3d extrusions are lost and re-appear whenever they please

[stephen masih]

3d extrusions in a 3d symbol disappear in plan view while using symbol edit, on exiting the symbol and selecting an iso or perspective view they re-appear.

I have checked the 'classes', assuming the lost elements were in a class switched 'off'. But that wasn't the case, with all classes 'on' I am still experiencing the same problem.

HELP

[AndyM]

If there are any 2d objects in your symbol the symbol will become a hybrid symbol and you will only see the 2d aspects while in plan view.

You can either delete all of the 2d aspects or you can create a 2d representation of the 3d aspects. (convert copy to lines)

[Kristen]

Hi, Stephen. I think this happens because of how VW "sorts" 2D/3D symbols. 3D elements become part of the 3D component of the symbol; 2D elements are part of the 2D component. (In the resource panel select the symbol and choose edit 3d component and edit 2d to see how this works). I think that if a symbol has no 2D components, the 3D will show up even in plan view, but as soon as you add a 2D element like a line or a polygon, only the 2D will show up in plan view. I actually really like this -- an object can be abstracted in plan, and quite detailed in 3D.

[P Retondo]

Actually, "disappearing" 3D objects is a common occurence, at least in the version I'm currently using (8.5.2) and earlier. The problem described is not necessarily the ordinary symbol behavior addressed in these replies.

Previous posts on this topic exist, and the solution you mention (iso view) has been put forward in the past. Actually, I find that going to "Top view" works as well, healing both visibility, the incorrect positioning of handles, and inability to select the object. If you have "Num Lock" on, simply press the "5" key on the numeric keypad.

This problem may have been fixed in version 9, I haven't used 9 enough to know. It's a seemingly random bug.