Chain manager

[Thad]

How do it get the chain manager to open if I want to select a chain for Xform-Project (for example)?

 

Thad

[Todd Tracey from Fastech]

Not sure if this helps, but, you might need to select "All or Only" first to control what you are selecting. To keep it locked, use the "Maintain" option in the lower corner of the dialog. If you set it to maintain though, you will need to remember to unselect it later or it wil come back to haunt you.

[Thad]

Todd,

 

While you've given me a tip on the "Maintain" option, I was really looking for how to get the chain manager to come up when selecting geometry for various functions. Chain, chain partial, and single are necessities for selecting geometry, in my book.

 

Thad

[jctjct]

I agree with you Thad, but I haven't found a way to do this either. If you pick a chain where you want it to start, the whole thing becomes highlighted - then if you pick it where you want it to end, it will give you a partial chain. HTH.

[Richard Bechard]

in the selection menu next to the arrow i think you can use the pull down menu to select window, chain, single, etc.

[Thad]

I know about the chaining drop down menu and also the partial trick that jctjct mentioned.

 

I guess I'm looking for the same selection functionality that V9 has. The same selection options are always available, no matter what you are doing. Well...almost. I'm still waiting for the All-Solids selection.

 

Thad

[Steve Benson from CNC Software]

General Selection in X has only a "quick chain" selection method. You can lock in the chain mode on the GS bar or use the shift key. Partial chaining is done with a second pick on the same chain, as mentioned above. Full Chaining wasn't added to General Selection as there are many parts of Chaining that don't mean anything in a General Selection.

[Steve Benson from CNC Software]

>I'm still waiting for the All-Solids selection.

 

If you are in General Seelction: Select "All" from the GS and double-click on Solids on the Entity page.

[Thad]

quote:

---

Full Chaining wasn't added to General Selection as there are many parts of Chaining that don't mean anything in a General Selection.

---

Good point, Steve.

 

Creating edge curves on all solids is what I had in mind. I think there are other times when I wanted to select all solids, but it's not available.

 

Thad

[Thad]

How do I select a chain that has branch points? Holding Shift down doesn't do it. Selecting 2D doesn't do it.

 

To squash or translate a chain is an everyday feature for us. Each entity has to be selected individually. That really sucks.

 

Thad

[Guest]

In your chain dialog box have you tried clicking on cplane at the op instead of 3D?

[Thad]

John,

 

That's exactly my point....there is no chain manager.

 

Thad

[Steel Surgeon]

Thad,

 

What I have been doing is using the "select all"/"select only" box and checking plane mask in chaining.I still have some problems though but this is the best I have found so far.

[Thad]

A bit cumbersome, but that did the trick. I'd rather have the chain manager though.

 

Thanks bro.

 

Thad

[Johnny]

Hi Thad, No Chaining dialogue box for general selection is driving a co-worker and I nuts as well. I can't believe that if you want to pick a single entity or chain to translate or project you can't just pick single/chain from the drop down then pick the entity. Why does a surface become part of the selection as well when single or chain is chosen????

We've had X 5 weeks now and still many of the questions are unanswered.

[g huns]

I have had the same chaining problems as well. Talked to my reseller today, thanks Mitch , He said try delete duplicate enities, I said duh already did that still won't complete chain. I was trying to chain the base of a 1" solid by selecting the edge curves that were imported from the step file. He had me delete the first line in the chain and repaint screen and damn if there wasn't another line right under it. I did a window delete around the base, and created a rectangle by the pick two corners and it chains fine Which leads me to believe there's somethin funny about those edge curves that are coming in with the step file or delete duplicates doesn't work so hot. So no more importing edge curves for me, I'll just create them as I need them.

[HevyMetl]

+1 to Greg

 

My steps have went to crap since X started here. The best thing I have found is to delete everything but the solid, then go in under create curves, select the WHOLE solid and complete it. I get very clean edge curves and have yet to see any duplicates or overlaps.

 

I also concur with Thad it is a little bit of a pain to translate or project with very complicated and branching chains. I keep hoping it is my lack of skills in X.

[bellyup]

i'm trying to pull a 3d chain out of a part with a lot of branches and really need to have partial chaining option available (just as in toolpathing).

if i go 2d, partial works great, but it's not near the chain i want to select.if i go 3d,i seem to have to pick one by one.

it seems that there is still a need for some kind of chaining options on the general selection bar that don't exist.

pulled up this past thread and it seems to hint at the problem.

is there an easier way to general select a 3d chain from a complicated part.

[toolall1]

try silhouette boundary c-hook

[Roger Peterson]

You can use your color mask (via the "only" dialogue)

you can use level mask (via the "only" dialogue)

 

 

The thing of it is that with general selection you are chaining "several" chains. If you were using the toolpath chaining dialogue you could do partial chain, wait on, and you could get one chain. But, it would take the same # of clicks to pick the same geometry. Instead of one chain you have several.

 

 

HTH