Organize Entities

Use the Organize tool to move or copy entities into their proper destinations.

  1. Select entities in the modeling window.
  2. Open the Organize tool in the following ways:
    • Right-click and select Organize from the context menu.
    • Press O.
    • From the Assembly ribbon, click the Organize tool.
      Figure 1.


  3. Optional: Click on the guide bar to organize associated elements with geometry.
  4. Use the first selector to select entities to move.
  5. Use the second selector to select the destination collector.
    Note: When you select a source entity type, the destination selector automatically updates to the corresponding collector. The opposite is also true. You can select a destination collector first and the source entity type automatically updates.
    Note: Organizing entities to an include file automatically identifies all references of the entities. You can also drag and drop an entity into an include file.
    Figure 2.


  6. Optional: Activate the Copy checkbox to copy the selected entities to the specified collector, so that they exist in both the original and new collectors.
    Entities cannot be copied to an include file or modules.
  7. On the guide bar, click one of the following:
    • - Apply and stay in the tool
    • - Apply and close the tool
    • - Exit the tool without applying

Cut, Copy, and Paste

Use keyboard shortcuts to quickly cut, copy, and paste entities into new or current collectors.

Available for the following entity types: elements, lines, points, loads, solids, and surfaces.
Note: This option is only available in idle mode.
  1. Select entities in the modeling window then use keyboard shortcuts to cut, copy, and paste.
    • Ctrl + X - Cut
    • Ctrl + C - Copy
    • Ctrl + V - Paste in new collector
    • Ctrl + Shift + V - Paste in current collector
  2. Use the Move tool to position the pasted entities.
    Note: Loads cannot be repositioned.

Drag and Drop

Use drag and drop functionality in the Model Browser to organize beam sections, components, and assemblies. Include files can be organized in both the Model Browser and the Solver Browser.

Select entities in the Model Browser then left-click and drag to move them. When dragging and dropping entities, the number of entities you have selected to is displayed next to your cursor.
Figure 3.


Drag and drop beam sections between beam section collectors.

Drag and drop components into assemblies. Assemblies can also be dragged into other assemblies.

If an assembly is moved, all the items in the assembly are moved to the new location. Items that are not seen in the tree due to filters are also moved.
Note: If an item is dragged out of the tree and dropped onto empty space, it is deleted in all its parent assemblies and placed at the top level of the tree. A dragged item is added to the bottom of the list in an assembly.

To organize include files, double-click on an include file in the Model Browser to open the Include File entity view. With the Includes view active, any entity can be dragged and dropped between include files.

Include files can also be organized in the Solver Browser Includes view by dragging and dropping solver card image folders.