The Problem:
Some assembly constraints do not show in the model browser tree under all the components involved in the constraint. This needs to be fixed as soon as possible.
Effects:
There is no quick or easy way to determine all the ways some components are being constrained, so if we later want to change or redefine how they are constrained, there is no quick or easy way to do so completely. This can be misleading, confusing, and very time consuming to try to figure out later. We can delete or suppress all constraints listed under a component in the model browser tree, yet the component is still being constrained somehow, with no clear/easy way to figure out how/why. Even if we select the component, then right-click in the graphics area and choose the use the 'Selection' slide-out, then the 'Constrained To' tool, it will not select the other two components who's faces it is symmetrically constrained between. And when selecting either of those other two components who's faces are involved, and doing the same context menu steps, then one component in the middle is not selected. We do not want to have to delete that occurrence, then place it back into the assembly, then re-constrain it again. We do not want to have to expand the 'Relationships' browser folder then click on every single constraint in the entire assembly (could be hundreds), while watching to see if that one component gets highlighted, just to find that one constraint later. This is completely ridiculous.
When/How it happens:
This usually happens when component work features (such as the component's Origin work planes) are used to define some portion of a constraint. A good example of this is when using the 'Symmetric' constraint, where we choose the flat face of one component, the flat face of a second component that is parallel to the first selected face, then an origin work plane of a third component (one of its center planes, for example) that we want to be centered between those two other component faces. After we create this constraint, that constraint object is listed in the model browser tree under the first two components who's faces we selected, but not under the third component who's origin work plane we selected. It is not even listed under that component's work plane when we expand the Origin folder under that component in the model browser tree. The result is the third component is being constrained between two other component faces, but there is nothing under that component letting us know about that constraint/association, or the other two components involved. Then later, we can not figure out what is constraining it in place, so we can not change, suppress, or delete that association, because we do not know what is causing it.
Suggested Solution:
The Inventor developers at Autodesk should make sure a constraint object (browser node) gets listed under the assembly component occurrence when any of its work features are being used to define any type of assembly constraint, at any time.
