How to automatically transfer new parts into an existing assembly

michael_schaub

Hello everbody,

I am looking for a simple functionality I already used. However, I somehow can't find it any more.

Here is my simple scenario:

I imported a step file, oriented and grouped all the imported parts as I needed.

From this assembly I created a part studio in context and started drawing new parts around the imported object.

I then had to add the newly drawn parts back into the assembly to add an additional imported part in reference to my drawn up parts.

Sounds more complicated than it is.

The simple task in question is:

Add the newly drawn parts into the assembly.

I somewhere found a button which added all new parts from the part studio into the assembly automatically (in context).

No manually inserting of the parts, no eyeballing the parts together, no mates required to get the parts in the right position.

All parts were inserted in the right location automatically (as they are positioned in the part studio). I just grouped them, job done.

In the assembly tab, the instances (parts) inserted from the part studio are displayed like this:

This was yesterday. Today I am unable to find this functionality again.

I got another part studio where I was drawing up parts which just cannot be manually placed in the precise location in the assembly.

There is no surface to create a proper mate.

Eyeballing the location would cause issues in the future.

The new parts must be inserted in reference to a previously inserted part of the same part studio.

Can someone help me out to find that button`?

Thanks a lot,

Michael

michael_schaub

I found this thread, which generally adresses a similar topic and gave me some more undestanding:

https://forum.onshape.com/discussion/10114/understanding-primary-instance

I would break it down in two questions now:
How do I create a primary instance in the assembly?
How do I add the secondary instances?

S1mon

You might want to import to a single part studio first instead (assuming things are in the right relation to one another). Then you could model additional parts in the part studio. Making an assembly would just be a matter of inserting the parts in their default position, fixing one, and grouping all of them (unless you need movement).

michael_schaub

This is a solution I used.

However, for my situation not possible:

- I import a part

- I create new designs around this part

- I import another part and attach (mate connectors) this to the newly created parts.

Or I have a complex assembly of importet parts and part studios and continously create new parts in the existing part studios.
I need to get them inside the existing assembly.

The only work around for the moment is, to start entirely new assemblys every time. 

Besides the enormous effort:

As soon as I use two part studios with multiple parts created inside of them, this stops working.

And one mistake during the "re-assembly", and I end up with different distances at different stages of the design process.

This is unsustainable.

I know the functionality exists.
I just need to find it again.

Any idea how to create these primary references inside an essmbly?

nick_papageorge073

I've run into similar issues. A few points:

When you create an in-context part studio from a mate connector of an assembly, and you create 2 or 3 new parts from scratch in that studio; If you place them in the assy with the pop up at the top of the studio that says something like "add to assy and switch to assy tab", when they get placed in the assy they are all in the correct location and you can group them.

Now, that only works on the FIRST time that pop up at the top of the screen is still there. If you later go back to that studio, make a new part where you want it, and place it in the assy, it will not come in at the expected place.

The solution to this is to add the following two featurescripts to your system: "MultiMateConnector", and "Mate connector at origin". You will find both of these extremely useful for this scenario, and you will use them all the time. OS support staff turn me onto them when I sent a helpdesk request for a similar question. Both FS are also made by OS staff.

michael_schaub

I added both the featurescripts.
However, I do not really understand how to use them.
Is there any documentation I can look up, or could you give me a short overview?

michael_schaub

S1mon said:

You might want to import to a single part studio first instead (assuming things are in the right relation to one another). Then you could model additional parts in the part studio. Making an assembly would just be a matter of inserting the parts in their default position, fixing one, and grouping all of them (unless you need movement).

This won't work for me. In a simple environment this is possible. But I have different parts connected on slider mates.

nick_papageorge073

michael_schaub said:

I added both the featurescripts.
However, I do not really understand how to use them.
Is there any documentation I can look up, or could you give me a short overview?

Im not at my machine now… but you use multi-mate to put a mate connector on each part of your studio, using one feature. All the parts will share the same location for their MC. Then you switch to the assy, and mate the MC of each part to the assembly mate connector that was created when you did the in context part studio. 

In about 3 minutes you could assemble 20 parts this way, and they will all be in the exact spot they were in in the part studio.  

nick_papageorge073

Here is a quick sample document showing the procedure.

https://cad.onshape.com/documents/829f069424a2fa6e722e6aa1/w/e685f3325baf2b105f35a7ea/e/00afca1bef1a05d8365f7cf1