A dialog for File->Merge

[micheus]

Add to current and replace current seems to do the same as preserve selection.

It's different for me:

[oort]

Micheus,
It is looking good. I see that you are using existing selection groups. If the merged in file has an existing selection (edges,faces,object), that is used in the "selection options". That makes sense but is it possible to add an option ("New Selection"???) so that if you merge in a file with no selection (cube with nothing selected). Merging that file into a file (cube with nothing selected) you can choose "New Selection" and have the merged in object be selected even though it was not originally selected in the file being merged in? That was what I was expecting to see when using "Replace Current". Hope this makes sense...

Thanks,
oort

[micheus]

Oort, as in the same way I did for selection groupbox - that is disabled if no Objects will be imported - I intend to make availabe only the selection option that are apropriate to the file being imported. There is no reason to have the option "replace" or "add to" if there is no selection into the scene being loaded.
Add a option to create a "new" selection can be added for that situation. Or something like "make all current" would be a better option?

Thanks.

[oort]

Micheus,
I think that "new" would be best.

I am thinking of a situation where I would have a large object centered on x,y,z. I merge in a file with one object that is also centered on x,y,z but smaller than the large object existing in the original file. The newly merged in object cannot be seen because it is hidden by the larger object in the scene.

With an added "new" selection, I can simply RMB > Move to move the object away from the larger object. Yes, I could select the newly merged in object in the Geometry Graph but having "new" would avoid that and if there are multiple objects in the merged in file, all the objects would already be selected.

Edit: Just noticed that the "e" is missing at the end of "Preserve" in the dialog box.

Thanks,
oort

[MikeJ]

Add to current and replace current seems to do the same as preserve selection.

It's different for me

Yes, it is different for you because my use of the plug-in does not work in the same way yours does. As a result, I decided to give up on this plug-in and simply not use it because obviously there was something wrong with my Wings3D.

However, the exchange between you and oort since then has caused me to make a discovery that I was misunderstanding the operation of this patch/plug-in. I did not realize that the selections made in the file to be merged in were significant. Quite frankly I'm puzzled as to why they should be.

I was assuming that the three options would ignore what ever selections were made in the file to be merged in. Therefore, in all of the files that I was trying to merge which had none of the objects or items selected, all three of the selection options in this new patch didn't do anything. Or, I should say, all did the same thing.

So, I guess I need to understand why the workflow for the use of this plug-in needs to take whatever objects are selected or not selected in the file to be merged in into account when performing the merge. In my mind the selections in the file to be merged in should be ignored and the selection settings made in the plug-in should decide for all of the objects being merged from the file being merged in as to whether they should be selected or not.

I believe this will also take care of oort's issue of needing another option of "new" unless I misunderstand what he is saying. Because in my mind "replace current" would do what his "new" option would do: All of the selections made in the current file would be deselected and replaced by all of the objects in the merged in file being selected when they arrive in the current file.

[oort]

MikeJ,
I think "Preserve Current" and "Add to Current" need to be there so that if you have a selection in the file you are working on you do not loose it when you merge in the new file. I think that Replace current changes the type of selection (edge,face,object) to match what is in the file being merged in. I am not sure??? I do not use selection groups very much but I think it is good to have those taken into account just in case someone needs that option.

Yes, you understood correctly what I wanted "new" to do...

oort

[MikeJ]

My post was not intended to suggest the removal of any of the other selection options that are currently there. I think they absolutely should stay there.

My issue is with any merge function taking into consideration the current selection state in the file to be merged in.

[micheus]

In my mind the selections in the file to be merged in should be ignored

We can't ignore it. The current operations for Merge command will replace any current selection in the scene that you was working. So, it has been working this way for long time and we don't want change any workflow that somebody else can be using. (I think compatibility and extra control about selection)

[oort]

I don't know that I would need that feature either but some might...

oort

[MikeJ]

In my mind the selections in the file to be merged in should be ignored

We can't ignore it. The current operations for Merge command will replace any current selection in the scene that you was working. So, it has been working this way for long time and we don't want change any workflow that somebody else can be using. (I think compatibility and extra control about selection)

Thank you for this clarification.

So the current workflow that people have been using forever is that when you are working in a current file and you want to merge something in from a different file you have to save the current file and close it, open the file you are merging in from, make whatever selections you need to make in that file such that the selections are correct when you merge it into the current file, save the file, close the file, reopen the original file, make whatever selections you need to make in that original file and then perform a merge?