Use the Reference Manager to import reference
data for use in two major workflows:
- Importing large amounts of engineering
data while maintaining interactive performance.
- Importing large amounts of design data
and providing alternative shading and comparisons for design reviews.
The advantages over using
stages are loading speed and additional functionality. The following
tools work on reference data:
- Diagnostic Shading
- Hardware Shade
- Transparency
- Visual cross sections
- Measurement locators between reference
data and real geometry data
To open the Reference Manager
To convert an existing
file to a reference file
- Choose File > Translate from
the Reference Manager window.
- Set the translation options in the option
box then click Go.
- Select the geometry file in the browser
and click Open.
The translated file is placed in the reference sub-folder
under the current project and has a .wref extension.
It also appears in the Reference Manager window.
NoteYou
can translate several files at a time by selecting them in the browser.
A progress bar is displayed over each file name in the Reference
Manager window as it is translated. To cancel the process, right-click
the file name.
To import a reference file
- Choose File > Import from
the Reference Manager window.
- Select the .wref file in
the browser and click Open.
The reference data appears
in blue in the view windows.
To create Alternatives
- Select one or more files in the Reference
Manager window. (You can use the (Windows) or (Mac), or key to add to the selection.)
- Do one of the following:
- Choose Edit > New Alternative.
- With the middle mouse button, click and
drag the selected file(s) to the right hand side of the Reference
Manager window, and drop in an empty location.
NoteYou
may have to choose View > Both to see both
sides of the window.
Copies of the reference files are created and
appear on the right side of the Reference Manager window under an Alternatives group.
Alternatives are labeled Alternative, Alternative #1, Alternative #2,
and so on. If no reference files were selected, the Alternative
will be empty.
The
new alternative is selected in the view windows. You can transform
it, shade it, and hide/show some of its files of file layers. This
allows you, for example, to display different versions of a part
located in separate layers of a reference file by creating three
alternatives of it and showing/hiding different layers in each.
To rename an Alternative
- Double-click the Alternative’s name.
- Type the new name and press (Windows) or (Mac).
To add a reference file
to an Alternative
- With the middle mouse button, click the
reference file in the left side of the window, and drag it to the
Alternative label on the right side of the window.
A red outline appears
around the Alternative label.
- Drop the file by releasing the mouse
button.
The
reference file is added to the Alternative.
To delete a reference file
from an Alternative
- Right-click the file under the Alternative.
- Choose Remove File From Alternative from
the drop-down menu.
The
reference file is removed from the Alternative.
To delete a whole Alternative
- Right-click the Alternative
- Choose Remove Alternative from
the drop-down menu.
NoteTo delete several alternatives at once,
select them in the Reference Manager then choose Edit
> Remove Alternative in the window’s tool bar.
To select reference data
and Alternatives
- To select a whole reference file, alternative,
or layer, click it in the Reference Manager window.
- To select individual objects, choose Pick
> Pick Reference and pick the objects in the view
windows. The Pick Reference option box lets
you pick the reference data at different levels: File, Alternative, Layer,
or Component. For Components you
can choose to pick Curves, Surfaces, Shells,
and/or Meshes.
-
You can diagnostic shade individual objects
from reference data but you can only transform entire Alternatives.
To promote reference data
to real geometry
- Choose Pick > Pick Reference.
- Select the individual objects in the
view windows.
- Choose Edit > Promote Geometry
-
The reference data you selected is copied as
real geometry and appears in the DAG.
To promote a reference
shader to the Multi-Lister
Shaders on reference
objects do not appear in the Multi-Lister. To be able to use such
a shader on regular data or other reference data, you must first
be able to see it in the Multi-Lister by promoting it.
- Choose Pick > Pick Reference.
- Select a reference object which is assigned
the desired shader.
- Choose Edit > Promote Shader
The shader of the reference
object you selected is copied into the Multi-Lister. You can then
modify the shader and apply it to other objects without affecting the
original shader.
To pack reference data
A saved wire file only
contains pointers to any reference data, not the data itself. The
Pack functionality allows you to get all your data in one place
for easy transfer.
- Choose File > Pack from
the Reference Manager window
- In the Pack window, browse to the location
where you want the information to be stored, and enter a name for
the new pack folder in the Object name field.
- Click Select
-
The wire file and all reference files are saved
in the specified folder. You now have all your data in one location
for easy transfer.
To see different views
of the Reference Manager window
In the View menu,
choose Reference Files to see only the left side of the window, Alternatives to see
only the right side, or Both. You
can also resize the window by dragging a corner.
To modify the appearance
of reference data
- To make it visible or invisible – Click
the small square (with the double border) to the left of the data
with the left mouse button. You can also right-click the reference
file or Alternative and choose Visible from
the menu.
- To change its color – Click and hold
on the small square (with the double border) to the left of the
file name with the right mouse button, and select a color from the
lister.
- To change its transparency – Use the Reference Files Transparency
slider in the Control Panel. This affects all reference data.