#25791 PartDesign: Display Mode Body "Tip" and "Through" options should be combined to improve behavior of both

Workbench affected?

None

Problem description

This is I suppose new feature request.

Display Mode Body properties "Tip" and "Through" both have major disadvantages so a frequent switch between the two is required in complex models and especially assemblies.

Display Mode Body "Through" setting for example in Assemblies may easily cause accidental deletion of the body in the linked file without notice. Such as when selecting an instance of a body in the assembly 3D view in order to remove it from the assembly, selection points to the tip feature in the body which causes deletion of the tip feature in the body, and subsequently auto updating the linked file with a deleted feature with no notification.

To prevent losing work it is wise to have Display Mode Body set to "Tip" so that selecting the object in 3D view points to the "Body" instead of the last feature.

"Tip" setting is also preferable to those who select object in 3D view in order to change properties like "Color". The changes of the color would be applied to the Body and thus permanent.

Disadvantage of the "Tip" setting at the moment is that in an attempt to select the feature in the body such as a sketch, in the tree, the preselection is not highlighted and selection is disabled. As well clicking on the face of the object in 3D view does not select it.

This described disadvantages of the "Tip" setting behaviour can be improved by allowing behaviour of "Through" mode setting but also to point selection to the "Body" feature when selection is done from the 3D view.

The only positive behaviour of the "Tip" setting is that the selection of the object in 3D view points to the Body and not to the last feature, as well as it doesn't expand the tree fully as the "Through" option does in assembly tree.

In my opinion and observing Solid edge, Swolid works and NX for many years the best is that selecting an object in the 3D view should select the "body" in the tree view, ("Tip" mode behaviour) and selecting any feature in the tree view should highlight and select that feature in the 3D view (like the "through" mode does).

This would bring somewhat convoluted file-body-part structure in FreeCAD closer to the expected behaviour in other CAD software, where most have one body per file and much smaller trees to manage.

Steps to reproduce

N/A

Expected behavior

Ideally selecting an object in the 3D view should select the "Body" in the tree view, while selecting any feature in the tree view should highlight and select that feature in the 3D view.

In other words selection from 3D view should select "Body" (like the Tip mode in Display Mode Body does), and selection from the Tree view should select whatever feature is selected in the Tree (like "Through" mode does).

Actual behavior

There are two modes, in one called "Through" selecting an object in the 3D view selects the tip (the last feature in the body) and preselecting or selecting a feature in the tree view highlights the feature in the 3D view.

In the other mode called "Tip", selecting an object in 3D view selects the "Body", but selecting any feature in the tree doesn't select or highlight that feature in the 3D view.

An option should be available to allow this behaviour when selection is done from the 3D view. to simply highlight "Body" feature instead of the last feature in the Three.

Development version About Info (in Safe Mode)

OS: macOS 12.7.6
Architecture: x86_64
Version: 1.2.0dev.20251118 (Git shallow)
Build date: 2025/11/18 21:54:51
Build type: Release
Branch: main
Hash: be7d41dea75f7f2966d7b431d24f7060c6907339
Python 3.11.14, Qt 6.8.3, Coin 4.0.3, Vtk 9.3.1, boost 1_86, Eigen3 3.4.0, PySide 6.8.3
shiboken 6.8.3, xerces-c 3.3.0, IfcOpenShell 0.8.2, OCC 7.8.1
Locale: English/United States (en_US)
Navigation Style/Orbit Style/Rotation Mode: Touchpad/Trackball Classic/Drag at cursor
Stylesheet/Theme/QtStyle: FreeCAD.qss/FreeCAD Dark/
Logical DPI/Physical DPI/Pixel Ratio: 72/128/1
Installed mods: 
  * MeshRemodel 1.10.37
  * FreeCAD-themes 2025.6.4
  * freecad.gears 1.3.0
  * boltsfc 2022.11.5
  * fasteners 0.5.43
  * sheetmetal 0.7.58