Introduction
User Interface
Components
Scripting
Framework
Physics
Virtual Commissioning
Digital Shadow
Analysis
Tutorials

Explorer

The explorer lists entities that are currently alive in the virtual world. You can select entities, rename entities, copy entities, paste entities, reparent entities, search for entities, delete existing entities, create new entities and group entities.

Selecting Entities

Select entities by left-clicking on an entity. You can select or deselect multiple entities by holding the CTRL key. You can select multiple consecutive entities by holding the SHIFT key. You can clear the selection by left-clicking on empty space in the viewport (e.g. the floor or the sky).

Renaming Entities

Rename entities by right-clicking on an entity, then selecting Rename from the context menu and entering a new name.

Searching Entities

Search for entities using the search field, either by entity name and/or by component name. ProtoTwin will search for entities by entity name by default. If you prefix your search term with a colon, ProtoTwin will search for entities by component name instead. For example, use :motor to search for entities that have a MotorComponent or :suction gripper to search for entities that have a SuctionGripperComponent.

You can use the search button to toggle the flags to search for entities by entity name, and/or by component name. This will filter the list and only display the entities that match your search term.

Reparenting Entities

Reparent entities using drag and drop. Simply drag an entity and drop it on top of another entity.

Copy and Pasting Entities

Copy entities by right-clicking on an entity and then selecting Copy from the context menu. You can then paste the entity by right-clicking in the explorer and selecting Paste. You can paste the entity as a child of another entity by right-clicking on an entity, then selecting Paste Child from the context menu.

It is possible to copy many entities. First select all the entities you want to copy using either the CTRL key or SHIFT key. Next, right-click on one of the selected entities and select Copy from the context menu. You can also duplicate entities using the transform gizmo by holding the CTRL key when translating.

Grouping Entities

Group entities by first selecting many entities, then right-click and select Group from the context menu. This will create a new entity and make all the selected entities a child of this new entity. The parent entity will be positioned at the center of the axis aligned bounding box of the grouped entities.

This may be helpful when trying to annotate robots, though it is recommended that you group parts in the CAD software by creating subassemblies.

Deleting Entities

Delete entities by right-clicking on an entity, then select Delete from the context menu.

Creating Entities

Create entities by right-clicking in the explorer, then select Create from the context menu. You can create a child by right-clicking on an entity, then selecting Create Child from the context menu. There are some additional options that will cause a graphics component to be added to the created entity:

  • Create Sphere
  • Create Box
  • Create Cylinder
  • Create Cone

Toggling Entity Visibility

You can toggle the visibility of entities that have a graphics component by right-clicking on an entity, then selecting Visibility from the context menu. This will result in the mesh no longer being displayed in the viewport.