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This task explains how to use
the preselection navigator (or the keyboard arrows) for selecting hidden or
coincident elements, or elements located elsewhere in the specification
tree. |
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Note: the preselection
navigator cannot be used with selection filters. |
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Open the document
Select.CATProduct. |
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Displaying the Preselection Navigator
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Method 1
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Click anywhere in the geometry area.
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Position your pointer over the object you want to select.
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Press any keyboard arrow (up, down, right or left) or
Ctrl + F11.
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You can also
press Alt + the left mouse button (except when working
on Sun Solaris operating systems). |
The preselection navigator appears.
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Method 2
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Select Tools > Options > General >
Display then the
Navigation tab.
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Select the Display the preselection navigator after ... seconds
check box, set the spinner to the time delay.
The spinner sets the amount of time, in seconds,
which elapses before the preselection navigator appears after
pointing at an object. |
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Make sure that the following three check boxes are
selected as well:
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Display immersive list for preselection
navigator
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Prehighlight faces for preselection
navigator
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Display immersive viewer for preselection
navigator.
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Click OK to close the Options
dialog box.
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Point to the part of the object you want to select.
The selection tool is
displayed after the time delay you set in step 2: |
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About display options
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As explained above, a certain
number of options are available for customizing the display of your
preselection navigator. Below are examples of what you see in the geometry
area when these options are activated or deactivated:
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- Prehighlight faces
for preselection navigator
You can activate/deactivate the highlight of preselected faces by
selecting/clearing the Prehighlight faces for preselection navigator
check box under the Navigation tab.
By default, this option is deactivated and in that case, the preselected
face looks like this:
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When the Prehighlight faces for preselection navigator
check box is selected, the preselected face looks like this:
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- Display immersive list for
preselection navigator
You can activate/deactivate the immersive list's display by
selecting/clearing the Display immersive list for preselection
navigator check box. The immersive list displays all the stacked
elements you can preselect.
By default, this check box is activated which means that the immersive
list is displayed as shown below:
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- Display
immersive viewer for preselection navigator
You can activate/deactivate the immersive viewer's display by
selecting/clearing the Display immersive viewer for preselection
navigator check box. The immersive viewer provides a visual
feedback on the preselected element and lets you validate your selection.
By default, this check box is selected which means that the immersive
viewer is displayed as shown below:
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When the Display immersive viewer for preselection navigator
check box is cleared, the result is as follows:
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- Display
auxiliary viewer for preselection navigator
You can activate/deactivate the auxiliary viewer's display by
selecting/clearing the Display auxiliary viewer for preselection
navigator check box. The auxiliary viewer lets you perform viewing
operations with the mouse such as zoom, rotate or pan.
By default, this check box is cleared. When the option is activated, you
see something like this in the geometry area:
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The use of this check box is detailed further in this scenario.
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- Color
The default color used to highlight selected and preselected elements is
"orange" but you can choose other colors using the Selected elements
and Preselected elements lists available in the
Visualization tab.
For instance, if you select a "pink" color in the Selected elements
list, the result looks something like this:
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Using the Preselection Navigator
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The
following diagram describes graphic selection tool features: |
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The preselection navigator is
made up of the following elements:
- a circle providing a visual feedback for the pointed object. This
circle with an opaque background shows the preselected element and
displays the surrounding elements in transparency. The circle keeps the
proportions of the current viewer
- arrow controls to navigate:
- "in-depth" using up/down arrows
- up and down in the object hierarchy using left and right arrows
- a cross pinpoints the preselected location. Four arrows are used for
navigating or scrolling through the object you point at. These arrows
turn black when you reach an extremity
- a list of all the stacked elements you can preselect. This list
indicates the selection path and the identity of each element. This
information is identical to the one displayed in the status bar.
You can choose to display or not the immersive list of elements you can
preselect (shown in the example below). To do so, select or clear the
Display immersive list for preselection navigator check box in
the Navigation
tab
- an auxiliary viewer displaying the preselected object. This viewer
also lets you perform viewing operations with the mouse such as zoom,
rotate or pan. By default, this viewer is not displayed and has to be
activated via the Navigation tab as explained further in this
task.
An invisible area around the selection tool determines the tool's
sensitivity.
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Once the preselection navigator is displayed, click the
up arrow to navigate "in-depth", in other words, from the front to the
back of the object, to highlight hidden, superposed or coincident
elements.
This method is particularly
useful for large parts since it lets you select, for example,
edges, faces, etc. which are not visible or accessible near the
front of the part. |
The cursor shape changes
according to the type of the preselected element as shown below:
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point... |
edge... |
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or face: |
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The identity of the
preselected element is displayed in the status bar: |
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Note: the
preselection navigator lets you use the contextual menu. |
You can also navigate
between different objects, not just inside single objects. When one
object hides another, the preselection navigator also lets you
select elements belonging to the hidden object. |
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Click the down arrow to navigate in the opposite
direction, towards the front of the object.
There are two other ways to
navigate using the mouse:
- position your cursor over the circle, then click with the
middle mouse button to navigate inside the object. As you click,
the corresponding element path is highlighted in the list
displayed to the right
- move the mouse over the list of element paths. As you do
this, the element corresponding to each path you point at is
pre-highlighted in the circle. Then, click the desired path to
select the corresponding element.
Moreover, when pointing at an element in the circle or at a path
in the list, you can right-click to display the contextual menu as
shown in the following two examples: |
Example 1 - when
pointing at an element in the circle |
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Example 2 - when
pointing at a path in the list |
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To
select a contextual command, right-click it.
You can also press the up and down arrows to achieve the same
effect, and validate your selection by pressing Enter.
Using any of these keys displays the selection tool automatically. |
The navigation is cyclic: when you reach the end of the selection
path using the up and down keys, the preselection navigator
automatically goes back to the starting point (i.e. the highest
element in the hierarchy) and you can then re-start navigating.
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Click the left and right arrows to navigate up and down
in the object's hierarchy.
For example, click the left
arrow and look at the specification tree to see that each click on
the left arrow takes you to the top of the tree, then click the
right arrow to navigate downwards. |
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Similarly, you can
also press the left and right keys to achieve the same effect, and
validate your selection by pressing Enter or using the
left mouse button. |
When preselecting an edge, a
prehighlight is also provided which is especially useful in case of
overlapped elements: |
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Select Tools > Options > General > Display
then access the Navigation tab and select the Display
auxiliary viewer for preselection navigator check box.
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Click anywhere in the geometry area, then position your
pointer over the object and restart navigating by clicking the up or left
arrow.
An additional window opens and displays the object with the element you
have preselected:
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The Auxiliary Viewer
window lets you manipulate the object and perform
viewing operations with
the mouse such as rotate, zoom or pan as shown below: |
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Rotate |
Zoom |
To hide the viewer, simply
re-access the Navigation tab then clear the Display
auxiliary viewer check box. |
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To validate your selection and exit the preselection
navigator, use one of the following methods below, depending on the
display options that have been activated:
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click the circle in the center of the immersive
viewer
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or, click the desired item in the immersive list
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or, click the element directly on the object.
The item is selected: |
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The selection tool disappears, in any case, once a selection has been
made, or if you point or click outside the selection activation area
around the selection tool.
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