Linked Component with Sub Components Align Behavior

[srgntballistic]

I have a linked component I've imported into a design. If I use "Move" on the component all of the sub components move together.

However, if I use "Align" and pick a face on one of the internal bodies/components it only moves that body/component. The rest stay where they are.

In this case it's an Adafruit Neopixel Jewel board with a lot of subcomponents representing components on the board for clearance/alignment purposes.

I'm trying to align the bottom surface of the PCB with a surface in which I'll be mounting it.

I was under the impression that with a locked component you couldn't edit or move any of the subcomponents. You have to edit the original component. Is this the expected behavior?

[lichtzeichenanlage · Accepted solution]

Your sub-components are not joint. Because of the the align command fails. Join the components and it should work.

BTW: you should prefer joins over move/aligns. 

[srgntballistic]

Joints don't seem to work well for what I'm doing. I'm designing for 3D Printing and as such have to build in some registration and tolerances.

So when I try to do a join on two registered pieces with say a .4mm offset on all sides of something like a cylindrical registration piece the the join will often overlap the 2 pieces. I've tried doing planer first then adding another and it doesn't seem to work

[lichtzeichenanlage]

Not sure what you mean. Can you share the design and / or create a screencast?

[michael_koehle]

It would work better if it aligned the component. If we wanted to align subcomponents, we would active the subcomponent. 

[lichtzeichenanlage]

Could you post an example or better what you're struggling with?

[Anonymous]

Repro:

1. create one component with one body, a simple flat box

2. create another component with one body (B) and one subcomponent (C)

sub-component

3. import (2) into (1)

4. move the imported component (3)

align-before

5. select Align

6. click the face of the BODY (2B) from the imported component

7. click the face of BODY (1)

align-actual

EXPECTED (in step)

7. entire imported component moves, since the COMPONENT (2C) is a child component and the BODY (2B) is a child of the component.

align-expected

ACTUAL (in step)

6. only the BODY (2B) moves, while the subcomponent (2C) stays in position

ADDITIONAL NOTES

* Making additional hierarchy of only components in sub-component also does not work. For example, make sub-component have no root-level bodes, just two components (C1 and C2). Make C2 a child of C1. When aligning (7) you've selected the parent component (C1). Reasonable assumption is that all children of that component will also move, otherwise why is their a hierarchy?

EDIT - And, moving the imported component, or the root of the imported subcomponent (C1) will also move C2, the child. It is only the align command that fails to move C2.

EDIT - Potential workaround - in some scenarios, using the Move tool with Point-to-Point instead of Align may work. Also, this moves the entire hierarchy as well! Select Move, select point-to-point, click the bottom corner of C1 and then the top corner of the parent box. The whole hierarchy moves!

[lichtzeichenanlage]

Don't use move and / or align but joins.