Favorite New Features in Modeling 11.6

[John Scheffel]

I hope that people will use these forums not just to ask questions, but to post useful information. To get the ball rolling, here is some info on OSD Modelling that people may find useful. Feel free to add your favorite new features to this thread.

One of my favorite new features is the new "Main Modeling Tasks" toolbar. It provides quick access to almost all functions from a slim toolbar that takes up little space. During setup you can choose between the "Classic" or "Icon Based" UI. If you choose Icon Based, you will get this new toolbar along the right side instead of the classic Main Task bar. However, you don't need to install this way to use this new toolbar. Just right click on any open toolbar and check the "Main Modeling Tasks" toolbar. You can dock it anywhere you want, but I prefer it across the top. There is a corresponding "Annotation Main Tasks" toolbar for Annotation.

There is also a new function key definition. F9 will toggle the old style Main Task Bar on and off. Combined with the F12 key (which toggles the browsers on the left) you can free up a lot of graphics space. Open this new toolbar, then turn off the browser and Main task bar, and you have almost the whole screen for your model. You can use F9 to quickly retrieve the classic menus if you need them.

Speaking of keyboard functions, I have also attached a zip fle containing a couple of PDF files that you might find handy. I distributed these at a Northern CA. user group meeting and people liked them. They are one page printable tables of the mouse and keyboard functions that you can hang on the wall for quick reference. I have updated the keyboard file to reflect some changes in 11.6.

If you ever want to know what hot keys are defined, there is one of those classic CoCreate secret commands. It is:

(uib:win-show-keyboard-map)

Set Category: to All Commands (at the bottom) then click on the Keys column heading twice. This will cause all defined keys to float to the top of the list. Note that the output is specific to the currently active module.

There is a similar command for abbreviations, it is:

(uib:win-show-abbreviation-map)

[Jim McKim]

The "Main Tasks" toolbars in Modeling and Annotation are my favorite new features, also. Not only do I like the space savings, but I like the drop down behaviour, too, except for construction lines, so I have construction, create 2d and measure toolbars, the main modeling task tool bar, and one odds-and-ends custom toolbar, which all fit into two rows across the top of my (wide) screen. I also turn icons OFF in my browser to gain a little width.

Another really cool feature is the "Wrap 2D onto a surface" function in the Surfacing Module. We used it to create a cam profile on the end of a cylinder.

[gmatelich]

I do like the F12 key behavior, but had already mapped it to the http://ftp.zetec.com/pub/gmatelich/key.jpg key in the upper left corner of the keyboard, so I can mouse w/ one hand and quickly browser parts w/ the other. I like the unified structure browser.

One that is a love hate relationship is the threaded hole tool in Machining. I love the function; quick adding of a common feature that has tags to Annotator for standard thread views. I don't love the implementation; I like NAGATool's interface, and I don't like the annotation flag hanging off every tapped hole, and I don't like a feature added to the structure browser for every hole in every part.

[Jim McKim]

One thing I forgot to add about the "Wrap 2D onto a surface" that ties in with the new Main Modeling Tasks Toolbar is this, which I reported to Support:
Defect report for OSD v11.5 on Windows NT:
The new function "Wrap on Surface" for wrapping 2d geometry onto a face is
missing in the 3D Curve submenu of the Surfacing menu in the Modeling Main
Tasks toolbar (not to be confused with the Main Task Bar) of OSD Modelling v11.5.

[John Scheffel]

Here's another handy new feature that you might not discover unless you read through all the What's New info. In the past the current part and workplane were highlighted by a green underline. That is still the default, but if you right click in the unified Browser window and select View, Appearance you can customize it. You can change the color, or switch between underline and a filled box. The attached GIF demostrates the advantage. Can you find the current part in these two browser lists?

[Jim McKim]

And yet another cool tool: search functions within the Structure Browser! With your mouse in the browser area, right click to bring up the menu, then click on Actions. You can search for the active part, the active workplane, or by name (or portion of a name), contents ID, or, probably most useful, by screen pick. Pick the part or workplane in your viewport and the browser selection will find that part. Harder to describe than to do.

[fox-myers]

Originally posted by Jim McKim
One thing I forgot to add about the "Wrap 2D onto a surface" that ties in with the new Main Modeling Tasks Toolbar is this, which I reported to Support:
Defect report for OSD v11.5 on Windows NT:
The new function "Wrap on Surface" for wrapping 2d geometry onto a face is
missing in the 3D Curve submenu of the Surfacing menu in the Modeling Main
Tasks toolbar (not to be confused with the Main Task Bar) of OSD Modelling v11.5.

You can actually edit the Main Modeling Tasks Toolbar like any other toolbar. So you can right click on a toolbar and select Customize. Then go find the missing command, like Wrap on Surface, and drag the command onto the appropriate drop down menu of the Main Modeling Tasks Toolbar.

Just as an FYI the Main Modeling Tasks Toolbar has only been configured to work with the modules:

OSDM- base module
-Surfacing
-3D Docs
Annotation
Sheet Metal
Mold Base
Mold Design

So if you activate the Machining or Simplification modules, you will NOT be able to access commands for these modules through the Main Modeling Task Toolbar (aka Icon Toolbar). :eek: But you can modify your Icon Toolbar to include tasks from ANY module.

[jriopel]

I too love the "filled" option under View - Appearance.
Is there a way to have that enable on startup in OSDM 11.5 or 6?

[Gary Brauch]

John,
If you have "save to registry on exit" turned off, you can put the following in your pesd_customize to get the "fill" turned on at startup:
set_structure_browser_appearance :filled complete

Gary.