Assemblies: Edit Part, New Part and Replace

Editing a Part in Place

Right-click a component and choose Assembly tools, Edit Part, or click Edit Part on the Assembly tab. The rest of the assembly turns transparent, the part's name turns blue in the tree and the modeling tools open. A bar in the corner reads "Editing <name> in <assembly>".

• Exit Edit Part saves the part as a new version and returns to the assembly.
• The X in the bar leaves without saving.

There is no autosave while you edit. Every instance of that part takes the new version and keeps its placement and mates. Other assemblies that use the part show the Parts changed bar.

Edit Part is refused for a frozen copy, a part you do not own, a shared assembly, an assembly opened from a STEP file, and while the assembly is exploded. It also needs the modeling tools ("Editing a part needs the modeling tools, which your plan does not include."). Only one part can be open: "A part is already open for editing. Exit Edit Part first."

Making a New Part in the Assembly

Use New Part... on the assembly row menu, or New Part on the Assembly tab. Type the Name of the new part, then pick a plane of the assembly origin or a flat face to place it on. On a plane of the assembly origin the part is fixed there. On a component face it gets a Coincident mate. The modeling tools open with a sketch on that plane. If you leave with nothing drawn, the empty part is taken away again.

Replace Components

Right-click a component and choose Assembly tools, Replace Components....

• Instances to replace: Only selected, or All of this model in this assembly.
• With this one: pick from your saved models (a search box helps).
• Click Replace (or Cancel).

Placement, fixed or floating, shown or hidden, and transparency are kept. The instance number is issued again for the new model's name, so Bracket<2> replaced by Hinge becomes Hinge<1>. A mate is kept when the new part has the same face. Others turn red and read (missing entity): right-click the mate, choose Edit Feature and pick a new face. The whole replace is one undo step.

If you pick the model already in place you will see "That is the model already in place. Pick a different one." Pattern instances cannot be replaced alone: replace the seed and the instances follow.