Best working practice for building assemblies ?

[Anonymous]

Hi Folks,

Assuming you have a series of Components [Parts] in the left hand browser and you wish to create an Assembly. Is there a correct way to do this. For example you could:

1.  Open the first Component [or Assembly], position on the design grid and then drag the next Components across in order to create [enhance] the Assembly. As I understand it, this would create the next version of the first item you opened i.e. NOT a discreet Assembly.

2.  Drag all neccesary Components across, position and assemble. This would require you to save as a new Assembly i.e. xyz Version1

One of the reasons I ask is that if you Open a relatively complex Assembly it does so pretty quickly and doesn't appear to run the 'Compute All' script. If you drag the same Assembly across, it does run the Compute script and seems to take an eternity to open.

Kindest,

LJ

[TrippyLighting · Accepted solution]

1. That's how it works currently, but is rather unexpected behavior. I don't remember it working this way before the January update and I am left wondering whether this is a bug as you're left with an assembly that contains one body (the one of the original component) and one or more components. That combination makes very littel sense as your initial component ceases to exist as a separate component. You cold not export the initial component as a separate component for re-use in another assembly.

I am hoping someone from Autodesk can coment on the sense/nonsense of this!

The way it SHOULD work by all means is that when you drag (in the browser) another component onto an existing component. That component will then become an assembly and the inital component will just be a separate subcomponent in that assembly. 

2. In order to create a REAL assembly with the expected behavior first you create a new (empty) component that will be the "assembly". Then you can start dragging and joinining your existing components into that assembly. You can drag them all into the assembly at once, or one by one. It won't make a difference.

Then activate the assembly. This is important so the joints you create between the parts are stored in the assembly and not at the top level.

Now you can join (assemble) the parts. Don't forget to ground one part in your assembly.

[jeff_strater · Accepted solution]

As far as I know, Fusion has always worked this way.  The critical piece is that Open is different from Insert (drag from data panel).  Each Fusion design has a root component, into which bodies are created, unless you specify New Component as an operation on something like Box or Extrude.  Insert will always create a child component of the active design (or active component if one is active).  So, if you have an design that has only bodies, and Insert another design, it will keep the bodies at the top level, and add the inserted object as a child.

If I understand LJHFUSCAD's workflow correctly (it is entirely possible that I don't), the way to do this is to create a new empty design, (which can either be a "part" or "assembly" depending on what you do next).  Then, as you drag items from the data panel into the empty document, they all become top-level child components of the empty design.  

Alternatively, you could select the bodies in the root component and do Create Component From Body, to create a child component, then Insert additional components as sibling child components.

Regarding the point about the time difference between Insert and Open:  Yes, Open does not compute anything.  Insert does compute the inserted design.  This is because, today, Fusion copies the content of the inserted design (meaning each timeline entry) into the active document, so they need to be computed.  In the not-too-distant future, Fusion will add the ability to Insert components as external references (as opposed to copying timeline items).  At this time, the Insert will not need to compute anything.

Hope this helps clear up at least some of this...

Jeff Strater (Fusion development)

[Anonymous]

Jeff and TrippyLighting ,

Between you, you have consolidated on my understanding of how Assemblies are constructed and managed. This will help me a lot going forwads, thanks.

Jeff your comments wrt " Insert components as external references" is good news indeed and will be a boon for those involved in commercial development. The time taken from concept to production is key to a small companies survival these days. This kind of future development will be well received I'm sure.

Kindest Regards,

Lyndon