Highlighting and Selecting Actors

The parts, assemblies, and components that make up the 3D model are called geometry actors. The annotations, measurements, and other markup you add to enhance the model are called collaborative actors . To manipulate actors, you highlight (also called preselect) or select them.

See Also
Navigating the Viewport

  1. Drag the initial view into the viewport.

  2. Move your mouse pointer over the gray LPattern2 base plate.

    The part highlights in green and a tooltip appears. Composer highlights actors differently depending on the actor type.



  3. With LPattern2 still highlighted, press the Tab key.

    The actor temporarily disappears. This is useful to see actors that are hidden behind an actor.

    Note: If the actor does not disappear, ensure that the viewport has focus by clicking in it and then repeat this step.

  4. Move your mouse away from LPattern2.

    The actor reappears.

  5. Click LPattern2 to select it.

    The part highlights in orange.

  6. Press the Ctrl key and click the large brown Base-Extrude part.

    Two actors are now selected.

  7. Press the Shift key and click Base-Extrude.

    Shift+click inverts the selection.

  8. With only LPattern2 selected, on the Home ribbon tab, in the Visibility group, click the icon on Visibility and then click Show Selection and Hide Others .

    The viewport shows only LPattern2.

    Note: Ribbon buttons with icons provide command menus. In some cases, these buttons are also bound to commands and you must click the icon to access the menu. In other cases, the entire button accesses the menu.

  9. On the ribbon, click Home > Visibility > Visibility > Invert Visibility with Ghost .

    All actors reappear and LPattern2 displays in ghost (semi-transparent) mode.

  10. In the left pane, click the Assembly tab.

    The Assembly pane shows the assembly structure.

  11. Right-click toolbox-tutorial and click Expand All.

    You can now see all model components.

  12. Move your mouse over different component names.

    The component name in the Assembly tree preselects (the name becomes underlined and the corresponding actor in the viewport highlights).

  13. Click to select different components in the Assembly tree.

    The component name highlights in the tree and the corresponding actor in the viewport becomes selected. You can highlight and select geometry actors from the viewport or the Assembly tree. You can highlight and select collaborative actors from the viewport or the Collaboration pane.

  14. Clear check boxes next to component names.

    The components disappear in the viewport. You can control actor visibility from the Assembly and Collaboration panes and the viewport.