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About your Data in ZW3D
ZW3D knows that your data is VERY important to you. That's why it has developed the "Active Session" concept and its object-oriented structure with parent/child relationships. Please review the following topics carefully to understand how you data is carefully managed by ZW3D.
In this Article:
ZW3D Sessions
The session concept allows large complex parts and assemblies to be worked on as efficiently as the simplest part. You can view and manipulate the entire design while only the objects and entities being edited are retrieved thus requiring less system resources.
When you create a new file it resides in the active session and contains the initial root objects that you create. When you save the file or save all files for the first time, they are moved from the active session to a permanent directory that you specify.
When you open a file, the active session only retrieves the root objects and sub-objects needed. Also, display information is loaded on-demand. Display information that lies outside the initial view window, that is blanked, or that isn't needed for the active display mode (e.g., facets for shading) is not loaded. This is all transparent to you the user. When you save a file or save all files, the files are updated and then the session is cleared of those files.
The most important thing to remember:The active session is temporary and designed to maintain modifications to one or more ZW3D files during the course of the session. The original ZW3D files are not permanently updated until they are saved.
Also remember this:It is important to remember that the undo and redo history is maintained only during each session and that every time a file in the session is saved, the undo/redo history is reset.
ZW3D Objects
ZW3D files (such as Parts.Z3) contain all of the information created for a design. This information is stored in top level root objects such as parts, assemblies, drawing packets, CAM process plans, etc. These root objects also contain lower level sub-objects such as sketches and attributes. This object-oriented structure allows for the efficient management of complex designs. Portions of files and objects are loaded into the active session as needed where they are edited and saved when the ZW3D file is saved.
Parent Objects
ZW3D utilizes an object-oriented structure with parent/child relationships. Beginning with the active session, objects within files are activated for editing. Each activated object is a child of its parent (i.e., the object that activated it). For example, when you open a file and then activate a part in the file for editing, the part is the child (i.e., the active object) and the file is its parent.
The relationship progresses further. When you create a sketch in the part and work on it, the sketch becomes the child (i.e., the active object) and the part is its parent.
The relationship continues with assemblies and drawing packets. A component in an assembly is the child of the part that was active when the component was inserted. Once inserted, the component becomes the new active object. Drawing packets are root objects like parts. They are children of the active file when created.
Drawing sheets when created are children of the active drawing packet. A drawing packet can have many drawing sheets. A drawing sheet can be the child of one or more drawing packets. It is important to note that sketches and drawing sheets can also be root objects like parts (i.e., children of one or more files).
Here are more important things to remember:
The ZW3D interface automatically adapts to the type of object that is currently active (e.g., part, sketch, or drawing sheet) and all commands apply to that active object.
Pick the Exit Level icon from the Tool Bar to exit the active object and activate its parent. Picking the icon repeatedly will return you all the way up to the object level.