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Duplicate Objects

Duplication creates a copy of an object and all its associated children (parts and paths), saving time when you need multiple similar preserves or obstacles.

How to duplicate​

There are two ways to duplicate:

  1. Keyboard shortcut -- Select one or more objects, then press Cmd + D (macOS) or Ctrl + D (Windows/Linux). The browser bookmark dialog is automatically suppressed.

  2. Context menu -- Right-click an object in the sidebar tree and select Duplicate. When multiple objects are selected, the menu shows "Duplicate N Objects".

After duplication, the newly created copies become the active selection.

What can be duplicated​

Duplication is available for:

  • Preserves -- all subtypes except Deformation-from-STEP outputs, Output surfaces, and Fixed-from-STEP preserves
  • Obstacles -- keep-out zone objects
  • Preserve pairs -- input/output pair linkages

Parts and paths cannot be duplicated independently. They are duplicated as children of their parent preserve or obstacle.

What gets duplicated​

Preserves​

When you duplicate a preserve, the following are created:

  1. The preserve itself -- A new preserve with identical type, subtype, and all parameters. The name follows the copy convention (see below).
  2. The linked part -- If the preserve has a linked box or rectangle part, that part is duplicated with all its geometry parameters, transform, and material. Parts that reference uploaded files (STEP or STL) are not duplicated.
  3. The linked path(s) -- If the preserve has a single path, it is duplicated. Output preserves that support multiple paths (including deformation function and deformation-from-STEP outputs) have all their paths duplicated.

The new preserve is automatically added to the same analysis section (inputs, outputs, fixed, or I/O) as the original.

Obstacles​

When you duplicate an obstacle, the linked part is duplicated (if it is a primitive type), and the new obstacle is added to the analysis's obstacle list.

Preserve pairs​

When you duplicate a preserve pair, a new pair is created with the same input and output references. No child objects are cloned since pairs reference existing preserves rather than owning children.

Naming convention​

Duplicated objects follow a "(copy)" naming pattern:

Original nameDuplicate name
Input Preserve 1Input Preserve 1 (copy)
Input Preserve 1 (copy)Input Preserve 1 (copy 2)
Input Preserve 1 (copy 2)Input Preserve 1 (copy 3)

Multi-selection duplication​

When duplicating a multi-selection:

  1. Each selected object is checked for duplicability. Objects that cannot be duplicated (wrong type or excluded subtype) are silently skipped.
  2. All duplicable objects are duplicated within a single undoable compound action.
  3. The newly created objects replace the current selection.

Undo support​

All duplication operations are fully undoable with Cmd/Ctrl + Z. A single undo reverses the entire multi-object duplication, removing all created objects and their children at once.