Class Confusion

[Cloud Hidden]

I create a column with a column object from the browser. It's automatically assigned the class Structural-Column. I confirm that in the OIP. I create more. Later I want to do something to them. I figure setting the active class to Structural-Column and showing Active Only from the Class menu would display only those columns. But no, it hides all the objects. What have I missed?

[Guest]

Check to make sure you haven't changed the visibility settings of that class in the Class Setup Dialog box. Also check to make sure the layer visibility under Layer Options is set to see other layers in case the active layer isn't the one you have the columns on.

[klinzey]

The column object is acting like any other symbol or group. The container is in the Structural-Column class, but the actual geometry is in the None class and/or several style classes. You need to have the None class and the Structural-Column class visible, so active only won't work. If you are in a 3d view you will need to have the style class visible if you have assigned a style to any part of the column.

[Cloud Hidden]

Kevin, I understand the explanation. Is it reasonable for someone to be confused by this? Can any improvements come out of this? If all I can see is evidence of it being in one class, but it's not really in that class, and there's no way I can find to isolate on just objects in that class.......well, what's a person to do? It is frustrating to have to guess that maybe some intentionally hidden classes are involved when all your objects disappear while you're trying to specifically to see them. What would be bad about Class menu logic that would show an object if either a component OR the container matched the active class?

[jfmarch]

In defense of NMA, this can happen with any object or symbol or group. I don't know if the info is in the manual, but with experience one learns that any of these items my be on class X, but this stuff within the object/sysmbol/group may be on class Y (or Z). "None" should always be visible, as it is the default class.

By the way, if you need to export any file to a DWG format, any symbol/group/object will be exported to the layer that they are place in. For example, if you insert a door symbol (or column), in a wall while the active class is none, it will export on layer none. To get the doors to export on the door layer, one must insert them while the active class is "door". I found that out after I exported to DWG, and then did a test import in VW to check the work. Hope this helps...