Feature request: tags for parts, and operations on tags

Chris_Petersen

Much like the tags you see on this forum post, I'd love to see the ability to add tags to parts in my part studios, and then allow those tags to be used as selectors for other features/operations. Tags could be added manually as with other properties, and as side effects of operations (e.g. an "add tag" feature that could be mixed with feature patterns to apply to all parts generated by a pattern, or additional "output" from features like extrude-new, boolean-union, or composite-part).

Part selectors for operations like boolean, transform, etc. could then be updated to operate on tags instead of manually selecting individual parts.

E.g. (this isn't the best example but it's what I'm working with at the moment) In my flower pot design here (screenshot provided because this is a work in progress):

The "scales" consist of a scale-part that will eventually be boolean'd together, and a cutter part that will be removed (often tediously/manually) to create the final surface profile of my shape. Scales are created through a variety of derive+resize+pattern operations. As I work with these, it would be incredibly useful to composite the scales and cutters separately and by the pattern operation that created them so I can show/hide sections to see what I'm doing between steps. When I eventually union things together, it would be a lot easier to select everything with tag==scale than to have to manually select individual scales … which will change based on configurations (different number/size of scales for different configurations).

I realize part of this could be solved by allowing boolean and composite-part to operate on features instead of just parts (which would also be fantastic feature additions), but it doesn't solve the problem with the "root" operation in this case being something that derives an (open) composite part and then patterns it, but which will require future operations against the scale and cutter parts separately.