Generation of Groups

This option is available in some dialogs. To activate it please check Generate Groups check box. When it is checked, it is possible to define the prefix for generated groups names using Group Names Prefix input field.

Generate groups option in a dialog

The groups are created along with the result of the operation when Apply or Apply and Close button is clicked. Each generated group represents a set of sub-shapes of the result that satisfies certain conditions. The groups of the following types can be generated:

• Down - sub-shapes starting the result, e.g. bottom lid for the pipe creation operation.
• Up - sub-shapes ending the result, e.g. top lid for the pipe creation operation.
• Side1, Side2 - sub-shapes corresponding to each side of the result.
• Other - faces generated from the bounding edges of Down group.

The groups are named according to the following naming rule: If Group Names Prefix is set <Prefix>_<Type>, otherwise the name is <Type>. The following figure shows group names created with the prefix Group:

Group_Down, Group_Up, Group_Side1 and Group_Side2 are generated

The general behavior of this functionality is the following:

• If Generate Groups option is not set, the groups are not generated.

• If starting and ending sub-shapes of the result are the same, e.g. if there is a closed path for pipe construction, Generate Groups option is disabled in the dialog box:

  

  Disabled option in the Pipe Construction dialog if the path is closed

  
  

• Otherwise If the path is not closed edge/wire, the groups are created depending on the profile:

  • Profile is unclosed edge or wire: Down, Up, Side1, Side2:

    

    Pipe with created groups Down(Red), Up(Green), Side1(Blue) and Side2(Yellow)

    
    

  • Profile is closed edge or wire, face or shell: Down, Up, Other:

    

    Created groups Down(Red), Up(Green) and Other(Yellow)

Down and Up groups contain:

• Edges if the profile is edge or wire;
• Faces if the profile is face or shell.

Side1 and Side2 groups contain edges generated from the first and last vertices of the profile edge or wire correspondingly. The first and last vertices are determined taking into account edge/wire orientation.

Other group represents faces generated from the bounding edges of profile.

The behavior in TUI is the following:

• Each Python function that supports groups generation has a flag IsGenerateGroups which is equal to False by default.
• If IsGenerateGroups is not set the groups are not created; the returned value is GEOM_Object that represents a result of the operation.
• If IsGenerateGroups is set the operation returns a list of GEOM_Object. Its first element is a result, the remaining ones are the groups in the order: Down, Up, Side1, Side2 for opened profile or Down, Up, Other for closed profile.
• If IsGenerateGroups is set and the path is closed an error occurs.