Selecting previous selections

[ScottinSD]

Is there any way in SolidWorks to re-select previous selections?

Somewhere dim in my memory of other CAD software, I seem to remember that one of those software packages made it possible to re-select items that had been previously selected. This would be nice at times when you inadvertanly push the wrong button and loose your selections.

In a related idea. I was recently trying to create a configuration of a telescoping shaft that showed the shaft in the extended condition. It would have been nice to be able to copy coincident mate to the new configuration and make it a distance mate, or to be able to at least copy the selections from the old mate to the new mate. Neither idea worked and I was stuck hiding parts and zooming and panning to find my mate surfaces once again.

Thanks in advance!

Scott in San Diego

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

What version of SW are you using? Some older versions did not allow mates to be switched from one type to another. I don't remember which version allowed this, but definitely SW04 & newer do.

When a config is created, the mates s/b automatically copied into the new config. If you change the mate type (e.g. coincident to distance) for one config, all the configs will be changed. A distance of zero can be used if you need a 'coincident' mate on some configs.


Helpful SW websites FAQ559-520
How to get answers to your SW questions FAQ559-1091

 

[ScottinSD]

I'm using SW2006 SP2.1.

I know that you can not have the same distance mate with two different values in different configs.

What I am trying to get at is that sometimes it is difficult to select things in SolidWorks and it would be nice to be able to re-select previously selected entities. I've already gone to the trouble of selecting them once, why can't I just say something like "select previous" or when working with a mate, highlight the Mate Selections, copy them, and then past them into a new mate?

Thanks,

Scott in San Diego

 

[meintsi]

Yes you can Scott.

After creating the distance mate, change configs, find the mate in the feature tree and double-click it. Now you change the distance mate value for any of the configurations you choose.

Remember...
[navy]"If you don't use your head,[/navy]
[navy]your going to have to use your feet."[/navy]

 

[ScottinSD]

I might be wrong on this, but I thought that you can not have one mate solve differently in different configurations. I think you need to have two different mates where for instance mate X is active and Y is suppressed in Config A and then Mate X is suppressed and Mate Y is active in Config B.

None of this speaks to my original point about the ability to reuse selections, either by copying and pasting in the mate selections windows or by some other means. Every task in SolidWorks involves selections, it would be nice if we coud reuse the effort it takes to make the correct selections.

 

[brengine]

Is there any way in SolidWorks to re-select previous selections?

No.

The only work-around I've found is to use a macro (which the User has to run each time) to store the current selection list. Then you have to run the macro later to re-select those items...Since the User has to initiate it, this process is not very useful unless you know ahead of time which selections you're going to want to re-use.

As for changing mate types, just do a Edit Feature/Definition. You should have no problems changing from Coincident, Distance, Parallel, etc... as long as you're not over constraining the component.

you can not have one mate solve differently in different configurations

Only true for mates that do not have (distance or angle) values. As stated above, after creating the distance mate, change configs, find the mate in the feature tree and double-click it (do not do an Edit Feature/Definition). Change the value, then change the All Configurations either to This Configuration or Select Configurations. Now you can hit the OK (green checkmark).

Ken

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

ScottinSD ... One of the things which makes SW configs so powerful is the ability to to have different values for the same mate. Especially when being driven from a Design Table.

As for re-using selections, take a look at Envelopes in the SW Help files. Unless they have improved it in SW06, it is a very "clunky" way of doing it, but it may do what you want.


Helpful SW websites FAQ559-520
How to get answers to your SW questions FAQ559-1091

 

[ScottinSD]

Meintsi and Cor,

Thanks, you can have one mate solve differently in configurations. I didn't realize it at first because when I double clicked the mate, the green dimensions came up small and superimposed on some blue parts, so I did not see it. Thanks again.

Cor,

You are right, envelopes would not work very well for re-using selections.

Thanks again everyone!