Drawing Tree

The Drawing Tree program creates a new tool palette in AutoCAD and BricsCAD in which you will see all drawing objects in a tree view. Objects are grouped by type, by layer, by material. The lists are sorted by object name. Inside the blocks, you will see the same lists of objects, including nested blocks, and in them there are more objects and more blocks. Thus, a tree can be very branched. The program is designed to work in conjunction with the A>V>C> Properties Palette and together they allow you to edit the properties of all objects in the DWG file, even those that are not visible or not yet involved in the drawing. Another important purpose of the Drawing Tree is to conveniently search for objects in large drawings.

Program features

• Shows all open dwg files and allows you to switch between them.

• Shows all sheets (Layout) of the drawing and allows you to switch between them.

• Shows the Blocks, Groups, Materials, and Layers that are all in the DWG file, even if they have not yet been used in the drawing. In this case, you can select unused blocks and materials, and change their properties in the A>V>C> Properties Palette.

• Inside the blocks, all objects that make up the block are displayed. You can change object properties without even opening the block editor. For example, you can assign materials and edge bandings to parts within an assembly block.

• All used blocks also have a list of links to this block, even if the link is inserted in another block.

• In dynamic blocks, a list of its unnamed instances (block variants with a different set of parameters) is shown.

• You can see and select all objects of one layer or one material.

• Objects can be divided by type into 3D, Curves, Annotations, and more. And solids can be distinguished into a separate group Details.

• Blocks will be divided into Blocks-Assemblies, Blocks-Products and Annotations.

• Materials can be divided into subgroups according to the type of use: Sheet, Molded, Edge Bandings and so on.

• Layers can be divided into different filters and groups, as configured in the layer manager.

• Objects with the same name can be combined into subgroups. In this case, the program will show the number of objects in the subgroup. You will immediately see how many identical parts you have.

• The same object can be found in different lists: in its block, in groups, in materials, in layers. Use any of the lists as you see fit.

• You can color list items by the color of objects, materials and layers. The program prefers the color of the material, not the layer.

• The icon of a solid changes if it is marked as a mirror or as a sweep.

• Selecting objects in the drawing results in the appearance of check marks on the corresponding items in the tree. And vice versa - you can select objects with checkmarks.

• Moving the mouse cursor over the tree highlights objects in the model. You will immediately see which object corresponds to the list item, you don't even need to click. This even works with objects inside blocks!

• Clicking on an object in the tree starts searching for the object in the drawing and the program will show it in full screen. And flat objects will also be rotated to face the screen.

• The program reads the entire drawing immediately after opening, in small portions, trying not to interfere with your work. Therefore, the lists are not filled instantly. While it read a progress bar appears at the bottom of the palette. Until the bar disappears, the palette does not display a complete list of objects. As soon as you start working with a drawing, the program immediately pauses and waits for a second.

• With any changes in the drawing, the program starts the process of updating the data. Changes in the tree will not be displayed instantly, but after a couple of seconds when the CAD is idle.

• The program can immediately re-measure all metrics of solids and create new metrics when opening a drawing. This ensures that all metrics are up to date. And in the lists you will see the sizes of all solids. But the measurement process can seriously slow down the work and even cause AutoCAD (but not BricsCAD) fatalities. Use this option with caution.

Read about downloading and installing the program here.

To run the plugin, you will have to register account, top up your account balance or receive bonuses.

Then you can activate one of the licenses:

• Annual license - 10 EUR.

• Unlimited license - 50 EUR. Free updates for 1 year.

• The trial period is 20 days.

Commands

Settings

• Style Name - The name for this drawing tree style. Not used in the program. For convenience only.

• Files - Show all open drawings in the tree.

• Folders - Show folders containing drawings as a separate branch of the tree. Clicking on a folder with files opens a dialog for opening a drawing from this folder.

• Blocks-Assemblies - Show a branch of blocks-assemblies (all exploding blocks, except for annotative ones).

• Blocks-Products - Show a branch with non-explosive blocks (purchased items).

• Arrays - Show branch with dynamic arrays. Arrays are also blocks, only without a name. Therefore, you will find all nested elements in them.

• Details - Show branch for solids (details). If you disable this option, then all solids will be in the 3D group.

• Solid-Holes in 3D - Show Holes layer solids in the 3D group instead of the Parts branch.

• 3D - Show branch with other 3D objects (except solids): meshes, surfaces, 3D curves.

• Curves - Show branch with lines and curves (2D and 3D)

• Annotations - Show a branch with drawing annotations: texts, dimensions, multileaders, hatching, tables, annotative blocks.

• Other - Show a branch with objects that do not belong to any other group: viewports, OLE, images, proxy objects

• Namesake - Create subgroups for objects with the same name. The subgroup will get the same name as the objects in it, only in brackets <>. The program does not check for geometric differences, but only looks at the name of the object. A subgroup is not created if it is the only one in the parent group, that is, if all objects in the list have the same name. A subgroup is not created if it contains only one object.

• Layers - Show a branch with a list of layers in the drawing and in all blocks. Even unused layers will be shown in the drawing layers list.

• Layer filters - You can enable this option so that the list of drawing layers is divided into filters and groups, as configured in the Layer Manager window. Filters are shown only in drawing layers, not inside blocks. To update the filters you need to save the drawing. By default, filters are disabled and all layers are shown in one list.

• Groups - Show a branch with a list of groups. This refers to a group of joint selection of model objects. Even nameless bands will be on the list.

• Materials - Show a branch with a list of materials in the drawing and in all blocks. Even unused materials will be shown in the drawing.

• Material groups - Split the list of materials into groups according to their purpose: sheets, coatings, edges...

• Hidden blocks - In the list of drawing blocks, show invisible unnamed blocks, such as spaces, arrays, dynamic block instances, center marks.

• Links to blocks - Show the list of links to the block from the model and from all other blocks.

• Instances - Show a list of instances for dynamic blocks. An instance is an invisible block with specific parameter values. Dynamic blocks are never inserted directly into a drawing, references to block instances are always inserted.

• Highlight objects - Enable highlighting of a drawing object when the mouse pointer is over its name in the drawing tree. Highlighting will work only for objects inserted into model space.

• Zoom objects - By clicking on the name of an object in the tree, the program will try to find this object in the drawing and zoom the screen to the size of the object. If a flat object or a measured solid is selected, the program will also expand the view. If an object has no size (a point, a line of zero length, etc.), the program will show a small area around this object.

• Coloring names - Change the color of the names of objects in the tree according to the color of the object. For solids, the color of the material is used (if the material is not Global). Colors close to the background are not applied, but still coloring can impair the readability of names.

• Update all solid metrics - Immediately after opening the drawing, start updating all metrics in the background for all solids that previously had a metric. This ensures that no solids with erroneous, obsolete dimensions remain in the drawing. However, the measurement process can cause slowdowns and even fatal crashes.

• Measure all solids - Immediately after opening the drawing, start creating metrics for all solids in the background, including even the solid inside unused blocks. After creating metrics, you will see the sizes of solids (parts) in the drawing tree and in the properties palette. However, the measurement process can cause slowdowns and even fatal crashes. If you have solids with hundreds of surfaces in your drawing, then by no means enable this option.

• Collapse tree branches - When expanding a tree branch with the '+' button, all other expanded branches will be automatically collapsed.

• Maximum length of lists - Limit the length of lists in the tree. The more - the more noticeable the program will slow down your work. And there is no point in looking for an object in a list of more than 500 items - it is easier to find it in a drawing.

Known Issues

• When a program combines identical objects into a group, it only looks at the name. Thus, in one group there will be completely different parts or polylines. This is not a program error. Assigning them different names is up to you. You can use the Numbering or Manual Numbering command for this.

• The process of reading all the objects in a dwg file is long. In order not to interfere with your work, the program reads in small portions and pauses when you are working with a drawing. Because of this, the list of objects is initially empty, and then may not be complete.

• The process of measuring solids can cause brakes and even fatal crashes. Reading hundreds of surfaces of one solid cannot be divided into portions, so the program can freeze for a second or more. If you have solids with hundreds of surfaces in your drawing, then in no case turn on the option for measuring solids.

• Reading changes to the drawing happens even when you close the palette. Therefore, if a palette causes crashes, then you should close it and restart CAD.

• When selecting groups in the model, the palette will not check the group in the tree, but will only mark the selected objects included in the group. Unfortunately, AutoCAD does not inform the plugin that it is the group that is selected, and not individual objects.

• All A>V>C> palettes (Drawing Tree, Properties Palette, Settings, Name, Type, Info), like all other AutoCAD palettes, cannot restore their size if you dock several palettes one below the other to the left or right edge of the window . Each time you switch to the start page and back, the bottom palette will decrease its height. In addition, two palettes placed on the same side of the screen will not be located side by side, but one below the other the next time you open AutoCAD. This is an AutoCAD glitch, not a plugin.