Solid Body Material Filter Tool
Using this tool, you can control the visibility of specific solid bodies on your screen using the attributes assigned before. When creating components, it simplifies the process of organizing them. This tool automatically adjusts visibility based on the chosen materials. If no attribute is found, it hides them among the others. Without Weight option at the bottom displays all bodies without any weight information, so you can double check your work.
Main thread:
https://www.nxjournaling.com/content/easy-material-weight-management-part-1
EW_Material Filter
' Written by TWoller - March 2024, V101
' Journal desciption: you can control the visibility of specific solid bodies on your screen using the attributes assigned before.
' Shared on NXJournaling.com
' Written in VB.Net
' Tested on Siemens NX 2212 and 2306, Native and Teamcenter 13
' V100 - Initial Release - November 2023
' V101 - Added Configuration settings
Option Strict Off
Imports System
Imports NXOpen
Imports System.Collections.Generic
Imports System.Drawing
Module Module1
Private Const _attributeTitle As String = "EW_Material"
Private _attributeValue As String '= ""
'------------------------
' Configuration Settings:
' The first item in the list will appear in the display window, while the second item represents the material name the system searches for within the solid body.
Public materials = New String() {
"Plywood - 12mm ,12mm Plywood",
"Softwood ,SOFTWOOD",
"Hardwood ,HARDWOOD",
"Upholstery - Fabric ,Fabric",
"Upholstery - Cushion ,Cushion",
"Fiddle ,FIDDLE",
"Mirror ,MIRROR",
"Stainless Steel ,Stainless Steel",
"Without Weight ,empty"
}
'------------------------
Sub UpdateView(ByRef theSession As Session, workPart As Part, attributeValue As String)
Dim bodies() As Body = workPart.Bodies.ToArray()
Dim bodiesToShow As New List(Of Body)
Dim bodiesToHide As New List(Of Body)
For Each body As Body In bodies
Dim attrInfo As NXObject.AttributeInformation
Try
attrInfo = body.GetUserAttribute(_attributeTitle, NXObject.AttributeType.String, -1)
If _attributeValue = "empty" Then
bodiesToHide.Add(body)
ElseIf attrInfo.StringValue = _attributeValue Then
bodiesToShow.Add(body)
Else
bodiesToHide.Add(body)
End If
Catch ex As NXException
If _attributeValue = "empty" Then
bodiesToShow.Add(body)
Else
bodiesToHide.Add(body)
End If
End Try
Next
If bodiesToHide.Count > 0 Then
theSession.DisplayManager.BlankObjects(bodiesToHide.ToArray())
End If
If bodiesToShow.Count > 0 Then
theSession.DisplayManager.UnblankObjects(bodiesToShow.ToArray())
End If
End Sub
Sub Main()
Dim theSession As Session = Session.GetSession()
Dim markId1 As NXOpen.Session.UndoMarkId
markId1 = theSession.SetUndoMark(NXOpen.Session.MarkVisibility.Visible, "Material Filter")
If IsNothing(theSession.Parts.Work) Then
Return
End If
Dim workPart As Part = theSession.Parts.Work
Dim lw As ListingWindow = theSession.ListingWindow
lw.Open()
Try
Dim myAttributeInfo = workPart.GetUserAttribute(_attributeTitle, NXObject.AttributeType.String, -1)
_attributeValue = myAttributeInfo.StringValue
Catch ex As NXException
If ex.ErrorCode <> 512008 Then
MsgBox(ex.ErrorCode & ": " & ex.Message)
Return
End If
End Try
Dim myForm As New Form1
myForm.AttributeTitle = "Select One from the Following Options:"
myForm.AttributeValue = _attributeValue
' Attach an event handler
AddHandler myForm.ApplyButtonClicked, Sub(sender, e)
_attributeValue = myForm.AttributeValue
UpdateView(theSession, workPart, _attributeValue)
workPart.SetUserAttribute(_attributeTitle, -1, _attributeValue, Update.Option.Now)
End Sub
' Main interaction loop
Do
myForm.ShowDialog()
If myForm.Canceled Then
Exit Do
End If
Loop
lw.Close()
End Sub
Public Function GetUnloadOption(ByVal dummy As String) As Integer
GetUnloadOption = NXOpen.Session.LibraryUnloadOption.Immediately
End Function
End Module
Public Class Form1
Public Event ApplyButtonClicked As EventHandler
Private materialDictionary As New Dictionary(Of String, String)
Private _frmAttributeTitle As String
Public Property AttributeTitle() As String
Get
Return _frmAttributeTitle
End Get
Set(ByVal value As String)
_frmAttributeTitle = value
End Set
End Property
Private _frmAttributeValue As String
Public Property AttributeValue() As String
Get
Return _frmAttributeValue
End Get
Set(ByVal value As String)
_frmAttributeValue = value
End Set
End Property
Private _canceled As Boolean = False
Public ReadOnly Property Canceled() As Boolean
Get
Return _canceled
End Get
End Property
Private Sub Form1_Load(sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load
Label1.Text = _frmAttributeTitle
PopulateMaterialList() ' This line calls the PopulateMaterialList method to fill the ListBox
ListBox1.SelectedItem = _frmAttributeValue
' Set the color properties
Me.BackColor = Color.FromArgb(55, 55, 55)
btnApply.BackColor = Color.FromArgb(50, 50, 50)
btnQuit.BackColor = Color.FromArgb(50, 50, 50)
' Set the font colors to white
btnApply.ForeColor = Color.White
btnQuit.ForeColor = Color.White
Label1.ForeColor = Color.White
End Sub
Private Sub PopulateMaterialList()
' Clear existing entries to avoid duplicates
materialDictionary.Clear()
ListBox1.Items.Clear() ' Clear existing ListBox items
For Each material As String In materials
Dim parts = material.Split(",")
Dim displayName = parts(0).Trim()
Dim attributeValue = parts(1).Trim()
' Skip adding if key already exists
If Not materialDictionary.ContainsKey(displayName) Then
materialDictionary.Add(displayName, attributeValue)
ListBox1.Items.Add(displayName) ' Populate the ListBox
End If
Next
End Sub
Private Sub btnApply_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles btnApply.Click
'MsgBox("Apply button clicked") ' Debugging line to ensure the method is triggered
If ListBox1.SelectedItem IsNot Nothing Then
Dim selectedAlias As String = ListBox1.SelectedItem.ToString()
_frmAttributeValue = materialDictionary(selectedAlias)
RaiseEvent ApplyButtonClicked(Me, EventArgs.Empty)
Else
' You might want to display a warning to the user to select an item
End If
End Sub
Private Sub btnQuit_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles btnQuit.Click
' Explicitly call the update function here to verify if this is causing the intended behavior
Dim theSession As Session = Session.GetSession()
If Not IsNothing(theSession.Parts.Work) Then
Dim workPart As Part = theSession.Parts.Work
End If
_canceled = True
Me.Close()
End Sub
End Class
_
Partial Class Form1
Inherits System.Windows.Forms.Form
'Form overrides dispose to clean up the component list.
_
Protected Overrides Sub Dispose(ByVal disposing As Boolean)
Try
If disposing AndAlso components IsNot Nothing Then
components.Dispose()
End If
Finally
MyBase.Dispose(disposing)
End Try
End Sub
'Required by the Windows Form Designer
Private components As System.ComponentModel.IContainer
'NOTE: The following procedure is required by the Windows Form Designer
'It can be modified using the Windows Form Designer, or just start playing with the numbers
_
Private Sub InitializeComponent()
Me.ListBox1 = New System.Windows.Forms.ListBox()
Me.Label1 = New System.Windows.Forms.Label()
Me.btnApply = New System.Windows.Forms.Button()
Me.btnQuit = New System.Windows.Forms.Button()
Me.SuspendLayout()
'
'ListBox1
'
Me.ListBox1.FormattingEnabled = True
Me.ListBox1.Location = New System.Drawing.Point(220, 20) ' This is the starting point for the ListBox in the Window - Width, Height
Me.ListBox1.Name = "ListBox1"
Me.ListBox1.Size = New System.Drawing.Size(150, 400) ' This is the Overall size of the ListBox - Width, Height
Me.ListBox1.TabIndex = 1
'
'Label1
'
Me.Label1.AutoSize = True
Me.Label1.FlatStyle = System.Windows.Forms.FlatStyle.Popup
Me.Label1.Font = New System.Drawing.Font("Microsoft Sans Serif", 8.25!, System.Drawing.FontStyle.Bold, System.Drawing.GraphicsUnit.Point, CType(0, Byte))
Me.Label1.Location = New System.Drawing.Point(5, 20)
Me.Label1.Name = "Label1"
Me.Label1.Size = New System.Drawing.Size(123, 13)
Me.Label1.TabIndex = 2
Me.Label1.Text = "SELECT_MATERIAL"
'
'btnApply
'
Me.btnApply.Location = New System.Drawing.Point(12, 386) ' This is the starting point for the Button in the Window - Width, Height
Me.btnApply.Name = "btnApply"
Me.btnApply.Size = New System.Drawing.Size(75, 23) ' This is the Overall size of the Button - Width, Height
Me.btnApply.TabIndex = 3
Me.btnApply.Text = "Apply"
Me.btnApply.UseVisualStyleBackColor = True
'
'btnQuit
'
Me.btnQuit.Location = New System.Drawing.Point(119, 386) ' This is the starting point for the Button in the Window - Width, Height
Me.btnQuit.Name = "btnQuit"
Me.btnQuit.Size = New System.Drawing.Size(75, 23) ' This is the Overall size of the Button - Width, Height
Me.btnQuit.TabIndex = 4
Me.btnQuit.Text = "Quit"
Me.btnQuit.UseVisualStyleBackColor = True
'
'Form1
'
Me.AutoScaleDimensions = New System.Drawing.SizeF(6.0!, 13.0!)
Me.AutoScaleMode = System.Windows.Forms.AutoScaleMode.Font
Me.ClientSize = New System.Drawing.Size(380, 420) ' This is the Overall size of the Window - Width, Height
Me.Controls.Add(Me.btnQuit)
Me.Controls.Add(Me.btnApply)
Me.Controls.Add(Me.Label1)
Me.Controls.Add(Me.ListBox1)
Me.Name = "Form1"
Me.Text = "Solid Body Filter Tool"
Me.ResumeLayout(False)
Me.PerformLayout()
End Sub
Friend WithEvents ListBox1 As System.Windows.Forms.ListBox
Friend WithEvents Label1 As System.Windows.Forms.Label
Friend WithEvents btnApply As System.Windows.Forms.Button
Friend WithEvents btnQuit As System.Windows.Forms.Button
End Class
NX_Material Filter
' Written by TWoller - March 2024, V101
' Journal desciption: you can control the visibility of specific solid bodies on your screen using the material names assigned before.
' Shared on NXJournaling.com
' Written in VB.Net
' Tested on Siemens NX 2212 and 2306, Native and Teamcenter 13
' V100 - Initial Release - November 2023
' V101 - Added Configuration settings
Option Strict Off
Imports System
Imports NXOpen
Imports System.Collections.Generic
Imports System.Drawing
Module Module1
Private _attributeValue As String '= ""
'------------------------
' Configuration Settings:
' The first item in the list will appear in the display window, while the second item represents the material name the system searches for within the solid body.
Public materials = New String() {
"Plywood - 12mm ,12mm Plywood",
"Softwood ,SOFTWOOD",
"Hardwood ,HARDWOOD",
"Upholstery - Fabric ,Fabric",
"Upholstery - Cushion ,Cushion",
"Fiddle ,FIDDLE",
"Mirror ,MIRROR",
"Stainless Steel ,Stainless Steel",
"Without Weight ,empty"
}
'------------------------
Sub UpdateView(ByRef theSession As Session, workPart As Part, attributeValue As String)
Dim bodies() As Body = workPart.Bodies.ToArray()
Dim bodiesToShow As New List(Of Body)
Dim bodiesToHide As New List(Of Body)
For Each body As Body In bodies
Dim materialName As String = String.Empty
Try
' Attempt to retrieve the material name from the body's attributes
materialName = body.GetStringAttribute("Material")
If attributeValue = "empty" Then
bodiesToHide.Add(body)
ElseIf materialName.Equals(attributeValue, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase) Then
bodiesToShow.Add(body)
Else
bodiesToHide.Add(body)
End If
Catch ex As NXException
If attributeValue = "empty" Then
bodiesToShow.Add(body)
Else
bodiesToHide.Add(body)
End If
End Try
Next
' Hide bodies not matching the selected material
If bodiesToHide.Count > 0 Then
theSession.DisplayManager.BlankObjects(bodiesToHide.ToArray())
End If
' Show bodies matching the selected material
If bodiesToShow.Count > 0 Then
theSession.DisplayManager.UnblankObjects(bodiesToShow.ToArray())
End If
End Sub
Sub Main()
Dim theSession As Session = Session.GetSession()
Dim markId1 As NXOpen.Session.UndoMarkId
markId1 = theSession.SetUndoMark(NXOpen.Session.MarkVisibility.Visible, "Material Filter")
If IsNothing(theSession.Parts.Work) Then
Return
End If
Dim workPart As Part = theSession.Parts.Work
Dim lw As ListingWindow = theSession.ListingWindow
lw.Open()
Dim myForm As New Form1
myForm.AttributeTitle = "Select One from the Following Options:"
AddHandler myForm.ApplyButtonClicked, Sub(sender, e)
_attributeValue = myForm.AttributeValue
UpdateView(theSession, workPart, _attributeValue)
' Force NX to refresh its graphics display
theSession.Parts.Work.Views.Refresh()
End Sub
Do
myForm.ShowDialog()
If myForm.Canceled Then
Exit Do
End If
Loop
lw.Close()
End Sub
Public Function GetUnloadOption(ByVal dummy As String) As Integer
GetUnloadOption = NXOpen.Session.LibraryUnloadOption.Immediately
End Function
End Module
Public Class Form1
Public Event ApplyButtonClicked As EventHandler
Private materialDictionary As New Dictionary(Of String, String)
Private _frmAttributeTitle As String
Public Property AttributeTitle() As String
Get
Return _frmAttributeTitle
End Get
Set(ByVal value As String)
_frmAttributeTitle = value
End Set
End Property
Private _frmAttributeValue As String
Public Property AttributeValue() As String
Get
Return _frmAttributeValue
End Get
Set(ByVal value As String)
_frmAttributeValue = value
End Set
End Property
Private _canceled As Boolean = False
Public ReadOnly Property Canceled() As Boolean
Get
Return _canceled
End Get
End Property
Private Sub Form1_Load(sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load
Label1.Text = _frmAttributeTitle
PopulateMaterialList() ' This line calls the PopulateMaterialList method to fill the ListBox
ListBox1.SelectedItem = _frmAttributeValue
' Set the color properties
Me.BackColor = Color.FromArgb(55, 55, 55)
btnApply.BackColor = Color.FromArgb(50, 50, 50)
btnQuit.BackColor = Color.FromArgb(50, 50, 50)
' Set the font colors to white
btnApply.ForeColor = Color.White
btnQuit.ForeColor = Color.White
Label1.ForeColor = Color.White
End Sub
Private Sub PopulateMaterialList()
' Clear existing entries to avoid duplicates
materialDictionary.Clear()
ListBox1.Items.Clear() ' Clear existing ListBox items
For Each material As String In materials
Dim parts = material.Split(",")
Dim displayName = parts(0).Trim()
Dim attributeValue = parts(1).Trim()
' Skip adding if key already exists
If Not materialDictionary.ContainsKey(displayName) Then
materialDictionary.Add(displayName, attributeValue)
ListBox1.Items.Add(displayName) ' Populate the ListBox
End If
Next
End Sub
Private Sub btnApply_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles btnApply.Click
'MsgBox("Apply button clicked") ' Debugging line to ensure the method is triggered
If ListBox1.SelectedItem IsNot Nothing Then
Dim selectedAlias As String = ListBox1.SelectedItem.ToString()
_frmAttributeValue = materialDictionary(selectedAlias)
RaiseEvent ApplyButtonClicked(Me, EventArgs.Empty)
Else
' You might want to display a warning to select an item
End If
End Sub
Private Sub btnQuit_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles btnQuit.Click
Dim theSession As Session = Session.GetSession()
If Not IsNothing(theSession.Parts.Work) Then
Dim workPart As Part = theSession.Parts.Work
End If
_canceled = True
Me.Close()
End Sub
End Class
_
Partial Class Form1
Inherits System.Windows.Forms.Form
'Form overrides dispose to clean up the component list.
_
Protected Overrides Sub Dispose(ByVal disposing As Boolean)
Try
If disposing AndAlso components IsNot Nothing Then
components.Dispose()
End If
Finally
MyBase.Dispose(disposing)
End Try
End Sub
'Required by the Windows Form Designer
Private components As System.ComponentModel.IContainer
'NOTE: The following procedure is required by the Windows Form Designer
'It can be modified using the Windows Form Designer, or just start playing with the numbers
_
Private Sub InitializeComponent()
Me.ListBox1 = New System.Windows.Forms.ListBox()
Me.Label1 = New System.Windows.Forms.Label()
Me.btnApply = New System.Windows.Forms.Button()
Me.btnQuit = New System.Windows.Forms.Button()
Me.SuspendLayout()
'
'ListBox1
'
Me.ListBox1.FormattingEnabled = True
Me.ListBox1.Location = New System.Drawing.Point(220, 20) ' This is the starting point for the ListBox in the Window - Width, Height
Me.ListBox1.Name = "ListBox1"
Me.ListBox1.Size = New System.Drawing.Size(150, 400) ' This is the Overall size of the ListBox - Width, Height
Me.ListBox1.TabIndex = 1
'
'Label1
'
Me.Label1.AutoSize = True
Me.Label1.FlatStyle = System.Windows.Forms.FlatStyle.Popup
Me.Label1.Font = New System.Drawing.Font("Microsoft Sans Serif", 8.25!, System.Drawing.FontStyle.Bold, System.Drawing.GraphicsUnit.Point, CType(0, Byte))
Me.Label1.Location = New System.Drawing.Point(5, 20)
Me.Label1.Name = "Label1"
Me.Label1.Size = New System.Drawing.Size(123, 13)
Me.Label1.TabIndex = 2
Me.Label1.Text = "SELECT_MATERIAL"
'
'btnApply
'
Me.btnApply.Location = New System.Drawing.Point(12, 386) ' This is the starting point for the Button in the Window - Width, Height
Me.btnApply.Name = "btnApply"
Me.btnApply.Size = New System.Drawing.Size(75, 23) ' This is the Overall size of the Button - Width, Height
Me.btnApply.TabIndex = 3
Me.btnApply.Text = "Apply"
Me.btnApply.UseVisualStyleBackColor = True
'
'btnQuit
'
Me.btnQuit.Location = New System.Drawing.Point(119, 386) ' This is the starting point for the Button in the Window - Width, Height
Me.btnQuit.Name = "btnQuit"
Me.btnQuit.Size = New System.Drawing.Size(75, 23) ' This is the Overall size of the Button - Width, Height
Me.btnQuit.TabIndex = 4
Me.btnQuit.Text = "Quit"
Me.btnQuit.UseVisualStyleBackColor = True
'
'Form1
'
Me.AutoScaleDimensions = New System.Drawing.SizeF(6.0!, 13.0!)
Me.AutoScaleMode = System.Windows.Forms.AutoScaleMode.Font
Me.ClientSize = New System.Drawing.Size(380, 420) ' This is the Overall size of the Window - Width, Height
Me.Controls.Add(Me.btnQuit)
Me.Controls.Add(Me.btnApply)
Me.Controls.Add(Me.Label1)
Me.Controls.Add(Me.ListBox1)
Me.Name = "Form1"
Me.Text = "Solid Body Filter Tool"
Me.ResumeLayout(False)
Me.PerformLayout()
End Sub
Friend WithEvents ListBox1 As System.Windows.Forms.ListBox
Friend WithEvents Label1 As System.Windows.Forms.Label
Friend WithEvents btnApply As System.Windows.Forms.Button
Friend WithEvents btnQuit As System.Windows.Forms.Button
End Class
Links:
Go to Part 3