Break Link Between Copied and Pasted Components

[Anonymous]

I have copied and pasted a component. When I make changes to one of the components it makes the same changes automatically to the other. In a previous thread I saw something about pasting new or making independent, but I cannot find those command in the Fusion 360 version that I am using (startup licience). Any other suggestions?

[jeanfabre]

Hi,

 Also disappointed that we can't break links between already copy pasted components.

Since a component can be joined with other parts, having to clone again means breaking existing joints, unrelated to the fact that a component is a linked copy...

Please make a option to break a link, it's really important for agile working.

Thanks,

Jean

[roberge_antho]

Any update? Any way to break linked component? 

[mattias_larssonYT4PJ]

I had to start work with 360 now and before I worked with IronCad since 26 years... and In IonCad we hade this function to brake a link 26 years ago.

I missing so many other things also and things are so complicated to do for example to move a part to correct position in a assemble... and the parts moves around and it ask for capture all the time. And one of the most terrible thing is that you can't move a part position in the history tree. 

No auto radius/chamfer for the whole sheet parts either. I soon get banana on this program.

[jeanfabre]

Hi,

yeah.. moving parts is incredibly cumbersome to be polite.. and when you know autodesk also owns 3d studio max... one is left wondering why they don't share their tools and algorithms. Moving parts in absolute mode is impossible to begin with, you can't know the world position of a given part without bringing time consuming properties panel, can't edit pivot, can't align properly nor select which axis you want, you can't even have distance measurements while moving parts, you have to do guess work or give up all together and start using joints for everything...

I found that if I make a sketch as a blueprints for parts positioning, and attach 3d points to this sketch, I can then joint parts to these 3d points, and then I have a base for world positioning of various parts without necessary have the assembly all done. it's the best option I found so far. but it's a work around, nothing more.

[TrippyLighting]

---

@jeanfabre wrote:

Hi,

yeah.. moving parts is incredibly cumbersome to be polite.. and when you know autodesk also owns 3d studio max... one is left wondering why they don't share their tools and algorithms.

---

I know CAD tools and Polygon/Sub-D modeling tools well.

I have used CAD professionally as an engineer for over 3 decades and Sub-D/Polygon for almost 2 decades.

The purpose of those tools could not be more different. That purpose drives how these tools work and is why many UI choices exist.

Polygon models can have procedural modeling capabilities, but a lot of modeling still uses a direct modeling approach.

Modern parametric CAD software usually features a design history-based approach. IN Fusion that is manifested in the (object) browser and timeline. In other tools, e.g., SolidWorks, it's a feature tree.

Moving components/parts in parametric CAD software is discouraged. That is why those CAD systems utilize geometric mates (Autodesk Inventor, SolidWorks, Solid Edge, etc.).. In in Fusion, we use assembly joints, which are also available in Inventor.

[shtanko_andrey]

Just to maintain the tradition and because it's a really annoying "feature" - any chance for getting the ability of breaking component link?)

Would be really nice to pattern components and then edit them separately, for example, rather than endlessly copypasting as new.

[jhackney1972]

Take a look at this Blog Article and Video to see if it helps you with this issue.

[shtanko_andrey]

That's an interesting approach, I didn't think of that, thank you 🙂 

Problem is that it essentially extracts a solid body out of patterned component without retaining sketches and design history.

What I'm nagging about is being able to edit each separate component using full design history. Example use case: I need to make a dozen of fidget spinner with a different design, but their core parts are the same. So I want to design an initial component/part, pattern it to a required quantity and then edit each instance individually, which requires editing sketches and features involved (because, for example, it require inserting .svg in sketches for artistic finish).

I know I can achieve the same result using copy and paste new (which is bugged a bit in terms of moving pasted component using pop-up dialog, btw) and I know and can copy-paste several components and once, but it really feels like another workaround rather than an expected workflow.

[tabusca_andi]

For more advanced stuff it more useful to have them linked, especially if they are spread across multiple assemblies

[TrippyLighting]

---

@shtanko_andrey wrote:

That's an interesting approach, I didn't think of that, thank you 🙂 

Problem is that it essentially extracts a solid body out of patterned component without retaining sketches and design history.

---

Correct! And that also means that is doe NOT break the link!

The link that is still present is the boundary fill operation in the timeline.

If you go back in the timeline to before the boundary fill operation and change the original, the boundary-filled object is also going to change. YOu may want that, or you may not, but uis is important to be aware of that.

The  workflow you'd really be looking for for your fidget spinners is different.

1. You'd work with the Configurations functionality and have a different configuration for each fidget spinner

2. NOT YET POSSIBLE, but I've asked for it! You'd pattern "a" configuration and then switch the pattern instances to the needed configuration after the pattern is created.