Creo 9 - how to select a part in an assembly?

[pshepherdson]

Hi, we've just moved to Creo 9 (from 3)

While I was hoping for improvements, I seem to be hitting "new & wonderful" head aches.

issue today:

simple, but annoying:  in an assembly, I want to highlight the part.  I used to just click it.  But now, it seems to select some feature of the part (surface, edge, axis, etc..) and not the part itself.  The work around seems to be to hold the 'ALT' key, then select the 'part'.

I've tried to modify the options in the Options/Global/select, but that seems to create a new set of failures.. 

Seriously?!  what changed?!

[StephenW]

I'm not on Creo 9 but I think the selection paradigm shift was creo 4, so hopefully this is helpful.

Usually when you are in an assembly and pick something on a part, say an edge or surface and you right click, you will get the menu options as if you have selected the part.

for example, in the image below, I selected the edge of a nut and then RMB and I get the options like "edit definition" or show dimensions or suppress or delete or activate, which are all part related commands.

[pshepherdson]

Hi, thanks,

It may also be 'unexpected behaviour' on my part.  I'm used to hovering over the part, and seeing the whole part highlighting, not just a feature of it..  I would then right click to open it..  

The part name also seems to take a bit longer to pop up..

p

[StephenW]

It took a little getting used to but I don't even think about it now, just click and go!

[trailFileFnatic]

What changed? PTC removed the SmartFilter and "replaced" it with the Selection menu in options, where you can define your own filter. I couldn't figure out a way to replicate the SmartFilter behaviour exactly.

In assembly mode I set my filter to "part + curve" in the options menu:

When I active a part I run a mapkey to a) active the part b) set the filter to "feature"

When I active the assembly again the filter is automatically set back to "part + curve" (= my filter)

But still: Who would EVER select features in assembly mode, doesn't make any sense to me. 

[tbraxton]

Many users select features in assembly mode for a variety of reasons, e.g. to modify a dimension of a part feature without activating or opening the part.

[trailFileFnatic]

Exactly and the activation of the part functions as a "prefilter", otherwise I double click on features belonging to parts next to my intended target.

LMB on part > (mapkey) activate > double click on feature

LMB on part > (mapkey) activate > LMB on feature > (mapkey) edit definitions

LMB on part > (mapkey) activate > (mapkey) create new feature

LMB on part > (mapkey) select parents > (mapkey) select parents > (mapkey) open

LMB on part > (mapkey) master

LMB on part > (mapkey) open the drw

(CTRL) LMB on several parts > (mapkey) hide

...etc

Looking back I realize that it really was the SmartFilter who educated me on how to navigate in Creo and I wrongly assumed that this is how PTC intended to. I only use 2-key-mapkeys and if you were to ask me on any of them, I couldn't tell you what keys I hit. Working in Creo is like programming, like writing text on a keyboard. If somebody asks me to draw a keyboard I couldn't tell where any of the keys are located. In the same way all my mapkeys are "muscle memory" (not sure if you call it that in English: if I think "sketch" then my fingers click on two keys and I am in the sketcher. if I need a circle, then my fingers click on two keys and I have a circle on the cursor, if I assemble...etc)

If somebody would reintroduce a new keyboard, from now on it is abcdefg... starting on the upper left corner, I would have a really hard time to reteach myself. And the same is true for not selecting parts in assembly mode.

But I must admit, if you were to learn Creo from Version >= 4 you probably approach it in a different way.

[pshepherdson]

thanks all who replied.

I seem to be getting used to it, no real work-around or solution.

[Chris3]

There are other threads on this topic:

https://community.ptc.com/t5/3D-Part-Assembly-Design/Selection-Filter-Lower-right-corner-of-graphics-window/td-p/656416 

https://community.ptc.com/t5/3D-Part-Assembly-Design/Creo-4-0-component-selection/td-p/429622 

You can change the selection filter to "Part" to get the old functionality or create your own custom selection filter:

Personally I have done both but eventually fallen back on the geometry default. It takes a bit getting used to but I like it better now.