Techdraw 0.19 Page Objects Unwanted Changes

[notlaw12]

Thanks for all your efforts in this amazing tool!

I need help or advice... I would like my Techdraw pages to remain unchanged... they are changing when I hide or unhide parts from the drawing while creating additional Techdraw pages.

I tried changing Techdraw preferences/update pages, override, etc. I tried to right-click on the tree view and toggle the update page but can't find a combination that will keep the pages static or freeze any changes. I'll need to make many pages for the building inspectors.

More background: I created an architectural drawing using Draft and Part maker to create a 3d model with a plethora of parts. I'm now saving multiple views (Top, front, etc.) of that drawing in Techdraw. As I create each view or page I hide or add various parts of the model to allow visibility to other parts in the model.

My problem: While changing the view (hiding or adding parts) the parts are added or subtracted from the other pages/views. Said another way, I create three views. Front, Side, and top. While adding or subtracting parts from the third (top view) it changes the first two (front and side). It seems to really change them when I close/reopen the file.

I'm a relatively new user and my first post...I did use AutoCAD back in the day.


My setup:
OS: Windows 10 (10.0)
Word size of OS: 64-bit
Word size of FreeCAD: 64-bit
Version: 0.19.22756 (Git)
Build type: Release
Branch: master
Hash: ce87f586ee36ffe8ebcdcd3947ced4ab389ae795
Python version: 3.8.6
Qt version: 5.12.5
Coin version: 4.0.0
OCC version: 7.4.0
Locale: English/United States (en_US)

[chrisb]

I cannot confirm or I don't understand. I can create different views of the same object - even several linked views in a projection group - and can make them independently visible.
So please upload a preferably very simple file showing the issue together with step by step instructions on how to reproduce your issue. You should tell what you expect and what you get.

[M4x]

I think I just had the same problem the other day: [SOLVED] Workflow - multiple TechDraw pages for assembly where different parts are visible?

The use of clone Part_SimpleCopy might be what you're looking for.

Edit:
Wrong operation

[notlaw12]

Thanks for looking into this for me...let me try to better explain:

I'm looking for a way to lock a techdraw page or view so it will not change regardless of what I do to the main drawing.

If you used the same part or object then it likely won't replicate the problem. You need a drawing with multiple parts or objects. You also need to make multiple pages (insert page using a template) each with different views.

I want to create multiple (40 or more) Techdraw pages/views of a 3D model each containing many parts or objects. It's important to understand that for some views, I need to hide Parts but when I do those parts are hidden or removed from the other pages or views. It doesn't happen right away and sometimes not until you restart Freecad. But it consistently happens and renders all the views I created useless as you can see in the attachment.

Both of the attached are of the same Techdraw page view. I never changed it. The only thing I did was hide parts in the main drawing while creating other pages or views. Is there a way to lock a Techdraw page so it will not be updated?

Or perhaps I need to change how I hide objects while creating new pages/views?

[chrisb]

You can only set whole pages from updating by setting KeepUpdated to false. If you want to have some thongs updated and others not, put them on different pages.

[notlaw12]

Thanks again for getting back to me

'keep updated" works only if you have exactly the same objects hidden as when you originally created the view... otherwise it pulls in unwanted objects. Here's how I tested:

Created a new page with the desired view...many hidden objects in the main drawing
set "keep updated" to FALSE for that page......
restarted Freecad... now every part of the drawing is missing...only dimensions and annotations remain.
Set "keep updated" to TRUE.....view updated correctly... but keep in mind I did not unhide or hide objects in the drawing ... yet
then I UNHID all objects in the main drawing
Set "keep updated" to FALSE and it pulled many unwanted objects into the view.

So those page/views that took so long to create become useless unless you take the drawing and re-hide exactly the same objects as when you created the original view....and then set "keep updated" to TRUE

This may seem minor but large complex drawings with hundreds of parts will require views with many parts hidden... for example bringing drawings to building inspectors... showing just the views they need.

Can you think of any way I can keep Techdraw pages/views locked or static?

[M4x]

Again, that's exactly the problem I was facing a few days ago. I think you'll have to create multiple copies. I was talking about clones before. Please check out my previous post (I've corrected it and now there's a link to the wiki too).

[notlaw12]

Thanks a million, folks... I learned a lot from your advice and solved my problem.

M4x's "source" suggestion really helped... the clone made my head hurt.
Chrisb's toggle "keep updated" also steered me in the right direction....I was previously and fruitlessly focused on preference settings

What I learned might help others:
1. Anything selected in the TREE will eventually pull into the Techdraw view. Important to know it won't happen right away
a. while creating a view....select a folder on the tree... all objects in that folder will appear in view...Even if they are HIDDEN...but not right
away
b. select individual objects or parts on the tree....all will appear in view EVEN if they are HIDDEN...but not right away.
c. creating a view with parts hidden but you have the parent folder selected with those hidden objects. Hidden objects won't show in your
view....view appears correct....until you restart Freecad...unwanted object appear but you don't know why.
2. Restarting Freecad effects on views
a. A view that previously looked good might change as it pulls all the objects from the source folder into the view.
b. If you select "keep updated" false = view will be blank on restart. A suggested improvement would be it retains the view data until you
change change "keep updated" to true. Why does it lose the view upon restart?

What caused me grief:
I hid objects on the drawing. Created a view and it initially looked correct showing only what was not hidden. But after restarting Freecad it pulled unwanted objects into the Techdraw view.
The causal:
1. Some of these objects (ones I wanted and unwanted objects) were in the parent folder and some in child folders. When creating the view, I selected the parent folder...since everything looked good and there is a delay (recompute) you think everything is fine. If it happened right away you would know the folder selection is likely the causal. When the views changed on the restart and I didn't notice I kept making new views thinking all is well.

Sorry to be repetitive but I wanted to clearly state the issue.

Thanks again for doing what your all doing... great work on this project!

[notlaw12]

the images I previously attached
The "A" pic.... I selected the parent folder "existing deck" but had hidden objects... hidden objects didn't appear until restart. then it pulled unwanted objects into view. I solved this by changing the source to only the child folders "joists, sill, etc" that contained only the desired objects.

In the last view I was trying to show how hidden objects that are selected will show up in your view... but not right away... after restart... nonselected and unhidden parts will initially show in techdraw view but disappear upon restart.

Thanks again for all the help

[M4x]

Great that it's working now! It's possible to "repair" wrong selections too using the source property (select a view on a TechDraw page to reach it).

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