Toggling of visibility 1

[CNSZU]

Hello all,

For large models, there should be an easy way to *toogle* (not show/hide) the visibility of elements, like datum planes and sketches. The show/hide dialog box has limitations:
1. Too cumbersome to use.
2. Doesn't give feedback as to the state of the visibility.

Other CAD packages have icons for each element category that you click to toggle the visibility. The icon tells you whether it's visible or not. This is much easier, faster and more intuitive.

Is there something like this in NX hidden away? Is there a way to create a macro in order to create toggle icons like other CAD packages?

 

[JohnRBaker]

Even if we had them, at least in terms of how NX works, it would be misleading. The current 'Hide/Show' function, which is great as before that I had written several macros performing the same taks, a pair (one to turn OFF and one to turn ON) of macros, one for each object type, is intended to only toggle exsiting objects, but NOT the ones that have not yet been created, which is how an absolute ON/OFF toggle would have to work if your desire is that the state of the toggle indicate the state of the visibility of that object.

Think about it. If I had an icon which when toggled ON indicated that the Datums were 'OFF' what do you want to happen if I then created a NEW Datum? Do you want it to be immediately 'hidden' or not? If not then how do I 'toggle' it OFF later if the icon that indicates the visibility of Datums is already in the OFF state? Do I then have to first toggle all the Datums ON and then hit the icon a second time to now toggle all of them OFF?

And if we did have this 'toggle' ON/OFF icon scheme which indicated the visibility of the particular object type, exactly how MANY different icons would that require? And where would be put them? Even if we created a dedicated toolbar for these icons that would be just one more toolbar to manage and it would take-up space which of could be solved by adding a toggle on another toolbar which toggled this new tollbar ON/OFF. But at that point we'd be NO further ahead than we are now.

Now before you completely dismiss the current 'Show and Hide' dialog, please look at it a little closer as you will see that there's more elegance there than you realize. First off, the list which you see when you open the dialog shows only object types which actually exist in the current model. For example, if there are no Sheet Bodies in the model then there will be NO option in the Geometry group for 'Sheet Bodies'. Now how would we do that if we are utilized individual icons, one for each object type. Would we not have that icon available, which means that the toolbar where these icons are would change in length as object types are added or removed from the model. Alternatively we could simply gray-out the irrelevant icons, but we've learned that users really don't like grayed-out options as it makes them wonder why that is and how to get them active again. Then there's the issue of that fact that since the list of item on 'Show and Hide' dialog are shown in a hierarchical relationship, that this allows you to control the visibility of these objects using different levels of 'granularity', either specific types or the group that they are part of, including all the way up to an 'All' grouping. Now how you accomplish this using a series of individual 'toggle' buttons which indicated the visibility state of each object type.

Now don't get me wrong, if you can come-up with a scheme which would provide what it is that you're looking for and still provide the flexibility in the current 'Show and Hide' please feel free to contact GTAC and open an ER and we will look at your suggestions and give it some consideration.

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Engineering Software
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Industry Sector
Cypress, CA

http://www.siemens.com/plm

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http://www.plmworld.org/p/cm/ld/fid=209

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[CNSZU]

John, your points are valid. I guess I'll have to wait to see if this hide/show method grows on me. At least I'd wish that the hide/show dialog box would have icons instead of text to make it more graphical so that it would be easier to find the elements that I'm looking for.