Using Visualization Filters

This task explains how to use visualization filters which are groups of layers. You then apply the filter to visualize (or not) only those objects located on the layers in the filter.
See also Layers and Visualization Filters.

Open the document Layers.CATProduct.

The document looks like this when you first open it:

Select Tools > Visualization Filters.

The Visualization Filters dialog box appears:

The default current filter All visible is applied automatically: it lets you see all the contents of the document. This filter cannot be deleted.

Click New.

The Visualization Filter Editor dialog box appears, allowing you to build the filter from the following building blocks:

Criterion: this list box contains the operators you can use: =, !=, >, <, <= and >=;
The default operator is "="
The list to the right displays the named layers (you can type any layer number between 0 and 999). Note that typing None has the following impact next time you open the dialog box: the criterion is lost and the Filter box is empty.
And and Or provide you with the corresponding logical functions for combining layers:
- And lets you add criteria (for instance, Layer>0 & Layer<10 means that objects displayed in layers 1 to 9 will be displayed)
- Or lets you filter according to at least one of the criteria you define (for instance, Layer=0 + Layer=1 means that objects contained in layer 0, or in layer 1 will be displayed).
The Filter box specifies the final filter syntax.

Click in the Criterion box (where you see 0), delete 0 then type 1 so that the filter syntax now looks like this:

Layer = 1

Click OK.

This creates a new filter Filter001 (with the default filter syntax) in the Visualization Filters dialog box:

Note that you can customize the filter application. For more information, see Layer Filter.

Select the root object PadandCylinder in the tree, then select View > Toolbars > GraphicProperties to display the Graphic Properties toolbar.
Click the Layer list, then type 0.

The root object is now assigned to the layer number 0.
Select Pad.1 in the tree, click the arrow on the Layer list and check that the Layer list looks like this: .
Select Sketch.1 in the tree, click inside the Layer list, then type 1.

Sketch.1 is assigned to Layer 1. The Layer list now looks like this: .

Select Filter001 in the Visualization Filters dialog box and click Apply.

The objects under PadandCylinder are no longer displayed, and the filter remains active.

Why are these objects no longer displayed?

All the features below the root object in the tree are considered to be on layer 0 if applying the visualization filter makes the objects invisible. This remains the case even if you assign the objects to layers other than layer 0.

This time, select the root object PadandCylinder in the tree, click the Layer list, then type 1 to assign it to layer 1.

The filter is still active, but this time the object Sketch.1 becomes visible:

*Why is only the Sketch* object displayed?** This time applying the visualization filter has the effect of making objects visible, so the Sketch object becomes visible.
	To see all the objects again, select the `All visible` filter then click Apply.