Select objects through transparency

What setting have you got under;

File > Settings > User > Preferences > Input > Locate Interiors 

In v8i the default was Never, and in connect it seems to be  Visible

Thanks - I've now tried all options; Never/ Visible/ Always.

Never; will not select anything inside the glass box (no matter how far in I zoom)

Visible; First attempt at a tentative snap always shoots to a keypoint on the edge of the glass box, second attempt will select the object I want.

Always; same as Visible.

v8i quickly and accurately selects the geometry I want - something must be wrong with my CE settings, or is this standard behavior in CE. I really hope not.

By the way - it something wrong with the Communities site? Posts take several minutes to load.

Thanks for your reply, but my problem remains.

CE's preference settings are different (offering fewer options), but I've set both to be "Never". Your suggestion that I "MUST be behind that surface" is incorrect because I'm able to snap to hidden vertices in v8i, and have always done so.

Using Wireframe is not practical for complex models - I work in Illustration mostly. It worked perfectly in v8i - so I don't want to change my workflows. Constantly rotating my models to see geometry on the other side is not practical when I know a vertex is there and I want to snap to it.

Focus distance and camera settings are not relevant to the problem - this applies to any type of view (close/ far/ wide angle/ isometric).

My right-click is for datapoint reset - do you mean scrolling through tentative datapoints to find alternative geometry? I've set that to Alt>Data (never understood how anyone could the left/right chord as a tentative datapoint).

I also use the 3D Connexion mouse, but mostly for setting up rendering views in Microstation, and always in LumenRT and Google Earth. View Rotate around a vertex is far more accurate and efficient for general 3D modeling.

Here again is a summary of the issues - CE is not usable for me in these current circumstances. Again, hoping someone could help change that.

Max

In CE I have set my "Locate Interiors" option to "Always" and it does find points hidden on the other side of shaded geometry, but you have to tentative several times to "drill" through the object. Something has has changed from v8i as it seem to order the "drilling" by "depth", and not "point closest too", the tentative point.

However also look at UN-TICKING the:  AccuSnap settings box  > Elements > Find Elements By: > Interior of Filled Elements

Hi Max,

in my opinion, what mentioned Robert Jones should solve the problem: In AccuSnap Settings dialog, to switch off Find Elements By: Interior of Filled Elements.

With regards,

  Jan

Thanks for your responses Robert & Jan. Switching off AccuSnap settings box  > Elements > Find Elements By: > Interior of Filled Elements has made no difference.

You're right - something has changed. With Locate Interiors set to Always, I can indeed tentative "drill" through objects to select the geometry I want - but it's so much more cumbersome than the v8i approach.

That partially solves my first problem, but it still doesn't allow me to rotate the view around a selected point. I have to switch off the layer showing the transparent box (assuming it's on it's own layer) before I can snap to exposed geometry to rotate a view about a point. This is seriously regressive to the way I work.

Max Voigt said:

Switching off AccuSnap settings box  > Elements > Find Elements By: > Interior of Filled Elements has made no difference.

It's weird, because with this setting switched off, AccuSnap identifies boxes inside transparent cube without any problem.

MicroStation CE U14, Windows 10, AMD Radeon RX5700.

Works both in Visible and Always modes and also both in Transparent and Illustration renderings.

With regards,

  Jan

Max Voigt said:

Switching off AccuSnap settings box  > Elements > Find Elements By: > Interior of Filled Elements has made no difference.

It's weird, because with this setting switched off, AccuSnap identifies boxes inside transparent cube without any problem.

MicroStation CE U14, Windows 10, AMD Radeon RX5700.

Works both in Visible and Always modes and also both in Transparent and Illustration renderings.

With regards,

  Jan

Thanks again for your help, Jan.

Accusnap actually does find those boxes for me (as shown in your version), but without Accusnap; to draw a line from the corner of one of them I have to tentative snap multiple times before getting to the point I want (Locate Interior Always).I generally don't use Accusnap - I know the point I want to snap to and don't need an automated point finder.

For Rotate View (with Accusnap enabled or not enabled), it won't snap to anything inside the big transparent box - just its edges.

You've added your specs - could it be related to software/ hardware spec? (although I've tested on a lower spec laptop, with the same problems)

Microstation CE 10.14.00.109, Windows 10 Pro Build 18363, Quadro M4000

Max Voigt said:

could it be related to software/ hardware spec?

It can be, but I do not think so.

I also tested the same design file on Surface Book 2 with Nvidia GTX 1050 (to try to use something else than AMD) and it works fine also.

Can it be a file-specific? The file from my example (it's a kind of temporary trash like file ;-) is attached.

Regards,

  Jan

work3d.dgn

Thanks for your sample file - the behavior is the same on yours as it is on mine (attached). It did cross my mind that my file (built in v8i) could be the problem, but it doesn't seem to be the case.

Are you able to Rotate View Dynamic > Define First Point > tentative on any of the cubes inside the glass box (either of our two files)?

Try also to select the yellow line in my file, by directly clicking on it. It works in v8i, but not in CE.

select through transparency.dgn

Hi Max,

everything works fine:

• I am able to select the line, both using selection arrow and using Move Element tool. When the cube is selected first, reset iterates to the next element (the yellow line).
• Snapping also works fine, no problem to draw a new line snapped to the inner boxes.

Regards,

  Jan

Well then I'm stumped (and no closer to moving to CONNECT). Even if yours is working the way it's supposed to, then it's a step backwards from v8i (having to iterate through options, when you clearly intend to select the yellow line).

Thanks for your perseverance anyway, much appreciated.

Max