About Manipulating the Order of Features on the Model Tree
The Model Tree displays a hierarchical structure of all the features in a Model.
In addition to selection, you can drag nodes on the Model Tree. Based on the context, you can drag nodes to subsequently perform different operations such as reordering features on the Model Tree, creating or manipulating groups, embedding datum features, activating the insertion mode, and so on. The context is determined by the node that you select for the drag-and-drop operation and the location where you want to place the dragged node.
If the new location where you want to place the dragged feature is not valid, the pointer changes to
. If the location where you want to place the dragged feature is a valid location, an internode indicator (
) appears on the Model Tree.
| Reordering existing features can change the order of features on the Model Tree and in turn, the geometry of the model. |
During the drag-and-drop operation, Creo Parametric maintains the referential integrity. That is, you cannot place a child feature before its parent feature or a parent feature after its children. In order to maintain this referential integrity, Creo Parametric dynamically handles the dependencies between the features. That is, the interfering parent or children in the sequence on the Model Tree are automatically selected and dragged with the dragged node, and the parent-child relationship is maintained.
While performing a drag-and-drop operation on the Model Tree, Creo Parametric highlights the selected members and their dependent members based on the relation or properties of the selected members. For example:
• If you drag a feature over a collapsed group node and hold it there for a few seconds without placing it over the node, the group node expands automatically.
• While dragging a feature over an expanded group node, the color of the group header changes to dark grey. This color indicates that you are placing the feature in the group. Similarly, the color of the group header changes to dark grey when you drag a member of that group to place it outside the group.
• If you drag a feature over a collapsed group and the group contains a dependent feature of the feature you are moving, the color of the group header changes to light blue indicating that the dependent features will also be moved out of the group. For example, if you drag a parent feature over a collapsed group containing a child of that feature and place it outside the group, the child feature is placed with its parent outside the group.
• If you drag a datum over other features on the Model Tree, the color of the datum header changes to light grey as soon as you move it over a feature in which you can embed the datum. However, while embedding, the feature number does not change and thus the order of regeneration of features may be different from the order in which the features appear on the Model tree.
• When you drag a feature that is related to other features by one or more dependencies, the other dependent features are automatically selected on the Model Tree. A
sign appears on the icons of the dependent features to indicate that those features were automatically selected.
For example, when you drag a child feature (Extrude) above the parent feature (Datum), the parent feature is highlighted on the Model Tree and its icon changes to
to indicate that the feature was automatically selected. Similarly, when you drag a parent feature below its child, the child feature is automatically highlighted and its icon changes to a
.
• If you select multiple items on the Model Tree to perform a drag-and-drop operation, a
appears next to the pointer.
• You cannot reorder some features, such as suppressed features or 3D notes.
• If you try to place the insertion locator (
Insert Here) after a suppressed feature, it is automatically placed before the suppressed feature or any other suppressed features that exist before it. Additionally, if you try to place the insertion locator after a group whose last member is suppressed,
Creo Parametric activates the insert mode and places the insertion locator before the group.
| The insertion locator on the Model Tree indicates where a feature will be inserted upon creation. |