Possible to unlink copied components?

[Noah_Katz]

I believe I asked this either in its own thread or as a tangential question in another thread, but either I didn't get an answer or have memory loss.

Is there a way to convert what was a copy/paste new to an unlinked copy?

[TrippyLighting]

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@Noah_Katz wrote:

Boundary fill can use construction planes as boundary limits. It is indeed much preferable to a simple copy-paste of a body because a copy-paste cannot be edited.

Boundary fill allows you to re-select new boundaries.

In surfacing workflows, this can be essential!

[Noah_Katz]

I don't know what boundaries we're talking about.

Copy/paste new produces an identical component with a history that can be edited; I do it all the time.

[TrippyLighting]

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@Noah_Katz wrote:

I don't know what boundaries we're talking about.

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If you invoke the boundary fill operation and select a solid body, you will be presented with a UI that requires you to select a cell.  A single solid body usually only has one cell. So that should be pretty self-explanatory even for a novice user. After selecting the cell you can click OK and that will result in a copy of that solid body.

You can then select the boundary fill icon in the timeline and edit it. That would allow you to select another solid body.

If you copy/paste a body you'll end up with an icon for the copy-paste feature in the timeline.

That feature cannot be edited!

That can be a problem if you unstitch the solid body for a subsequent surface modeling operation, before the copy-paste feature.

The copy-paste feature loses that body selection and turns yellow. As it cannot be edited, even if you re-stitch the surfaces into a solid body, you'll lose all the work after the copy-paste feature.

This has been reported a long, long time ago and many times since then.

[Noah_Katz]

Interesting, thanks, though not particularly relevant to the question at hand.

[EngineerSander]

Did they made a feature by now to uncouple the copied components that are linked into one drawing?

[dpow_]

You're right, it is intrinsically possible to combine copied bodies, you just have to jump through hoops. Your idea worked for me - the workflow is: Create Components from Bodies on the copied body, Export... .f3d to the same project, Import into Current Design back into the original project, Break Link, move into position, then finally Combine. Depending on your use case, you may need to create a Joint between the bodies before combining. Gah.

[yebyps]

Nicely outlined! I'm saving those steps.

[masonmwalker]

Agreed. If you remember to paste as new, you won’t have this problem but it would be great to be able to unlink copied components. For instance, if you want 9 out of 10 of your copied components to be linked but then want to change something about just one of them after the fact. After to past as new from the beginning is unintuitive. 

[jhackney1972]

Take a look at Message 49, on page 3, of this Forum post for a possible solution to what you desire.

[Noah_Katz]

John,

Somehow I missed #49.

This is very interesting, thanks.

I don't have time to try it now, but does the resulting part still have editable history?

[jhackney1972]

The component you create, using the Boundary Fill, is separate from the original MOVING FORWARD.  Any sketch and feature added to the new component is independent.  If you go back to the original component and say modify the sketch it was created with,  the Boundary Fill component will change.  This is due to the timeline.  If you need a video to further explain this just let me know.

[Noah_Katz]

> If you go back to the original component and say modify the sketch it was created with, the Boundary Fill component will change. 

Well in that case it fails at the main purpose of unlinking.

Still, I'm glad to learn about the Boundary Fill feature, so thanks for that.

[jhackney1972]

I see a flaw in my logic, accept my apologies.  I do see my method as a way to move forward with an independent component if needed.

[Noah_Katz]

No problem, and thanks again for taking the time to make the BF tutorial..

[lqg5960]

Why can't I delete my own comment when nobody has responded to it yet?

[luda_tomisek]

I was not reading whole topic, but my way of doing this is to create blank component and copy paste only body to be modified.

[laughingcreek]

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@luda_tomisek wrote:

I was not reading whole topic,...

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you probably should.

the copy command can't be edited, which can cause downstream headaches.  boundary fill works better b/c it can be edited allowing you to fix your timeline with a minimal amount of headaches in the event that an edit to the original  component causes the copy/boundary fill  to fail.

[magemann]

That what i am looking for. Thank