String Selectors Reference¶
CadQuery selector strings allow filtering various types of object lists. Most commonly, Edges, Faces, and Vertices are used, but all objects types can be filtered.
String selectors are simply shortcuts for using the full object equivalents. If you pass one of the string patterns in, CadQuery will automatically use the associated selector object.
Note
String selectors are shortcuts to concrete selector classes, which you can use or extend. See CadQuery Class Summary for more details
If you find that the built-in selectors are not sufficient, you can easily plug in your own. See Extending CadQuery to see how.
Combining Selectors¶
Selectors can be combined arithmetically and logically, so that it is possible to do intersection, union, and other combinations. For example:
box = cadquery.Workplane("XY").box(10,10,10)
s = selectors.StringSyntaxSelector
### select all edges on right and left faces
#box = box.edges((s("|Z") + s("|Y"))).fillet(1)
### select all edges on top and bottom
#box = box.edges(-s("|Z")).fillet(1)
#box = box.edges(s('|X')+s('Y')).fillet(1)
box = box.faces(s('>Z')+s('<Z')).fillet(1)
or for another example:
# select diagonal edges
box = box.faces(s('>Z')+s('<Z')).edges(-s('|X')-s('Y')).fillet(1)
Filtering Faces¶
All types of filters work on faces. In most cases, the selector refers to the direction of the normal vector of the face.
Warning
If a face is not planar, selectors are evaluated at the center of mass of the face. This can lead to results that are quite unexpected.
The axis used in the listing below are for illustration: any axis would work similarly in each case.
| Selector | Selects | Selector Class | # objects returned |
|---|---|---|---|
| +Z | Faces with normal in +z direction | cadquery.DirectionSelector |
0 or 1 |
| |Z | Faces parallel to xy plane | cadquery.ParallelDirSelector |
0..many |
| -X | Faces with normal in neg x direction | cadquery.DirectionSelector |
0..many |
| #Z | Faces perpendicular to z direction | cadquery.PerpendicularDirSelector |
0..many |
| %Plane | Faces of type plane | cadquery.TypeSelector |
0..many |
| >Y | Face farthest in the positive y dir | cadquery.DirectionMinMaxSelector |
0 or 1 |
| <Y | Face farthest in the negative y dir | cadquery.DirectionMinMaxSelector |
0 or 1 |
Filtering Edges¶
Some filter types are not supported for edges. The selector usually refers to the direction of the edge.
Warning
Non-linear edges are not selected for any selectors except type (%). Non-linear edges are never returned when these filters are applied.
The axis used in the listing below are for illustration: any axis would work similarly in each case.
| Selector | Selects | Selector Class | # objects returned |
|---|---|---|---|
| +Z | Edges aligned in the Z direction | cadquery.DirectionSelector |
0..many |
| |Z | Edges parallel to z direction | cadquery.ParallelDirSelector |
0..many |
| -X | Edges aligned in neg x direction | cadquery.DirectionSelector |
0..many |
| #Z | Edges perpendicular to z direction | cadquery.PerpendicularDirSelector |
0..many |
| %Line | Edges of type line | cadquery.TypeSelector |
0..many |
| >Y | Edges farthest in the positive y dir | cadquery.DirectionMinMaxSelector |
0 or 1 |
| <Y | Edges farthest in the negative y dir | cadquery.DirectionMinMaxSelector |
0 or 1 |
Filtering Vertices¶
Only a few of the filter types apply to vertices. The location of the vertex is the subject of the filter
| Selector | Selects | Selector Class | # objects returned |
|---|---|---|---|
| >Y | Vertices farthest in the positive y dir | cadquery.DirectionMinMaxSelector |
0 or 1 |
| <Y | Vertices farthest in the negative y dir | cadquery.DirectionMinMaxSelector |
0 or 1 |
Future Enhancements¶
- Support direct vectors inline, such as |(x,y,z)
- Support multiple selectors separated by spaces, which unions the results, such as “+Z +Y to select both z and y-most faces