CAD Forum

I wasn't quite sure how to word this one...

Is it possible in an assembly to effectively "Replace Components" but keep the original part(s) in place?

The idea is that the parts existing atop each other would then be selectively suppressed/unsuppressed in various configurations.

Thanks.

Put same part on same location.
Replace one.

If you have lots of them to replace, demote them into an assembly.
Make a copy of the assembly, replace all. Insert back into assembly.

Or make the part into config.

How would I put the same part in the same location (i.e. all mates retained)?

(I'm obviously asking how to do it in an automated way.)

Thanks.

Mike Gera wrote: ↑Fri Oct 07, 2022 12:12 pm I wasn't quite sure how to word this one...

Is it possible in an assembly to effectively "Replace Components" but keep the original part(s) in place?

The idea is that the parts existing atop each other would then be selectively suppressed/unsuppressed in various configurations.

Thanks.

You should be able to use the Copy with Mates feature, selecting to repeat all mates.

However, I have to ask, why do you want two of the same Part in the same location instead of just suppressing or un-suppressing one Part as needed? If there are different configurations of this Part you can just reference the desired Part configuration in each Assembly configuration.

One way I do this is with Envelope Status and/or Display States (instead of top level assembly configurations). I do not widely recommend it for all situations, but it does work for my workflow.

I place the second item upon the first item, either mating origin coincident to origin, or mate primary axes to primary axes. Then, I envelope and hide the OLD one.

I do this in a linear pattern, where the branching item is a Tee fitting for all of the instances, except for the last one which gets an elbow placed there instead. It requires extra attention to granular control over visibility, inclusions for BOM, and display settings in the drawings where used. Like I said, this does not apply for all users in all situations.

In your case, @Glenn Schroeder 's suggestion is a much better idea that requires less procedural complications.

Mike Gera wrote: ↑Fri Oct 07, 2022 1:21 pm How would I put the same part in the same location (i.e. all mates retained)?

(I'm obviously asking how to do it in an automated way.)

Thanks.

If you name the entities the same, replacing should work flawlessly.
(This is basically how mate-references work)

A "workaround" is to have an envelope part in place (does not show up in BOM) to which you would mate both parts to the origin.
Envelope part is mated to the correct geometry;
part B mates to envelope origin;
part C mates to envelope origin.
This is not always possible though - esp. if you have more specialized mates (CAM follower etc.).
Additionally this might decrease performance a little more.

Glenn Schroeder wrote: ↑Fri Oct 07, 2022 1:50 pm You should be able to use the Copy with Mates feature, selecting to repeat all mates.

However, I have to ask, why do you want two of the same Part in the same location instead of just suppressing or un-suppressing one Part as needed? If there are different configurations of this Part you can just reference the desired Part configuration in each Assembly configuration.

I would second copy with mates, then do a replace on just the second instance. This is assuming that the second part is an entirely separate file and not the same file with a different configuration. In that you simple change the first part's configuration per assembly configuration. I've had a couple of users do this in the past, they didn't know they could configure the part per assembly configuration.

Glenn Schroeder wrote: ↑Fri Oct 07, 2022 1:50 pm You should be able to use the Copy with Mates feature, selecting to repeat all mates.

However, I have to ask, why do you want two of the same Part in the same location instead of just suppressing or un-suppressing one Part as needed? If there are different configurations of this Part you can just reference the desired Part configuration in each Assembly configuration.

Thanks. I never knew that I could Copy with Mates while retaining a 100% constraint level.