Modify components in place

[Anonymous]

Dear friends,

I red a post od november 2016 where a user was trying to edit a linked component directly in an assembly; some replies and it came out that it's impossible. Am I missing anything? I think that if it's actually not possible, this is a big big lack of functionality. Some components must be edited in place to have the referenced points and geometry as reference.

Could you explain, please, what do you think about?

Thank you

Marco

[TrippyLighting · Accepted solution]

You can modify and design components in place. Just not linked components.

What you are missing is that Fusion 360 does not separate between assembly and part files so you can design an assembly with several hundred components with the proper structure without using linked components. That ability greatly reduces the need for linked components.

[Anonymous]

Ok Peter, maybe I undestand. Working without an assembly environment is very unusual for me so, please, keep patience 🙂

Maybe it's possible to use that behauvior as a strenght point instead of weakness: all is done is done and all has a code can't be changed. For me that I've problems to manage duplicate or triplicate codes, it could be better than in Solidoworks.

Thank you

Marco

[harry.doldersum]

Hi all,

Just found this topic, while searching for "in place editing", as I was looking how to do that in Fusion? 

It's a feature, I always really appreciated in Solid Edge and I'm happy to read that it's possible in Fusion too. However, I am not grasping its functionality as yet...   How do I begin to edit a component, while in an assembly? It's probably very simple, but I am not seeing it yet...  

In SE, there was a menu command, to invoke this mode - do we have something similar? 

I'm currently working on a part as a normal separate component & swapping back and forth to the assembly, to see how I'm doing. In place editing would make life a lot easier. 

Thanks!

Cheers,

Harry D.

[TrippyLighting]

What you are working with is a linked/external component. When you are working in your assembly in the browser that component has a little chain link symbol.

One way to get that component into your design is to break the link. But, of course then that component in your design and the external component have no connection with each other anymore.

The other way to get to that structure of a design is to read a component within a Fusion 360 design and activate it.

A good guideline how to work with internal components is Fusion 360's R.U.L.E #1, which is the second list in this tip collection.

[jeff_strater]

Hi @harry.doldersum,

Yes, this would be a useful workflow.  Unfortunately, edit in context is not yet a part of Fusion.  It is on the roadmap, but is not a short-term deliverable.  We have been discussing this just this past week, so we realize the importance.  Stay tuned!

Jeff

[harry.doldersum]

Much appreciated, gents! 

I'll look into the tips, for which Peter posted the link & it's good to read that this functionality is in the planning.

Good stuff!

Cheers,

Harry D. 

[Edit: corrected typo - quick typing isn't always good...  ]

[shane.howard1]

OK, I understand what you're saying. But what if you have an assembly made out of a bunch of separate models that have been brought in as linked bodies. Now you want to add a hole for a pin, like you would match drill two parts in the real world. Adding this hole is an afterthought that was never considered in the original design. Whats the best way to achieve this? I have drawings already made for the individual models that make the linked components and would like the new hole to show up in the drawings also.

[HughesTooling]

All you can do at the moment is select the component in the browser, right click and select Open then edit the linked file, not as part of the assembly. After editing save and close, the assembly will flag the component out of date, click icon to get latest version.

Mark