Using the Clipboard with Object Selection

While working on the setup of a simulation, you can collect simulation objects, such as parts, on the fly for later use in, for example, reports, derived parts, regions, or summaries. You copy these objects directly from a scene or the simulation tree to the clipboard. The collected clipboard items can then populate the list in an object selection dialog. In addition, you can copy the selections of one object selection dialog to another.

For example:

• While navigating a scene, you detect two cylinders for which you want to run a report.
• While navigating the simulation tree, you detect ten lug nut parts to assign to a region.

To select objects using the clipboard:

1. Within a scene or the simulation tree, select the objects that you plan to use further in an object selection dialog.

   Note

   To select parts in a scene display, make sure that you select the proper type of part. For example, if you select part surfaces and a derived part, those objects together cannot be used as inputs for an action such as combining. To filter objects that you select in the scene, see Filtering the Selections.

2. Copy the objects to the clipboard (using the context menu item, the toolbar button, or <Ctrl><C>).
3. Activate the object selector in the property (for example, Parts) of the node that is supposed to access the objects on the clipboard (see Activating the Object Selection Dialog).
4. To paste a selection of the objects contained on the clipboard according to a filter, apply the filter before you activate the clipboard selection. See Filtering Using Filter Objects.

5. In the object selection dialog, right-click in the view panel and choose Paste Selection .

   Alternatively, click (Paste Selection from Clipboard).

   As you hover with the mouse pointer over the Paste Selection from Clipboard button, a message in the lower left corner of the dialog indicates how many objects are available on the clipboard.
   
   

   The available number of parts depends on the domain of the object selector. For example, if you click the Parts property of a region, the object selector expects parts. If you select two parts and one region in your clipboard, only two of the clipboard items (the two parts) are considered compatible. The region cannot be added to the Parts property of a region.

   After you click the Paste Selection from Clipboard button, the objects on the clipboard appear in the list of selected objects.