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Is there a simple way to jam a bunch of layers into one layer? I need to clean up a bunch of imported information - stuff I'll never touch. It's a big mess, and it's in my way!
Thanks for the tip, Srini. I'm working on it now. I'll let you know how it goes. Pro-E doesn't want to let me include certain items in certain places - I don't really know where half of these imported planes and axes belong, that's the hard part, and Pro-E won't let me include them where I want to include them.
Select to search for features. Feat, Feat, Misc, Has axes
If you hide a layer that contains a solid Extrusion with Axes the axes will be hidden but not the Feature because you cannot hide individual solid features however with Surface Features, I have been unable to dhow axis and not surface or vice versa with rules.
You may findthis information sent to me by Glenn Beer useful yourselves. He gave a presentation at the 2007 PTC Users Conference. This is really powerful stuff. I'm starting to have total control over these layers after less than an hour of working through this information. I'll be spending a few lunch hours perfecting these techniques for sure...
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Using find to create layers.</DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV>This is best done at the top model of and assembly you need to clean up.
<DIV style="MARGIN-LEFT: 40px">Use the find dialog and create a search that finds all the items that you would have placed on a layer. That might be all features that are of the type datum plane. When your search terms work as desired, go to the pull down labeled "Options" and choose "Save Query" (Who would ever know that this creates a layer). When the Save Rules dialog opens, enter the name of the layer you want created. DO NOT check the Propagate Layer box. Hit OK. Now go to the layer and examine it's properties and options. They will be set to best effect.
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Using the extend function to create layers, with rules, recursively. </DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV>This only works from the assembly level.
<DIV style="MARGIN-LEFT: 40px">In the layer tree, highlight the layer just created. (There is no point is doing this if the layer has no rules.) At the top of the layer tree there is a dropdown called "LAYERS" Select it and choose "EXTEND LAYERS". The highlighted layer will be created in all submodels of the product structure, except for those model that have a layer by that name. They are skipped. You can select more than one layer at a time.
From your email it sounds like you already have a well regulated top assembly with the rule driven layers you want. You could simply open the offending subassy, delete all the layers, go back to your top level assembly, set the layer tree to show only the top level layers, select them, and extend them.
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Searching for items in the layer tree. </DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV>In the layer tree, select the SHOW drop down and select FIND then SEARCH. This can be useful for finding layers by name, which is useful when creating mapkeys that need to select a specific layer instead of the layer and nodeX. I highly recommend exploration and testing, it's worth a few lunch hours. </DIV>
Using the selector to manipulate the layer tree. </DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV>The selector. It's that arrow to the left of the SHOW drop button. Click on the arrow and then select any part or subassy in your assembly. The layer tree will focus on that part showing only the part layers. You can now easily change the layer status's for only that part. This also allows you to set the layer status for that part you are trying to assemble (the one that was correctly saved with all it's layers blanked). Chose the chooser pick on the model being assembled and set its layers as needed.
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How to distinguish between entities and features. </DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV>I think I was clear that entities are the geometric items that make up features. What many don't realize is that when trying to select items to be put on layers, query select will allow you to pick an entity instead of the feature.
<DIV style="MARGIN-LEFT: 40px">Try this. In a new part that has only the default datums and no layers.
Create a layer called FEATURE.
Manually add a datum plane by selecting it in the model tree.
Create a second layer called ENTITY.
Add the same datum plane to it EXCEPT don't pick it from the model tree. In the lower left corner change the selection filter from SMART to GEOMETRY, then graphically select the same datum plane. Close the layer creation dialog.
Now. in the model tree, expand both layers to show their contents.
Note the icons are different for features and entities. Features typically have the same icon shown in the model tree. Entities have a different icon, the entities that make up datum features typically have a point/axis/plane like icon.
Now, look at the text. There is a clear difference between the feature and the entity. Entities always have a segmented notation (There is a colon in the text), features never have that. The segmented notation is the most reliable way to tell if the layer item is a feature or entity.
I recommend putting features on layers instead of entities. There are good reasons to put entities on layers and I'm sure you will recognize the need when it occasions.
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It's most important to be able to make the distinction between features and entities, because layer status combined with Proe's basic rules about how invisibility is applied, has been a major cause of confusion for a long time.
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