Getting Started Tutorials - MechDesigner > Elements, Symbols, Dialog-boxes, and Parameters

As models become more complex, it becomes more important to rename elements.

Rename

After you rename an element, it remains possible to identify the element-type from its icon. The icon pre-pends the element-name in the Element Explorer. Also, if you select the element, the icon shows in the Selection-Window.

How to Rename an Element:

There are three(3) methods to rename an element:

Method 1: Name the Element with its dialog-box

STEP 1: Open an element's dialog-box:

1.Double-Click the element-name (in the white box) at the top of the dialog-box

2.Enter a new element-name

3.Press the Enter key on your keyboard.

Unfortunately, not all element-types have a dialog-box with which you can rename the element.

Method 2: Rename elements in the Element-Explorer

STEP 1: Do the Windows® procedure:

1.Click, pause, click the element-name in the Element-Explorer, e.g. the Assembly-Tree

The element's name should highlight in blue .

2.Enter a new element-name

3.Press the Enter key on your keyboard

Unfortunately, not all element-types show in the Assembly-Tree.

Method 3: Rename dialog-box

This method applies to all elements you can click in the Graphic-Area, Assembly-Tree, Geometry-Tree, Kinematics-Tree.

STEP 1: Open the Rename dialog:

1.Click an element, in the graphic-area or the Element-Explorer, so that it shows in the Selection-Window

In the Selection-Window:

2.Right-click the element-name that you want to rename

3.Click Rename element in the contextual-menu

The Rename dialog-box is now open.

STEP 2: Enter a New Name to replace the Old Name:

Rename dialog

1.Enter a New Name (add a Letter to the end of the New-Name e.g. NewName-A ; and not a number)

In this case, I have entered: Gear-Center-Line-A