Why is Select Instances greyed out in Component browser?

[john_mcclenahan]

I have a not-very-complex model with several dozen door components downloaded from the 3D Warehouse.

I want to replace the over-detailed door handles (named HandleF, 1400+ edges, 600+ faces) with a simpler version that will do equally well for all but extreme close up views (Handle simple, 110+ edges, 50 faces).

I imported the Handle simple and it shows in the component browser. I used Expand to see the HandleF, which is a subcomponent of the doors.

I WANT to use Select Instances of HandleF, and then with them selected, use Replace Selected on Handle simple to substitute the simple component for the over-detailed one.

But when I either click on HandleF to highlight it, then R-click, or select something else, then R-click over the HandleF line, Select Instances is always greyed out, even though there are 28 instances (and I’ve unlocked them all - at first I thought that with some of them locked, it was preventing the selection, but it isn’t).

Maybe some of the parent doors are locked…? Nope, none of them (can open for editing, without a prompt that some instances are locked.)

???

I’ve noticed (on Mac - can’t remember if it was the same when I used Windows) that options like Replace selected, are greyed out unless (bizarrely) the component you want to use is NOT selected in the browser - something else seems to need to be chosen - but you R-click over it when it isn’t selected, and the option is then available.

But even trying that doesn’t work here.

I’ve tried restarting SU and reopening the model, but not yet tried a machine restart.

How can I replace the handles in bulk? There will be many more in the larger model of which this is a relatively minor part.

[Link to Dropbox removed]

PS. The model is still untidily organised - I’m working on that separately.

[DaveR]

You need to be in the same context as the door handle components in order to select them. It’s exactly the same as if you wanted to select the handle with a click of the cursor.

Of course if all the doors are component, you only need to edit one door to change its handle.

[john_mcclenahan]

Ah, that begins to make sense.

I found, after a machine restart in case SU had got scrambled memory from opening the much bigger full RiverArch model, that I COULD open one door for editing, dig down to HandleB (bizarrely again, a different component, though identical in appearance) THEN Select Instances of that handle. And immediately found I could then ALSO select HandleF, which is in the same (now open) context.

Thanks, yet again, Dave, for a quick and helpful response.

LATER:
Found there were still other instances of HandleB and HandleF in different parent components. Replaced those too.

Got the Edges count from 160,000+ to 114,000, and the Faces count down from 66,000+ to 40,100.

Need to do the same for lots of other VASTLY over-detailed 3Dwarehouse components in the parent model.

Can you see the difference in appearance?

Which is which?

Really close up…

Not sure why the upper one (simple) has thicker visible edges. Both models have the same style settings, with Edges on, and Profiles = 2, as far as I can see. Perhaps a slight difference in the zoom level between one screen shot and the other?

LATER STILL:
Purge components - still left with instances of HandleF and HandleB. Opened Outliner, and searched. Found and replaced a good few more of both handles.

Purged again - there is still a HandleB definition in the component browser, but I can’t find the context for them, and no remaining instances in visible layers - they are hiding somewhere.

Even so, I’ve got the component count down even further, to 90,000 edges and 32,000 faces.

The original doors were Dynamic Components, and designed to Cut Face, so there are multiple component definitions now, even though there are now only two flavours of doors in this sub-model and they differ only in colour. They have blue axis horizontal, so replacing them with a simpler version can throw the axes way off.

Even so, I’ve not quite halved the edges count, and better than halved the faces count.

[DaveR]

This sounds like a good exercise, John.

[john_mcclenahan]

Yes, it has helped.

But I’ve just noticed that the file size appears to have gone UP, not down, by about 1.1MB from 9.5 to 10.6 MB.

I’ve slightly reduced the component numbers (but not by much) and vastly reduced the edges and faces count.

And there aren’t any sizeable textures, let alone ones added since the smaller file was the current one yesterday. Nor components added, as far as I remember.

[DaveR]

Are you purging unused stuff besides unused components?

You might investigate if you have merged some of the geometry in the process. There may still be more you can get rid of. As far as that goes, do your door handles have faces on their backs where you can’t see them anyway?

You might also find it worthwhile to reduce the nesting levels in the various components.

[john_mcclenahan]

I did purge from Model Info/Statistics/Purge unused, as well as from the Component browser.

And I know the model is not yet well structured, so exploding some unneeded levels of nesting will be worthwhile. I’ll get there, slowly!

[john_mcclenahan]

@DaveR

do your door handles have faces on their backs

Forgot to respond to this earlier: no, they don’t have backs. I removed them.

And in his main model, I drastically simplified the door model itself, but haven’t put them in here yet. Got the door component file size down from 210KB to 80KB, and similarly large reductions in edge and face count, including simplifying the handles (but it was different door furniture altogether), and removing all faces from the door that can’t be seen when it’s inside a wall.