Contextual Menu of Components

 

This task shows you how to use the contextual menu of components.
There are several restrictions concerning the manipulation (notably when copying, pasting, deleting, dragging and dropping) of components and drilled CATParts.. Click here for more information.

  1. Open file MoldWithMoldedPartAndComponents.CATPoduct in the samples/MoldAndPart directory.

  2. Choose LeaderPin_FSN_1.1 in the specification tree or in the viewer
    (this is an example, the labels will vary with the name of the component).
    Use LeaderPin_FSN_1.1 object contextual menu.

 

Open in New Window

This opens the CATPart of the component in a new window, where you can edit it.

For example, we have changed the shaft angle of the LeaderPin in the new window,
this change is taken into account in all the instances of the LeaderPin in the Product.
 

Activate/Deactivate LeaderPin Component

This is a toggle function, components that were already deactivated will be activated and active components will be deactivated and displayed in visu mode in the tree.

One component or a group of components may be selected for activation/deactivation.

Deactivated components are:

  • Not visible in the viewer nor are their associated holes
  • Ignored when a bill of material is generated.
 

Edit LeaderPin Component

  1. The component edition dialog box is displayed. Refer to the Description of the Generic Dialog Box chapter for more information on the dialog box.

  2. You can now modify the positioning of the component, its origin, its direction, the Drill from/To positioning and its parameters.

  3. Click Reverse Direction or change the Origin X. You will see a preview of the result.

  4. Pick the W green arrow on the graphic display to reverse the orientation or pick another point or face to change the position of the component. You will see a preview of the result.
  Note that the coordinates are displayed under the cursor as you move it.

  1. You can also modify the component parameters in the Parameters tab. This tab is similar to that of the Define dialog box.

    However in the Edit dialog box, you retrieve the complete list of the user parameters of the component, not only the standard ones: This is particularly useful to edit user components.

  2. Use the slider of the tab to browse all the data available.

  3. Click OK to apply your modifications.
Constraints that depend upon a component will be deleted if you edit that component.
When editing components, you cannot modify the original supplier but you can change the reference in order to change the dimensions.
 

Delete component

Deletes the components and their associated holes.
When using the Delete component command and working with the cache system:
  • All the parts are switched to design mode at the beginning of the process,
  • And all the parts are switched to visualization mode at the end of the process.

That means:

  • At the beginning of the process:
    • When a part is in visualization mode, it is switched to design mode,
    • And when a part is in design mode, nothing is done.
  • At the end of the process, all the parts not modified in design mode are switched to visualization mode (even if the part was in design mode before launching the command).

Switching parts to visualization mode allows working with less memory and decreases time manipulations.

We recommend that you do not use the ordinary Delete  function, since the associated holes would not be deleted.
 

Add New Instance

Enables you to add new instances of a given reference. The operating mode is similar to that of Adding Components.

  • When Several Instances per Reference  is active, you will create new instances of the given reference.
  • When Several Instances per Reference  is not active:
    • You will create a new reference and a new instance of that reference.
    • If the given reference is a CATProduct with subparts, only a new reference of the CATProduct will be created. No new references of the subparts will be created. Instances of the CATProduct and of the subparts will be created and the new instances of the subparts will contain exactly the same subparts as the original.
  • When the given reference has been split, Add New Instance is not possible: a message is displayed.

Isolate Component

See Isolating a Component.

Replace Reference

See Replacing Reference for information on this function.