Display component origin planes on mouseover when holding CTRL-button

[Anonymous]

I prefer to create constraints on the origin planes of components. 

I think it would be a great enhancement if the origin planes of a component will become temporarily visible and selectable by mouseover the component in combination with (for example) the CTRL-key.

[DRoam]

For anyone interested, combining the above suggestion with this one (Idea: Show component feature tree in graphics window after keyboard+click combination) would be a very powerful combination. It would all but eliminate the need to use the Browser tree, and we would be able to focus our attention entirely on the model itself without having to dig through layers and layers of browser-tree nodes.

With these two tools combined, you would use the keyboard+scroll functionality to trickle through assembly levels and get at the component you want, and then use the keyboard+click function to display the browser node for that component. You've then just probed through assembly levels AND accessed the feature tree of the sub-component of interest, all within the graphics window, without ever needing to use the browser tree.

If you agree this would be powerful, please give a vote to the above idea as well as this one: Show component feature tree in graphics window after keyboard+click combination

[DRoam]

For anyone interested, combining the above suggestion with this one (Idea: Keyboard+Scroll to "probe" through Assemblies/Patterns) would be a very powerful combination. It would all but eliminate the need to use the Browser tree in assemblies, and we would be able to focus our attention entirely on the model itself without having to dig through layers and layers of browser-tree nodes.

With these two tools combined, you would use the keyboard+scroll functionality to trickle through assembly levels and get at the component you want, and then use the keyboard+click function to display the browser node for that component. You've now just probed through assembly levels AND accessed the feature tree of the sub-component of interest, all within the graphics window, without ever needing to use the browser tree.

If you agree this would be powerful, please give a vote to the above idea as well as this one: Keyboard+Scroll to "probe" through Assemblies/Patterns

[Andrew2803]

Optionally you assign first desired plane for constraint after finding it in browser, then hit "C" on keyboard.

So you wouldn't even need that hovering window for picking that ominous plane.

[lucmartzz]

This is a great idea!!!!! Autodesk Please implement it!!

I used to go to my filters, select parts, click the part, then "find in Browser", open the tree, open the origin folders and check which plane works for my part.

At least 7 clicks for this simple and basic operation.

Thanks @DRoam for the idea.

[DRoam]

@Andrew2803, that's a viable workflow if you're only making one constraint. But if you have a dozen components which need 2-3 constraints each, it breaks down very quickly.

Here's the golden statement of it all: If I'm staring right at my component of interest in the graphics window, I should be able to access any feature relating to it (including work features and existing constraints) without having to shift my focus from it. This not only makes the most intuitive sense, but it also saves a good deal of time and a considerable number of clicks. That's my pitch 😉 If I've convinced you, your support would be greatly appreciated!

@lucmartzz, glad you like the idea, thanks for the support!

[timdown73]

This is a great idea!

[Andrew2803]

@DRoam, this sounds legit, my only concern about poping extra windows up with hovering mouse, might make inventor crazier in case of huge assemblies. Inventor tend to crash anytime either way. Kudo given.

[DRoam]

@timdown73, thank you, glad you think so!

@Andrew2803, thanks for your feedback and your vote! I can relate to your concern with larger assembly performance. The good thing is this pop-up would be invoked by a specific keyboard+click combination, so if you're experiencing slow performance and worried about it crashing Inventor, you can just avoid using it. Fortunately though, I don't think something like this would require a big draw on computing resources, and would hopefully be unlikely to cause a crash.

[Anonymous]

Great idea! Would have never thought of it but this would make things so much faster when modeling!

[DRoam]

Thanks for the vote and feedback, @Anonymous! I'm glad you think so, I agree. It took me several years of doing endless scavenger hunts in the browser tree to finally realize using a pop-up right on top of the component is a perfect solution.

[jasonrecords]

I really like this idea!!!

I have run into this same problem and think this would be helpful!!!!

[DRoam]

Thanks for the vote and feedback, @jasonrecords! Glad you think so! I'm glad this is gotten so much support already, I really think that this combined with the "keyboard+scroll to probe" functionality would be really powerful. Thanks again to all who've voted.

[DRoam]

To give a very tardy answer to @TheCADWhisperer... sort of but not quite. Shift+Right Click only allows you to toggle between selecting a top-level Component (be it a Part or Assembly), or a Part regardless of level. It gives you no control at all to select a sub-level Assembly component.

Say you're in a main assembly A, which contains a Pattern of a sub-assembly B, which itself contains a sub-assembly C. Even using the Shift+Right-click function to change your selection mode, there is currently NO way to select Sub-assembly B or Sub-assembly C without going to the browser tree. You can be staring right at it in the graphics window, you can KNOW that Sub-assembly B is just one level deep inside a pattern! But it's unattainable unless you use the browser tree. Same for Sub-assembly C which is just two levels deep.

You have to shift your attention from your model and dig through lines of text, expanding branch after branch, just to select something that you were just staring at. With this Shift+Scroll functionality, all you would do is hover over the sub-assembly you're looking at, then scroll up ONCE to pre-select Sub-assembly B, or twice to pre-select Sub-assembly C... done. So simple and fast.

And then, at that point, you'd have all power in your hands if the Keyboard+Click to display the browser tree in the graphics window functionality were added. Because then, now that you've probed down to Sub-assembly C, you can now use the Keyboard+Click combination to display the browser-tree node for Sub-assembly C right in the graphics window. Now you can access its workplanes for use in a Constraint, or see the parts it contains, or modify constraints applied to it, all without ever shifting your focus from the sub-assembly itself.

No more endless expanding, scrolling, collapsing, right-click+find-in-browser-ing, re-expanding, re-collapsing, and tearing out of hair. Your eyes stay on your model, the browser tree stays neat and mostly untouched, and your hair stays on your head.

[DRoam]

Would like to hear feedback on a thought I just had. One of the advantages to this is it removes the extra clicks of expanding and collapsing browser-tree nodes. To further that advantage, what if the feature tree pop-up displayed a more streamlined version of the component's features, something like this:

Here's how the middle tab might look for a Part, along with an explanation of a few important features:

So basically, rather than having lots of folders that you expand and collapse and scroll between, you have three tabs: one for the origin work-features (which are accessed often and would be very nice to have on their own tab), one for components (for assemblies) or features (for parts), and one for the top-level assembly constraints applied to the component.

The key to this is that you HOVER over the tabs to change between them, which makes picking the right feature very streamlined and fast.

Anyone else think this would streamline the process? Or have any suggestions? Your input is very appreciated!

[Andrew2803]

Hi @DRoam,

Just came to think of your idea in further.

Wouldn't it be a bit more beneficial if these origin planes/axises just come up by hovering mouse above a part

only visually (exactly as they made visible), rather then in a pop up window? Like this:

Hovering above of part the desired plane could be picked, as their name shown up in their corner since the last couple of versions.

I'm still concerned loading the kernel by claiming extra graphic performance... Just an idea you see.

[DRoam]

Hi @Andrew2803. I think that's a good idea! But I think it would be a great functionality to add in addition to the pop-up browser rather than instead of it. A few reasons why:

1. Sometimes the Origin planes, for whatever reason (this seems to often happen with Derived parts), haven't resized to whatever the component is, so they're way too tiny to select or even tell which is which. In cases like this, selecting the browser nodes is easier.
2. You can use the pop-up browser to select other work features, too, not just the origin work features.
3. Selecting work features is just one advantage to the pop-up browser. You can also use it to select and modify a constraint applied to the component, right from the component itself rather than the Browser Bar.

I like the idea though, and if both methods were implemented, I would probably use both of them all the time.

[DRoam]

FYI @Andrew2803 and others interested, I came across an Idea for what Andras1111 mentioned. You can vote for it here (currently has 3 votes): Command to Make Origin Planes/Axes Visible for Selected Part(s).

Like I said, I think implementing both functions as two separate commands would be fantastic.

[Andrew2803]

@DRoam,

Thanks for linking it in, great and relevant thread. The best way would be an "optional" solution whether you want to see

popup window of feature tree, or a simple appearing visibility for origin components. In the last case may would be beneficial to make

ominous part transparent by hitting keyboard+click option though...

[Anonymous]

Using work features in large models is difficult. Many parts and sub-assemblies have user defined work features. Each of these work feature are either all visible or none visible and will clutter large assemblies to the point that their usefulness is diminished.

I would like to see an option that will allow only the work features of specified parts or sub-assemblies to be made visible. It would be convenient to RMB

a selected part with work feature on/off.

[Anonymous]

Hey Dave,

So I haven't used it yet, so I can't really be an advocate for it: but there is actually an App in the App Exchange store that I think has some control of the functions you are looking for. It's called RefGeoToggle. It's $5, but there is also a trial on there as well to test if your large assemblies can be controlled a little better.

It currently allows sub assembly control of these references:

• Workplanes
• Workaxes
• Workpoints
• Sketches
• BOM References (new)

Here's the link to the trial: https://apps.autodesk.com/INVNTOR/en/Detail/Index?id=4935024188807596961&appLang=en&os=Win32_64

Here's the link to the full version: https://apps.autodesk.com/INVNTOR/en/Detail/Index?id=7928398839252798271&appLang=en&os=Win32_64

If you decide to try it, please comment back! I also work with very large scale (200+ part) assemblies and various sub assemblies and would like the feed back if it works!

-Steve