Timeline problem: features do not change

[ninolemann]

Hello All,

I have a timeline problem:

I made a complicated device formed by two almost identical, mirrored pieces.

-I made one piece as a component with all its internal structures. this is the first working part.

-I copied that component and did 'paste new', so that not all changes from the first component will affect the second component as well.

-I switched to the new component as work piece and made some outer modifications, and saw that i have to redo the  internals as well. since the internal structures were first made on the first component, i switched back to the first component as a work piece, changed some stuff there, and noticed that they were not changed in the second component.

-WHY?

i made those internal changes BEFORE i copied the component. so the new Changes made before the copying and paste new should be copied as well.

...or not?

can somebody enlighten me here?

Thanks in advance to this forum. This help is always appreciated.

[HughesTooling]

When you use Paste New the new component is totally independent, no links at all to the original. 

From your description what I would do is finish the first component then use Boundary Fill set to New Component to create your copy. Now if you want to make changes affecting both roll the timeline back before the Boundary Fill, any modifications to either component after the boundary fill will be independent.

Mark

[ninolemann]

thanks for your advice!

i dont get it, really.

I already have a body, i dont need no boundary fill.

or do i?

In the timeline, all the commands are aligned depending when they were executed. if i choose the top component in  y browser, i can see all the actions and commands i did overall. If i change/insert a command BEFORE creating a new component depending on those old commands, why dont previous changesalter the outcome of the new component?

i dont get that. 

because usually, changing something in the beginning of timeline changes almost everything down the line (if they were depending on that altered command)

[laughingcreek]

Note that when you "paste new", all the time line features of the original component are copied into the time line, BUT there is not "copy" or "paste" feature in the timeline.  It adds those features as if you had manually created them.  There's not a "paste new" feature to roll back to.  when using the boundary fill method, there is a feature to roll back to.

[jeff_strater]

I understand the confusion.  Paste New does not create a feature in the timeline that represents the Paste New itself.  You can see this if you create a local component, create one instance via Paste (which creates an instance item in the timeline).  However, if you do a Paste New, instead, all the features that created the component are copied into the timeline:

This creates a situation that is as if you had created a second component yourself, and manually created the sketches, features, etc.  There is no sense that this component derives anything from the original.

Hopefully this is clear.

Jeff

[HughesTooling]

You have 2 options with copy, Paste and Paste New. Paste will create identical copies, the copies create no features in the timeline so changes to one affect all. Paste New create a new totally independent component with no links at all to the original, you my not like this but it is very useful.

What you want is a copy that's linkes when you find it convenient and not linked at other times. The only way you can do this is creating a copy of the body from component 1 in a new component. The Boundary Fill technique is the safest way to make a new component with a body linked to the original.

I haven't downloaded your model but you'll have to delete your second component and recreate using Boundary Fill.

Mark

[HughesTooling]

Here's a screencast I made for someone else to demonstrate. Think I used copy to copy the bodies, I've found this can break with no way to fix so use Boundary Fill that allows reselection of the body if anything goes wrong.

Mark

[ninolemann]

Thank you all!

i have to copy a body from an existing component, and paste that body in a new component?

so, if i change that body before the copy/create component, the changes will affect the body in the other component as soon as i move to the end of the timeline.

But i have to do those changes in the universal timeline?

seems not to be working when i toggle the first component as workpiece and change stuff there. is that about right?

Thanks for the help, there seems to be a system behind this, but it goes completely against my intuition. 

[HughesTooling]

As I said above don't use copy use Boundary Fill, for Operation change to New Component. This will create a copy of the body and a new component at the same time.

When you want to make a change that affects both components, drag the timeline marker just before the Boundary Fill activate the first component and make your changes. When you move the timeline marker back over the Boundary Fill or to the the end of the timeline your changes should propagate to the copy.

Mark

[ninolemann]

Ah, i see,

i assumed boundary fill only works in the patch surrounding.

I found it also in the model surrounding.

Still not so intuitive:

- create component containing bodies

- switch to top assembly in browser as workpiece (otherwise the new component is within the first component)

- make boundary fill of desired body, toggle 'create new component'

- new component appears, containing the desired body

-For changes in multiple components: switch to top assembly in browser as work piece, slider goes just before the component command that appears along with the boundary fill. add changes. Slide back to the end of timeline. Changes affect bodies in both components.

- For individual changes: just toggle the desired component and go ahead

Is that about right?

Pardon me for being so dim-witted, but this seems to me more like a workaround than an intended workflow.

[HughesTooling · Accepted solution]

Yes sounds about right. The boundary fill operation is a workaround, using create new component then copy paste of a body is more intuitive but the copy can break and leave you with a lot of work trying to fix.

Mark

[ninolemann]

Thanks,

Now, it works. with this workaround i can change one side, and the other jumps right in place. its almost like using user parameters.

Thanks for your support!