Screen presentation

The TopSolid screen will appear as follows, at the first use of TopSolid :

(Let the cursor float over an area for a few seconds to know its name) 

The different screen areas are :

• The title bars (software and document),

• The menus,

• The icons bars,

• The prompt line bar,

• The status bar

• The graphic palette,

• The alpha bar,

• The graphic area,

• The compass.

The prompt line bar

After starting a function, you usually have questions and button options that will be prompted in the prompt line bar. To get more details see the interactive chapter.

Since release 6.4.347 and to minimize mouse pointer displacement this bar is located just under the Service icon bar. You can change its location by adding a keyword in your configuration file .

The status bar

This bar allows you to display the current status of values at the bottom of the screen . The information you can display will depend on your current application. To get more details see the interactive Chapter.

The alpha bar

This window, also called message window, displays the values previously keyed in by the user and information messages as well. When you need to use a value or expression already entered, you can highlight the text in this alpha bar, copy it (Ctrl+C) and paste it (Ctrl+V) in the field where you want to use it.

You can remove or display this bar by right clicking on the menu bar and selecting it in the menu that appears

You can also choose the number of lines displayed or empty it by right clicking on it and selecting the number in the menu that appears

The symbolic tree

Right between the graphic area and the system icon bar there is a vertical separation. When you put your cursor on top of it, its representation changes to a double horizontal arrow. If you click on it, or click and drag it to the right an empty window will appear. It is the window of the symbolic tree also called Model Manager Tree.

The symbolic tree allows you to edit elements of your document and visualize their tree structure. In order to edit an element from the symbolic tree, put your cursor in the symbolic tree window, and push the right mouse button. In the menu that appears underneath your cursor select the Edit option. Then you select the element of which you want to see the tree structure, in the graphic window. This tree structure will be displayed in the symbolic tree window.

See Model Manager Tree to get more information about the possibilities the symbolic tree offers.