tree any more.

The Web page KenBolen posted has an e-mail address of the company at the bottom. You can ask them if you have questions.

 

[brengine]

dgiy,
I'm not sure (it's not my program and I've never used Animator). I would have to go with what LoveAeris posted.
Ken