The Search Tool Workflow

The search tool is embedded within the Surface Repair tool.

The controls and options for the search tool are located in the slide out panel, located on the right side of the Graphics window. See Surface Repair User Interface: The Diagnostics Panel.

To set up and run a search:

  1. In the slide out panel, select Search.
    The slide out panel displays the search options. Existing search filters are displayed in this panel.
  2. Click Manage to set up the search filters.
    The Create/Modify Search Filters panel opens.
  3. To create a new filter, click New.
    A blank filter is added to the list on the top half of the panel. The bottom half of the panel specifies predicates that define the filter.

  4. If desired, rename the filter to something more specific by double-clicking the in the table row where the filter name is shown.
  5. If desired, click on the color to choose a different color.
    This option controls the color in the Graphics window for surfaces that match the search filter criteria.
  6. In the editor in the bottom-half of the panel, select a predicate from the drop-down list, for example Volume.


    A predicate definition is added to the editor in the bottom-half of the panel. The definition forms the logical argument that defines the filter term. See Filters and Predicates Reference.
  7. Define the search term.
    Typically, you define the root predicate in the first drop-down list, then choose what part of the geometry you want the search to act on in the second drop-down list (known as grouping mechanisms, see Filters and Predicates Reference: Grouping Mechanisms). Further options may be available if you choose a predicate that requires a range and a value, for example volume.
    In many cases, you can use the query tools to help you find specific values to use in the filter. For example, when using volume as a predicate in a search term, you can select all the faces that define a bolt on a car wheel assembly, use the Volume of the Selected Faces tool to calculate the volume that is enclosed by these faces, then use this value in the search term. For a complete list of query tools that complement the search function, see Query Tools Reference. In the example below, the bolts are defined as any volume being below the specified amount.


  8. Click (Commit Changes) to complete the search term.
  9. If required, add further search terms to the existing filter.
  10. If desired, create and define additional filters.
  11. Click Execute All to run the search.
    If you want to execute a single filter, click the status icon next to the desired filter.
    The status of each filter is updated. The number of faces that match the search criteria are displayed in the Count column next to each filter.

    In the Graphics window, the part faces that match the search criteria for each filter are colored in the respective color for that filter.

  12. Click the number under the Count column for a particular filter to select all faces that match the filter criteria.


  13. You can interact with the selected faces in the same way as any selections in the Surface Repair tool.
    Some useful capabilities that work well with the search tool are tags, and creating new parts from the selection. For example, if you import a discretized surface of a complex assembly, and some components are merged together in a single part, you can quickly search for and identify individual parts and tag them by right-clicking the surfaces and selecting the appropriate option (parts or part surfaces). Tags are created and stored in the simulation tree, outside the Surface Repair tool.
  14. If desired, you can activate/deactivate individual search filters.


    The faces that match the filter criteria are no longer colored in the Graphics window. Deactivated filters are not executed when you click Execute All.

  15. Click Close to close the expanded panel and return to the summary view of the slide out panel.
    Deactivated filters do not appear in the summary view of the slide out panel.