Replace Components
Swaps one part in the assembly for a different saved model, keeping the place it sits. Use it to try another version of a part, or to swap a part for a better one. This needs the Pro plan.
When to Use It
- Swap a 1/4 in bolt for a 5/16 in bolt
- Try a different bracket design in the same spot
- Replace a frozen copy with a saved model
Step by Step
- Right-click the component in the Model tree or the view and choose Assembly tools, Replace Components...
- Under Instances to replace, choose:
- Only selected (<name><N>): just the one you right-clicked.
- All of this model in this assembly (N): every copy of that model. The number shows how many.
- Under With this one, pick the new model from the list. Type in Search my models to narrow it.
- Click Replace. The window closes and a message says "Replaced <old> with <new>."
- Press Ctrl+Z if you want it back. The whole replace is one undo step.
Options
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Only selected | Replaces the one component. |
| All of this model in this assembly | Replaces every copy of that model. |
| Search my models | Narrows the list by name or file name. |
| Replace | Does it. Grayed until you pick a model. |
| Cancel | Closes the window. |
What Is Kept
- Placement, whether it's fixed or floating, shown or hidden, and see-through are all kept.
- The place in the Model tree is kept.
- The instance number is issued again for the new model's name. So Bracket<2> replaced by Hinge becomes Hinge<1>, or the next free number.
- Mates are matched to the new part by kind, direction, position and size. A mate with no match turns red and reads (missing entity). A message says how many: "N mate entities no longer exist on the replacement. Those mates are red. Right-click one, Edit Feature, to pick a new entity." See Mates: Fixing Mate Problems.
Tips
- Pick a replacement with a similar shape and the same faces, and most mates survive.
- Pattern copies can't be replaced alone. Replace the seed and the copies follow.
- The option isn't offered on a part inside a subassembly. Open that assembly to change it.
If Something Goes Wrong
- "That is the model already in place. Pick a different one."
- "Pick the model to put in its place first." Click a row in the list.
- "This is an instance of a pattern. Replace its seed and the instances follow."
- "No saved models yet. Save a model to your account, then it appears here." The list is empty.
- "Could not load your models. Close this window and try again."
- "Could not read <name>." The model couldn't be loaded. Try again.
- "Assemblies are on the Pro plan."