PRIME MOTIONThe Designs panel
Open Design in the bottom navigation to work on a part. The Designs panel is your library: each tile identifies a saved design by its name and model preview.
A design holds your sketches, bodies, parameters and Manufacturing work. A Project holds program files to run on the machine. Start here to make or change a part; use Projects to organise its posted G-code.
Start with an empty library
An empty panel says No designs yet. The Design, Manufacturing and Parameters workspace tabs appear after you create or open a design. There is no document to edit until then.
With a design open, the upper-left menu shows its design tree. Choose Close Design to return to the library, then open another tile.
Create your first design
- Open the Designs menu above the tiles.
- Choose New design. An empty design opens in the current folder.
- Start a sketch, or use the modelling tools to create your first body. The three workspace tabs now let you switch between modelling, Manufacturing and Parameters in this document.
Import design… is for bringing in a design file. Use the modelling workspace's import tools when you want to add STEP or STL geometry to a part you already have open. See Import and export for the distinction and the supported formats.
Name it so you can recognise it
A name such as Fixture plate tells you more than an automatically numbered name. Name the part before you accumulate several similar previews.
- Choose Close Design at the bottom of the modelling rail to return to the library.
- Open the tile's ⋮ menu and choose Edit.
- Replace Name with the name you want.
- Optionally add a tag. Press Enter after each tag so it becomes a tag chip.
- Choose Save. Check that the tile shows the new name before opening it again.
Adding a tag makes the editor taller; Save stays below the tag field. The tile's # marker indicates that the design has tags. Tags and sorting explains how to use them to find a family of parts.
Reopen and continue
Tap a design tile to open it. Its model and workspaces belong to the same document; switching workspaces does not create another copy of the part. Close Design returns you to the library without deleting the design.
Each design has its own .pmd working file. A shared export is a separate copy: use Import and export before sending one to someone else, and Backups when you need to preserve your working set.
Find a design in a larger library
Use Name or Date beside Sort to change the tile order. Use Tags: All to narrow the library by a tag, or open a folder to browse a smaller set. A filter changes the tiles you see; it does not delete the designs it hides.
Select enables selection for working with several tiles. Use it when moving a group into a folder. A long press begins a drag instead of turning selection on; check the destination before releasing a dragged tile. See Folders for moving and organising designs.