CAD Forum

Maybe I skipped class on this one, but I couldn't find an easy way to select components (No component filter).

Problem: When selecting components from the Graphics Area, the selections are the actual entities of the components.

Illustrated here when saved as a Selection Set.
The attached macro will upgrade your selections to the component level - and optionally allow you to save the selection.

So with the same selections as before
note that the first selection had two entities from the same component - so the total was reduced to 3.

Hope you find it useful - or can tell me a better way

So question:
Why do you specifically need to select the component?

The reason that I ask, is that normal assembly functions (like copy with mates, copy/paste, change transparency, hide, suppress, etc...) are applied at the component level even though you have selected a face of that part.

dpihlaja wrote: ↑Fri May 07, 2021 8:41 am So question:
Why do you specifically need to select the component?

The reason that I ask, is that normal assembly functions (like copy with mates, copy/paste, change transparency, hide, suppress, etc...) are applied at the component level even though you have selected a face of that part.

Mostly for good organisation / ease of identification - I've since added the functionality to add to a folder - which is better than selection sets because the components are reordered in the tree and I can hide or suppress en-masse.

If you select faces then the component is highlighted in the tree, but edges or vertices do not have the same behaviour.
Since I discovered that folders are as good if not better than selection sets I could perform the same job by the UI, but this is still nicer / faster.

I'm dealing with a lot of tiny fixings that are added to the assembly in an ad-hoc manner - they're a reet pain to deal with. Ultimately this macro is part of a wider suite I am writing that attempts to automate the tedium. Having a selection set or folder is a nice way for me to provide a group of components as input to another macro.

For example, the next step in this process is to rotate each of these as the pattern in the top left - but differing by a small random amount - I did that manually a couple of times and it was enough

I usually select them in the FM assembly tree.

Appearances is one example where I would want something like paint applied to the whole component, not to selected faces and entities.

**If it helps, I'd trash that ad-hoc manner by selecting sets (rows, orientations, w/e) and establishing some folders. Conditions apply whether this task would be worth the effort.* *
Edit: oops, that IS what you are doing.

Rob wrote: ↑Fri May 07, 2021 9:36 am Ultimately this macro is part of a wider suite I am writing that attempts to automate the tedium. Having a selection set or folder is a nice way for me to provide a group of components as input to another macro.

I do really wish that I could select only a folder and thereby select all its contents (not only highlight it in view), but accept that folders make selecting related items easier already.

Tom G wrote: ↑Fri May 07, 2021 9:46 am I do really wish that I could select only a folder and thereby select all its contents (not only highlight it in view), but accept that folders make selecting related items easier already.

..and that's a great idea for another macro