Best practices: copy a body or component from one Document to another?
You forum question title and your actual question differ a bit. In the title you ask about copying a component or a body. In the actual question you only talk about copying a body, which is what my answer addresses. Take a look at the Screencast for my process. I believe the best way to copy a "body" from one design document to another is to use the "Insert Derive" command from the new design document. Once the body is derived into the new design, you can break the link to make it a truly independent body in the new design. You will have a choice of the amount of information you copy across which is shown in the Screencast. One thing I failed to mention is that you can also derive body parameters into the new design document as well. The option is at the very bottom of the Derive dialog box.
John Hackney, Retired
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4-5 years ago a common question on the forum was whether you can work with bodies only and if components were needed.
1. NO, in FUiosn 360 you cannot work with bodies only. Each Fusion 360 design file starts already as a component and that component can be used n other designs. Yes, within a file you can work with bodies only, but you insert that file into another design, it is a component. The symbol at the root of the browser is that of a component 😉
2. Is it advisable to work with bodies only?
It can be useful if you design single objects for 3D printing. If your design already involves more than one discrete piece, e,g. you have a box with a lid, you might want to consider using components.
This part of the Fusion 360 documentation explains the difference between bodies and components.
Here is a link to Fusion 360 R.U.L.E #1
You mentioned in this thread that you are "well versed in Fusion 360". I am having troubles consolidating that with the posts you make here on the Fusion 360 forum 😉
I'd like to add to what @laughingcreek and @jhackney1972 have said already.
1. the Save-as function saves an individual component or component group (assembly) from a design out into the data panel. That exported component does not have any links to the original design. To ensure that all the features, sketches, construction planes etc. come across into the exported file, make sure t stick religiously to R.U.L.E #1
2. To insert an existing component into a new one from the data panel there are 2 functions:
2.1 Insert into the current design. This will create a component linked to that design. One component can be linked into many designs. If you change the linked component, it will change in all designs it has been linked to.
2.2 Derive. You can derive one component from one design into another design. The Derive function can be very powerful and have unintended consequences. That's the reason I usually don't recommend it to new users.
Once a componet is derived into another design it can be altered in that design. However, the changes do not flow back to the original design. However, if the component is changed in the original design, this will affect all derived instances of the componet.
If you want to re-use a componet in a new design and do not want to change it in that design it is better to use a linked component instead of a derived component.
