[Feature Request] #7039 - Box Selection for TechDraw lines

[ToniTen]

I was hiding some lines from a TechDraw drawing (using TechDraw_DecotateLine) made from a STEP file, and had some issues because:

• Each time I used TechDraw_DecotateLine, I had to wait over 30s for it to appear, because of the fact that it came from a STEP file with a not great geometry
• The only way I knew to select multiple was control+click
• Some of the lines where so small that the vertices basically partially overlap one another, and thus didn't allow me selecting the line (sure, change vertex scale to a low value to avoid)
• There were a lot of lines to select, making it extremely slow, and it was easy to accidentally miss-click and select things I didn't wanted

It would have been trivial if I could use box selection to select all the lines in an area at the same time. I could not find a way to do this, and my searching the wiki and forum only led me to believe no such thing is possible right now (though). Am I wrong, and there's a way to do this that I'm just not seeing? If there isn't a way, then maybe it's something relatively simple to add?

My FreeCAD version information

Code: Select all

OS: Ubuntu 18.04.6 LTS (XFCE/xubuntu)
Word size of FreeCAD: 64-bit
Version: 0.20.
Build type: Release
Branch: unknown
Hash: 0c43dab7969a7a8ab014ea9da1398baff15bc90c
Python 3.6.9, Qt 5.9.5, Coin 4.0.0a, Vtk 7.1.1, OCC 7.5.2
Locale: Spanish/Spain (es_ES)
Installed mods: 
  * fasteners 0.11.3
  * Assembly3 0.11.3
  * fcgear 1.0.0
  * Manipulator 1.4.3

[NewJoker]

Right, this could be really useful. There are already at least 3 tools for box selection:
- in the Sketcher - this one is the most natural since you just have to drag the cursor without enabling a special tool
- in the Part module - Part BoxSelection
- in general 3D viewport options - Std BoxSelection

To be honest, it would be best to replace these two latter tools with simple support for dragging with the cursor regardless of which module is used. So something like in the Sketcher but for the whole program. This would also be very useful in the FEM module, as discussed here: https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=66654

But for now (until such universal box selection capability is eventually implemented) TechDraw could benefit from a box selection tool based on existing ones.

[Shalmeneser]

- in the Sketcher - this one is the most natural since you just have to drag the cursor without enabling a special tool

* from left to rigth : select object completely in the box
* from right to left : select object partially in the box

[NewJoker]

* from left to rigth : select object completely in the box
* from right to left : select object partially in the box

Yes, that’s how it could also work in TechDraw.

[wandererfan]

If there isn't a way, then maybe it's something relatively simple to add?

There is no box selection now. It seems selecting whole views with a box is straight forward, but not terribly useful. Selecting geometry inside a view with a box looks complicated, but possible.

This is worth doing. Please make a ticket so it doesn't get forgotten.

[ToniTen]

There is no box selection now. It seems selecting whole views with a box is straight forward, but not terribly useful. Selecting geometry inside a view with a box looks complicated, but possible.

This is worth doing. Please make a ticket so it doesn't get forgotten.

Done!
issue #7039
I didn't want to do this as, as far as I understand, the bug tracker should not be used until there's some discussion on the forums, to keep the signal to noise ratio low

[wandererfan]

Done!
issue #7039

Thank you!