I’m learning to create folders for different parts of a design. How do I move a sketch into a new folder? I’ve tried to select the sketch, but it’s part of a number of sketches within a previous folder, so how do I select just this one new sketch to move into a new folder?
Or, how can I create a new sketch within the design that is not linked to this previous sketch?
Please appreciate that this is written to reach out to newer S3D Users, while hopefully addressing your questions.
SKETCHES:
Sketches reside on a specific Plane within each Design.
Only one Sketch may be made on each Plane, any additions to these Sketches become part of the original Sketch on that Plane.
Separate Sketches can be made by navigating to a different Plane and creating a New Sketch.
The Planes available for use, can be seen by hitting the Navigation Cube at top right, and are:
XY plane
YZ plane
ZX plane
and
Construction Planes [CP]:
Create CP using Add > Construction Plane.
CP, Offset from any of the Main Planes mentioned above or Offset to different distances from any other Plane. [including other CP], can also contain separate Sketches.
It is strongly recommended that every Sketch is given an appropriate and meaningful name.
Such Sketches are automatically Numbered Sketch 01 and incrementally upward and few will be completely comfortable remembering what Number relates to the area of immediate concern.
FOLDERS:
At present it is not possible to C&P in the time honoured manner many of us are used to.
This may be subject to change with the arrival of iPadOS, and although there are improvements in Files [Filing features], moving portions of a .shapr File requires a routine to be followed. The routine chosen is a matter of User preference, the following is mine:
From Designs > Duplicate > immediately Rename the copied File, in this case keeping in mind what it’s purpose will be.
Open the new File > hit Items bottom left to open the fly-out > usually All Items is already present at the top, if not ensure that it is.
My MO is then to Select everything that I wish to keep by selecting within the Listing, and then checking within the Design that everything required is highlighted in light Blue.
With everything present and correct I mark up everything not needed by hitting Hide [tap the '‘Eye’ Icon to show the ‘/’ Hidden Icon] for each of the unwanted Items.
Tap on a clear space within the Design to Deselect everything.
Then Select, within the Listing, everything that has been Hidden.
Then after checking that none of the visible items are amongst the List Selection, and double checking in the Design that nothing Selected is showing, hit Delete.
It is appreciated that this seems complex [even OTT?] but I emphasise that this is only my MO, do choose what works for you. Double checking before hitting Delete is sound practice.
This sounds long winded, and may be to read, but the alternatives via Exporting still require a similar routine. In addition the alternatives have Exporting and Importing aspects.
Great info. I like the detail. I take it I need a new plane to create separate sketches. My work tonight I’ve created 88 sketches on one plane. Can I move some of these sketches onto another plane ? Or too late this time and needs more forethought next time.
@RobDesign
Wow and I thought I made a mistake with a few Sketches intermixed on one Plane!
Before you begin proper make a Duplicate an ReName it ??? BACKUP.
Begin the rest is easy, so they say? True in this case.
In your situation I would proceed as follows but as always this is only my MO:
-
Hide everything except the 88 Sketch, Sketch.
-
Click on a Closed Shape, larger the better, so that it highlights light Blue.
If nil Closed Shape, make one. -
Add > Construction Plane > set the Offset far enough for comfortable working between the Sketch and CP.
This will produce a Rectangular CP, don’t worry about the size the distance from the original is important. If it is a case of large Sketches overlapping this will not be a problem, you can Hide completed CP+Sketches, Don’t Hide and forget where the CP was positioned otherwise you could find more than the expected Sketches on a CP. Placing the CPs at 5mm [or about 1/4"] increasing increment then listing and crossing these off as used may be very helpful.
ReName CP as soon as possible don’t be tempted to ‘do it later’. -
Choose one of the 88 Sketches that is easiest to Select, take care not to accidentally Deselect by touching the Screen other than via the Feature Icons.
-
Tools > Project > as you have already made your Selection > Next > Tap the CP > Done.
Part of the Selected Sketch may appear on the CP but the rest may appear seemingly in mid air. -
Return to the ** Sketch monster and Delete the Projected Sketch.
-
Repeat 3 above ensuring that the New CP is at a different distance from Sketch monster than the first CP. Experiment to see how manageable this is after a few iterations.
Conceivably it should be possible to keep all of this is one Folder.
However at some point it may be best to Duplicate the Folder you are working on and Delete the CPs and their floating in the air Sketches to clear the way for more Projecting processes to take place? You will have to make judgement on this at the appropriate time.
Take care to Name all New Folders carefully and meaningfully, you are going to need to be sure where everything is at a later stage. -
Repeat 4; 5; 6; 8: [#7 being anyones guess of # required at present?] above another 87 times and you will crack it.
Perfectly doable but it will take time, you have to weigh up the viability against reworking 88 Sketches. Certainly this should teach anyone reading this that Getting and Staying Organised is a very important aspect to consider.
Hopefully some of the Sketches can reside comfortably with one another. Good Luck, please update us 
Hi, thanks for the detailed tips. This works: it creates new duplicate sketches, then I delete the old sketches from the larger group of sketches, but when I move the new sketches and new plane back into their original position the sketches rejoin the larger group and the new sketches as a separate set are gone. Anything else I am missing.
Actually, all good. I just moved these new sketches to the opposite side of the body, and the sketches came up separated. So renamed and have hid them. So it’s worked.
Looking at again. A simpler process is to just move the sketches off the original plane, which then separates the moved sketches from the original large grouping.
Very good news to hear that you got sorted 
, and from what you say seemingly all still in the same Folder?
By:
You are simply reversing the action of moving them to a new Plane, to exist as separate entities the Sketches must have their own Plane.
If you are happy with having only one ‘Sketch Plane’ [read: Named CP] visible at a time you could stack then all on top of each other like a ‘pack of cards’. However the separation must be maintained to keep the Sketches separate.
In the following the CPs are separated by 1.00mm with the bottom CP raised above the YX Plane by 1.00mm, they are 10mm x 10mm Rectangles.
By the Bottom CP being raised above the XY Plane this enables the the latter to be used for Sketching.
In the following the Sketch on the XY Plane was projected onto Plane 07:
Think of these CPs as being Switches. These switch On or Off the entire area covered by the primary plane [in this case XY], at their specific designated level from the XY Plane. However there is a caveat, switching off/hiding the CP does NOT do the same for the Sketch residing on that plane. The Sketch also has to be switched off/hidden as required.
Regarding my above MO. That was conceived to provide a safe and secure means to separate an unusual mass of Sketches. Ongoing you have already realised it is better to be organised and remain organised.
Projection is my choice of relocating Sketches because it is automatic, quick and accurate. Selecting and Moving has to be done properly with care and attention if the process is to be 100%.
Without full details of how you would create a set of CPs for future similar workflow tasks I cannot determine how this would provide improvement. Suffice to say if you NEED 88 separate Planes you will have to create them. Then each Sketch has to be Selected and moved to the chosen CP. As I have no knowledge of the Sketches involved it was reasonable to consider it best to Delete each Sketch after it was properly processed to avoid confusion or repetition.
I have witnessed approximately 5,000 Closed Sketches and they appeared to be simply a ‘pattern’ at a glance. Note that is S3D a Sketch can contain a single Line or Curve or very many more, not an ideal basis for comparison? The object of that particular exercise was to determine how far S3D could be pushed, and IMHO it’s performance was superb.
I will be very interested in your alternative MO, there is always a possibility of improvement.
This is a suggestion for going forward where many Sketches will be involved, when it would seem good practice to set up a ‘stack’ of CPs, as shown above and then:
- Hide them all.
- Sketch on the primary plane and then Project onto a chosen CP.
- Name the CP incorporating the Number if it can be related easily to the Distance above the primary plane. 01 = 1.0mm and so on, if relocating the Sketch is ever necessary this will make moving it precisely very easy. Of course if the metric system is not used this is a tad more tricky.
However the use of the Number can ID both CP and Sketch and making the relationship obvious.
Regarding detail of explanation in my case this has developed out of a need to convey to others what exists, how it can be utilised, how it should be maintained and what the end result could be if established routines were not followed. While at the same time encouraging individual thought and input. This was achieved, in the early days of of ‘home’ computers, by writing a ‘program’ that daily printed out Work Orders for Maintenance Teams. Containing the procedures required for the subject area or equipment with plenty of space for Feedback. Graphics came into my life pre anything 3D and working as a Parts Book Editor-Illustrator most of my work was 2D attempting to masquerade as 3D. S3D is pure luxury.
If you are happy to share the information, by way of feedback. it may be very useful for the wider Community to learn how your iPad has managed to handle this project? E.g., the number of different Sketches and whether the ‘please wait I am working hard’ S3D animated Icon [top centre] as kicked in, and so on.
Bear in mind that all of the above may be subject to change in view of upcoming changes to S3D. But that is a ‘bridge’ I will be happy to cross
Thanks for the tips. I find I’m spending more time organizing and labeling. Using layers is a method.
When I select a whole set of body’s, planes, sketches to copy and move within the design to start a version 2, the body’s and planes copy so I create a new folder that I can hide/unhide as a group, but the sketches copy (double in volume) don’t copy into a new set of sketches, so hence cannot easily move the copies sketches into another folder to work from. Is there an easy way here? Or do I need to tirelessly copy the sketches, then highlight the sketches I want to move then stick on another plane, then move into the new folder as separated copy of sketches.
I would Duplicate the Folder/Design/WhateverName then immediately ReName to avoid confusion.
Then work on the new copy/iteration of the original modifying it as appropriate, probably by simple deletion/replacement of unwanted Sketches?
If there is a need later to combine Folders/Designs this should be done by Importing all those appropriate into a new Folder/Design and so keep the originals intact.
Remember the same Rules regarding Sketches will apply, only one can reside on each Plane, previously separate Sketches become combined when placed on an already occupied Plane.