Copy/paste body from linked component?

[patrik-web]

Hi all,

I'm working on some parts that use common features (the different parts are supposed to snap togther.) I thought I would create these by modeling these features as a separate design and then adding them as linked components in the parts that use them. However, the features need some tweaking after being inserted (essentially, cutting them down to the perimeter of the part it's being linked into) so I'm trying to copy the bodies from the linked components into the component using them. That way I can then use a boundary fill or split body operation to cut out the excess material.

However, this copy/paste does not work reliably. When I do this (click copy on the body in the linked component, click paste in the component I want it to appear in) I get the dialog to position the new body, and it creates a "paste body" feature in the timeline, but no body appears. However, sometimes it does work, but then I often get some subsequent reference failure.

If I "break link", it works reliably, but that defeats the purpose. I want changes in the linked component to be propagated into the parts, and then by subsequent operations to use those components as the starting point. Is this not possible? If not, is there another way to achieve what I'm trying to do? 

[laughingcreek]

I had a hard time following that, but I think I understand what you want to do.

try this.

1-Make the body a component (R mouse body in browser, "make component from body")  Now you have a "sub" component within the original component (an assembly).

2-Copy and paste this component (as opposed to the body) into the new component.

[HughesTooling]

You can use Boundary Fill to extract a body from a linked component, set the operation type to New Component.

Mark

[patrik-web]

Ah, interesting. That looks like it would work, but when I try it the boundary fill op still gives me the same error "1 Reference failures: Some sculpt cells are mismatched". I don't know what this error is or how there can be a problem with any of the cells since in this case they are just a straight copy and the tool bodies have no overlap.

Edit: This happens even if I break the link before the boundary fill, so I guess this points to some bug in the boundary fill operation?

Edit2: However, if I do the boundary fill operation in the linked component's own design, it works fine, so the linking has something to do with it.

[HughesTooling]

Are you using sculp forms? Try making a test file with just a cube and see if you can insert then use boundary fill to extract the cube. I've used this technique quite a lot making moulds and it's always worked OK. Looking back at some of my designs I get an error if I try editing the boundary fill but it only shows in the edit, the file works fine. I'll have to investigate a bit more.

You can use combine with bodies in linked components so you might be able to make a component with a small body then combine with the linked body.

Mark

[TrippyLighting]

Wats's the reason you are using linked components ?

if you can share your design or at the very least a screenshot that will help.

[patrik-web]

Sure.

Here's the thing I'm linking:

http://a360.co/2sH389C

And here's an example of it being used:

http://a360.co/2sH3ahK

The idea is that many different parts will share the same snap-together design. By linking them into the parts that use them, I can update the tab designs and get that propagated to all parts. But I need to be able to e.g. join the bodies in the linked design with the part it's being used in, otherwise subsequent editing is hard (for example, 3d printing multiple bodies as one is nowhere near as easy as 3d printing a single one.)

Is there a better way of accomplishing what I'm trying to do? I do *not* want to just copy the snap tabs into the parts, because I'm anticipating needing to tweak the design to get the appropriate strength and durability and I don't want to have to hand-propagate that to a bunch of parts.

[HughesTooling · Accepted solution]

Here's a short screencast that shows how to use Boundary Fill to extract the bodies from a linked component and create a new component. Not sure why it's not working for you.

Mark

[patrik-web]

Yeah, that works for me too. Just not in that particular design. There must be something weird about that case in particular.

[HughesTooling]

I missed your second file for some reason. In the second file you could create the tube then insert the the linked part and use combine from the modify menu to join the linked bodies to the tube, just make sure you select the tube as the target body.

Mark

Edit. Just a thought, you need to make sure there is a definite overlap between the bodies. If you have coplanar surfaces or circular surface of the same diameter combine can fail, I expect boundary fill will give you trouble in the same situations.