Move multiple bodies to new component

[johnhoge]

I'm new at Fusion360, and created a bunch of bodies before I understood the importantce of components. I know that I can select the bodies and click "Create comoponents from bodies" but that will produce one component per body or a total of about 15 components when I really only want one.

Is there a way to copy and paste bodies into a component? Or some way to take multiple bodies and create one component?

[TrippyLighting]

Yes, but depending on what you are desingning that might not be a good idea.

If you've created these bodies in timeline mode using sketches you should have forst created a component and activated it, so the sketch is part of that component.

I am not at my Fusion 360 station at the moment, but you should be able to simply drag a body into an existing component.

[AutoDesk99UGT]

Once you create a component, you can't access the other bodies until you deactivate that component, and being the only one, you can't do that.  (not sure what someone was thinking when they did that) - At least, you can't edit them or do anything with them until you move them into a component, so I guess the idea is that once you have one component, you must move everything into one...

I have 350 bodies (output from a pattern on a pattern (2D array of sorts)) - I want to export the thing as an STL with about 100 of them in one component, and 100 in another and 100 in a 3rd..

So, you select the first 100... and just try to scroll down to the component while you are dragging.. No, you right click on them and move bodies to a SINGLE component.. Oh, it didn't get implemented... Wow, that is a major hole in the design, I've wanted to do that 99.9% of the time that I'm using that feature, I have NEVER wanted to create 300 components from the 300 bodies...

While writing this, I came up with two solutions for my issue... but, you still need an option to create a single component from a set of bodies.

Option 1: Start moving the bodies from the bottom of the list, that makes it easier (still a pain)

Option 2: Back up, make the results of the first pattern be a component, and use the pattern on the 2nd one as a pattern on a component instead of on a body.  because there is no way to create the output of a pattern as a component (an obvious feature), you then move all those Components into a component and you have what I'm trying to do...  A Hack and slash approach to  brute forcing Fusion 360 to do what it should already be able to do...

[AutoDesk99UGT]

Well, that option didn't work... You can create a component inside a component, but you can't move one there..  It won't accept that as an option to drag...  That makes no sense...  Typical UI decision for Fusion 360, if it makes sense, do it some other way...

Maybe I need to be holding the control key, standing on my left foot and jumping while do it...  Not sure...

So, while I can create a zillion components instead of bodies, it doesn't do me any good to do so.. I'm back to where I was when I selected the 650 bodies and said Create Components from bodies (wanting 'component' from bodies)... 

So, Ugh... again..

[AutoDesk99UGT]

FYI: The other issue that Autodesk really needs to change in Fusion 360 to bring it up to the 2000's is that when you try to do something, say you select a body in one component and attempt to drag it into another one.  And you can't.  It REALLY needs to provide feedback as to WHY you can't do that.  I mean, I was able to drag bodies from outside a component into a component earlier - do I have some option turned on that is preventing it?  Is the component marked read-only (is that possible?) is there some other thing?  A simple message:   "Invalid drop target, >>>REASON WHY HERE<<"  - PLEASE don't implement it with the idiot message 'invalid drop target' alone - that matches the other messages... and you can even see this in employees demos... An error message pops up in the lower right with 'more information' and he even *says* he doesn't know why - and HE WORKS FOR YOU, but instead of clicking on the 'more information' he goes on, actually wiped out the entire drawing and started over... Yeah, been there with F360...  Except, I'm not doing a simple demo, and I can't just wipe out hours worth of work and start over.. Well, sometimes I have to...   So, why not click on the more info?  Well if the Error was 'Invalid drop target' if you click on the more info you would get 'Invalid drop target' for the 'more info', 100% of the time the more info is the same info... so, you quickly learn that they couldn't provide you simple information.   Even doing something like flashing the parts that you are conflicting with.  (I found two circles that were exactly the same size and on top of each other once.. keeping an extrude from working that crossed them... Took me HOURS to track that down, nearly started over..  I happened to notice it as the dimensions where in different places showing it was two circles.. deleted one, and everything worked fine..   Now, had it provided me any feedback about the problem, like 'two circles in sketch 3 occupy the same space and I can't resolve how to do this' instead of 'can't resolve how to extrude'  - yeah, kind of figured that might be the problem when you didn't extrude it...   Error message was written by Forest Gump, no, he actually might have been able to write a better one.

[TrippyLighting]

Would it be possible to write a concise and more importantly cohesive post and explain what it is you are trying to do the overall purpose, not moving a component from here to there), share a screencast, and perhaps the model?

[AutoDesk99UGT]

I just downloaded Screen cast, I'll see what I can come up with tonight to show the issues..

[TrippyLighting]

I do agree with you on the error messages. They are too generic to be of much use.

[dankG2KYJ]

@johnhoge "Is there a way to copy and paste bodies into a component?"

This screencast shows you can, but I'm not sure its the "cleanest" thing you can do because of possible timeline issues.

<iframe width="640" height="400" src="https://screencast.autodesk.com/Embed/Timeline/e75e82b5-45ef-49ea-973b-6ab82dc48619" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen></iframe>

[AutoDesk99UGT]

Yeah, I guess cut and paste would work... that would take a while for the 650 bodies that I want to split between 3 components...

I did finally figure out why I couldn't pick up the bodies to move to another component... you have to select the project as the active component in order to pickup the bodies from it..

So, that would be a solution... Select what I want to move, cut, and paste into another component..  Ugh brute force, but works...

[ilya_gurin]

I exported the set of bodies I wanted to an f3z file, uploaded it back to Fusion, and deleted it from the original design. Now I can instantiate that set of bodies as a separate design. Not exactly what I wanted, but close enough. 😖