Welcome to the Onshape forum! Ask questions and join in the discussions about everything Onshape.
First time visiting? Here are some places to start:- Looking for a certain topic? Check out the categories filter or use Search (upper right).
- Need support? Ask a question to our Community Support category.
- Please submit support tickets for bugs but you can request improvements in the Product Feedback category.
- Be respectful, on topic and if you see a problem, Flag it.
If you would like to contact our Community Manager personally, feel free to send a private message or an email.
How Do I Insert Parts Into An Assembly
I can't believe I need to go to the forums for this…
I need this screw in this assembly. I attempted what I thought was the only sensible workflow for a CAD program. I selected the screw, copied it, went to the assembly and couldn't paste. Then I run Insert > Other Documents and search for the exact name of the part which incorrectly returns no results.
Congrats. You stumped me. How do I simply place an instance of a part into an assembly?
In Inventor, which I use professionally, one can use the Place command to add a part from Vault (PDM for Inventor) or copy the part from any model tree or it's file and paste. I can't fathom a better way to do it.
Comments
-No offense, but if you are a pro, and switching cad programs, you are costing your company money if you don't do training. (or costing yourself tons of aggravation if using OS at home for a hobby). The assembly process in OS is the biggest difference from other cad programs, imo.
-The hardware you imported is standard content. No need to waste time importing it.
-The direct answer to your question is the "insert" command is how to bring any part into an assembly. If it's not showing up in the list, did you make a version of the document you are inserting it from? One way to quickly find it is to click on "other documents", then the "home icon" on the left, then "recently opened". That will find your hardware import document, and from there you can get to the part studio of the import. Note also, it may be a composite part, which won't show in the list unless you click the composite part filter icon.
The screw must be referenced (in) by the assembly as opposed to it's current state, not referenced (not in) the assembly. Is "import" OnShape-speak for "add reference"? This screw is a generic part, like you said, and is used across the board in other deliverables. This is the first time I've been blocked from adding it to a new parent. I apologize if this sounds patronizing but I cannot simplify my need any more. The screw is either in or not in the assembly. There are no other states.
I'm also confused as to why versions are relevant here. I'm inserting a common screw that's used in various other assemblies, not trying to version the screw itself. As you know, assemblies are version-agnostic so my assembly isn't "seeing" anything beyond the latest. As soon as the screw is versioned, my assembly would pull that new version because it's looking for part number not part number + version. I'm not trying to edit a historic version of the assembly or whatever you might be thinking. Nothing weird going on.