Other instances of my component appear when editing it

[jonathandebord]

Hello,

There is something I don't understand in Fusion 360.

In my project, I have three big components acting as folders :

- PARTS contains my individual "elementary" components (no assembly here) : PART_A:1, PART_B:1, PART_C...

- SUBASSEMBLIES contains several assemblies of components from PARTS folder : SUBASSEMBLY_A:1 contains PART_A:2, PART_A:3, PART_A:4, SUBASSEMBLY_B:1 contains PART_B:2, PART_B:3, PART_B:4...

- ASSEMBLY (my final assembly, mainly consisting in items from SUBASSEMBLIES folder and some from ASSEMBLY folder) : SUBASSEMBLY_A:2, SUBASSEMBLY_B:2, ...

Typically, an assembly (in "SUBASSEMBLIES") is a component containing multiple instances of components from "PARTS", copied with "paste", not "paste new" (so numbering starts at ":2"). So when I make a change to the initial component (in PARTS), it is changed in all subassemblies and in the final assembly. This allows me to use several times one same component and adapt it very quickly. (If it is not the right way to use Fusion 360, please tell me !)

My problem is a strange behaviour from Fusion 360.

Imagine I need to edit one component in PARTS (let's say PART_B). I go to PARTS\PART_B:1, I activate it, I hide all other components inside PARTS, and I hide the "folder" components "SUBASSEMBLIES" and "ASSEMBLY" to make sure I only see the component I need to work on (PART_B:1). At this stage, the copy of this component is already used in a subassembly (under the names "PART_B:2", "PART_B:3", ...). The problem is the following: when I open a sketch inside it, all subassemblies in which the part has been imported seem to appear in the background, like a kind of watermark. (The visibility of SUBASSEMBLY_B:1 changes from hidden to visible, immediately as I open a sketch inside PART_B:1). So, as my subassemblies tend to grow with more and more parts, it is increasingly difficult to see clearly in the edited sketch if the subassemblies appear in the background, in sketch editing mode.

If I try to hide the inopportune subassembly which has just appeared, sometimes I can manage to clearly see my edited sketch, but sometimes, I can barely see it as it also goes into a "watermark" mode. I also noticed it messes with the origin and the axes. It also noticed changes in the tree view, with parts not classified in a right SUBASSEMBLY_x folder, as when they were initially created, as if the editing of the sketch brought me back to an earlier state of the project (the time when the component was initially copied in SUBASSEMBLY folder, in no specific SUBASSEMBLY_x folder), just for the time its sketch is opened. All goes back to normal when I close the sketch, but it is really messy when I re-open the sketch.

So I guess there is something in the behaviour of Fusion that I do not understand. Could you please indicate me the right direction, please?

I hope the description of the problem is clear. If not, please do not hesitate.

[laughingcreek]

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@jonathandebord wrote:

...I hope the description of the problem is clear. If not, please do not hesitate.

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long soliloquies about 3d geometry is usually going to be unclear to some degree.  actual geometry usually helps with understanding. (or at least some visual info like pics, screen casts, etc.)

there could be a bug at play, but most likely there is an interplay with the timeline happening  that your not aware of.  either the model itself, or a simplified version showing the behavior would help in diagnosing.  

[jonathandebord]

Thank your for your answer. I'll work on a simplified version of my file to share it in order to illustrate the project.

In the meantime, does it sound like a normal Fusion 360 behaviour that the visibility of an assembly changes (from hidden to "visible in the background") when I enter a sketch in a component copy-pasted in this assembly?

[jeff_strater]

Unfortunately, I don't completely understand the question/problem.  Here is what I do know, and it is captured in the screencast below:  When you edit a sketch inside of a component with multiple instances, Fusion will roll the timeline back to the place when that sketch was created.  In the screencast below (including audio), that is the first instance of the component.  So, in that case, because of the rollback, there are no other instances to even see in this case.  So, I think what we need in order to better answer your question is a sample model and some description of the workflow that you are seeing (if it is in the form of a screencast or video, that is even better).  Hope this helps a bit.

[wmhazzard]

Not sure if this is your problem but if you have Auto project geometry to active sketch plane turned on in your preferences, you will get faint blue projections of faces that may be what you are seeing. If that is what you are seeing, you can turn the function off but it will still be there in any sketch that was created with it on.