Troubles selecting text or dimensions from side views

Why it is impossible to select text or dimensions from side views?
Imagine text stacked on several levels, how to pick the right one? Anyone has a trick or workaround?

Can you send us an image of what you are talking about?

It’s simple:
imagine having building plans stacked vertically


if you want to group them individually, it’s impossible from top view and difficult from perspective view.
You’d use, naturally, side views, but when selection windows is dragged over selected objects it pics everything but text and dimensions. They are non-existing in side views or low-angle perspective views:

notice disappearing dimensions

You are right. Once you turn the dimensions at a steep angle they disappear. Have never noticed that.

That would select all of them. See the top of the post.
I’m interested in selecting elements on a certain height only.

Nope. That would create huge number of layers.

Looks like 4 levels; without a 3dm file, just guessing.2020-03-05_9-16-06

You are talking about this exact case, I am talking about general problem where you are unable to select text and dimension from side views.
Do a test.

  1. Place any text + dimension
  2. Array it vertically, any number
  3. Try to select anything from front/back/right/left views.

Yes I am; thought you were too.

Dunno. Plan ahead? Each floor level on its own layer?
Hypothetical question; hard to answer. Specific question; usually solvable.
Cheers

Yeah, it was deliberately designed this way, I think…

There are some scripted workarounds possible - for example selecting all dimension objects on a specific Z level - would that help in this case?

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Yeah, it would. How’d you do that?

Hang on a few, I need to modify one of my existing scripts to accept dimensions…

Please extend it for text as well…

Here’s script # 1 - It will look at all the dimensions and texts that are selectable on a plane parallel to world XY and if some are found, it will analyze the total range of levels. You can then choose a range of levels within that to select (like a ‘slice’). Entering the same value for min and max Z level will select only a elements exactly on that level.

This is not incredibly useful perhaps - it is adapted from a script for selecting a series of contour curves by Z level, but it was the fastest to modify.

I will put out a second one shortly, that will have you select one text or dimension from each level you need and it will select all of the other elements on the same level - that I think will be more useful.

SelAnnByZLevel.py (1.9 KB)

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Mitch
You’re my hero.
I have folder with your name and your scripts, using them quite frequently.

You maybe want to spell my name right… :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:
(e and not a in the last name)

Ooops. Really sorry. Already corrected.

No problem. It’s actually similar to the way most people pronounce it when they read it - “Hey-Nick”. But it’s actually supposed to be pronounced “Hi-Nick” Go figure.

Anything you should know or me to worry about?


Works anyway :slight_smile:

Merde. Forgot to change one of the variable names in the reporting section… Fixed, re-download from link above.