Why are entries in the tree grey?

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skrauster
Posts: 16
Joined: Mon Mar 15, 2021 6:27 pm

Why are entries in the tree grey?

Post by skrauster »

In the tree (is that the correct term in FreeCAD?) I see that features (is that the correct term?) is grey'd out except the last item listed.
I can double click each feature to edit them or the sketch they are built from. What does grey'd out mean?
grey'd out.png
grey'd out.png (110.52 KiB) Viewed 3803 times
Also, can I move the order of the features to change the way a part is built? For example drag a chamfer to a later point? It doesn't seem possible?

And can I jump to a point half way down the tree and add in a sketch and feature? It doesn't seem possible. It seems that I am always adding to the bottom of the tree.

Not a complaint, it just seems a little different than I am used to in other CAD packages.
chrisb
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Re: Why are entries in the tree grey?

Post by chrisb »

skrauster wrote: Wed Mar 17, 2021 12:56 am In the tree (is that the correct term in FreeCAD?) I see that features (is that the correct term?) is grey'd out except the last item listed.
I can double click each feature to edit them or the sketch they are built from. What does grey'd out mean?
"Tree" and "feature" are the correct terms. Greyed out means that they are not visible. The features aren't separate objects, but each of them builds on top of all features before. That's why you can make only one of tehm visible at a time: Select the feature and toggle visibility e.g. with the space bar.
Also, can I move the order of the features to change the way a part is built? For example drag a chamfer to a later point?
You can move them with the right mouse menu, but beware of the topological naming problem. Chamfers, fillets and similar, can most probably not be moved.
And can I jump to a point half way down the tree and add in a sketch and feature?
Set Tip to the feature before (right mouse menue) and all things added to the body are added directly after Tip.
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skrauster
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Re: Why are entries in the tree grey?

Post by skrauster »

chrisb wrote: Wed Mar 17, 2021 6:30 am "Tree" and "feature" are the correct terms. Greyed out means that they are not visible. The features aren't separate objects, but each of them builds on top of all features before. That's why you can make only one of them visible at a time: Select the feature and toggle visibility e.g. with the space bar.
Thanks for pointing me to the space bar (and availability of that function in right click on selected feature). It's named "toggle visibility" but that seems to be different than visibility. In solidworks and some other CAD packages I seem to remember that I can turn off and on the visibility of particular features but still the rest of the features below the non visible feature would still be visible. FreeCAD seems to work differently in that if I turn off visibility of a feature halfway down the tree I don't see the features below it.

You can move them with the right mouse menu, but beware of the topological naming problem. Chamfers, fillets and similar, can most probably not be moved.
I don't see a named option for that when I right click on a feature. But now having read the wiki entry you have suggest I am not inclined to want to reorder features.
Set Tip to the feature before (right mouse menue) and all things added to the body are added directly after Tip.
I don't see a "Tip" option in the right click menu.
rightclip.png
rightclip.png (23.83 KiB) Viewed 3740 times
Bance
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Re: Why are entries in the tree grey?

Post by Bance »

skrauster wrote: Wed Mar 17, 2021 8:18 pm It's named "toggle visibility" but that seems to be different than visibility.
What is your rationale?
skrauster wrote: Wed Mar 17, 2021 8:18 pm In solidworks and some other CAD packages
This is not SW or others, it does not make any sense whatsoever to compare.
skrauster wrote: Wed Mar 17, 2021 8:18 pm still the rest of the features below the non visible feature would still be visible.
As it is in FC you mean?
skrauster wrote: Wed Mar 17, 2021 8:18 pm if I turn off visibility of a feature halfway down the tree I don't see the features below it.
You mean toggle 'on' visibility?
skrauster wrote: Wed Mar 17, 2021 8:18 pm I am not inclined to want to reorder features.
It is perfectly OK to do this, so long as you appreciate the issues it may cause and are prepared to remedy them.
skrauster wrote: Wed Mar 17, 2021 8:18 pm I don't see a "Tip" option in the right click menu.
You are showing the Part chamfer not the PD chamfer, for new users it is not advised to mix workbenches, until a solid understanding of the SW is reached.
chrisb
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Re: Why are entries in the tree grey?

Post by chrisb »

You can show in a body one feature or no feature. If you make a feature visible all others are hidden. Features are not separate objects but depend sequentially on all predecessors. So showing two features should always show the last one anyway.

Rearranging and Tip are avalable in the menu only if the body is active.
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Bance
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Re: Why are entries in the tree grey?

Post by Bance »

chrisb wrote: Wed Mar 17, 2021 9:15 pm Rearranging and Tip are avalable in the menu only if the body is active.
They are available to me whether the body is active or not, maybe a V0.18 thing?

OS: Linux Mint 20.1 (XFCE/xfce)
Word size of OS: 64-bit
Word size of FreeCAD: 64-bit
Version: 0.19.
Build type: Release
Branch: unknown
Hash: 2599d67c2bd41a5f051b994b6da7890a2b4ecc4c
Python version: 3.8.5
Qt version: 5.12.8
Coin version: 4.0.0
OCC version: 7.5.1
Locale: English/United Kingdom (en_GB)

28/2/21
chrisb
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Re: Why are entries in the tree grey?

Post by chrisb »

Bance wrote: Wed Mar 17, 2021 10:46 pm They are available to me whether the body is active or not, maybe a V0.18 thing?
I had used 0.19; it was running for very long time, and apparently something went out of whack. After your message I restarted FreeCAD and see the same behaviour as you.
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redd103
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Re: Why are entries in the tree grey?

Post by redd103 »

I have run into this issue today after changing the color of some pads. I cannot make visible more than 1 pad at a time so can't see a complete body.

Has there been a solution to this?

Thanks
Bance
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Re: Why are entries in the tree grey?

Post by Bance »

No version information, no file, no help!
chrisb
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Re: Why are entries in the tree grey?

Post by chrisb »

redd103 wrote: Tue Sep 28, 2021 9:44 am I have run into this issue today after changing the color of some pads. I cannot make visible more than 1 pad at a time so can't see a complete body.
Sounds like something completely different. The pads in a body are no standalone objects, the are different states of always the same object.
You can set the color of the whole body. If you want single faces to be coloured individually, you have to color the feature; these colors will be lost if you add another feature.
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