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How to duplicate a model and its associated drawing?

murray_1murray_1 Member Posts: 19
I've created a model of a pull stud and a fully dimensioned drawing for it. I now want to create a slightly longer variant of it - and a dimensioned drawing for that too. It's easy enough to duplicate the model but how do I duplicate the associated drawing? I don't want to have to create the drawing all over again.

In the model tab right click menu there is the "duplicate" option but this doesn't exist in the equivalent drawing tab menu. I'd imagined copying the first drawing and redefining the source - or possibly being able to duplicate both the model and the drawing together.

Is this operation possible? It needs to be but I can't see how it might be done.

Comments

  • pete_yodispete_yodis OS Professional, Mentor Posts: 666 ✭✭✭
    @murray_1 Off the top of my head.... Copy the workspace.  Then change the items you need to change in that copy.  Will that work for you?




  • murray_1murray_1 Member Posts: 19
    Yes, that works, although I was hoping to end up with them all in the same workspace - uses up another precious document allocation otherwise. 

    Although I can copy one of the model tabs to the clipboard and thence into the other workspace with its friend, I can't do the same for the drawing tab. Can I get them into the same workspace? 
  • murray_1murray_1 Member Posts: 19
    And annoyingly, the "my documents" preview for the short pull stud is actually showing the long pull stud - ie what it looked like before I shortened it. I can't seem to refresh or update the preview. Tried diving in and out of the document, logging off and on but to no avail.
  • _Ðave__Ðave_ Member, Developers Posts: 712 ✭✭✭✭
    @murray_1 This is something that is absolutely needed thanks for bringing this to light.
  • stephen_lewin_berlinstephen_lewin_berlin Onshape Employees Posts: 20
    How about creating a branch, then editing the part in the new branch? Then, update the drawing in the new branch to get the geometry changes.
  • _Ðave__Ðave_ Member, Developers Posts: 712 ✭✭✭✭
    @stephen_lewin_berlin I suppose that would work but what should I do with the other 100 tabs that got created as part of that branch? Or how can I get my modified part and drawing moved back into the main branch without removing  the original?
  • stephen_lewin_berlinstephen_lewin_berlin Onshape Employees Posts: 20
    I guess it depends how you intend to use the two variations. There isn't currently a mechanism that lets you copy the drawing and models it references between workspaces, so you would have to manage the two parts/drawings in the different branches. I do take your point that Onshape doesn't have a "duplicate" option on the drawing tab. If you want the variations in the same branch, you need to create a new drawing.
  • _Ðave__Ðave_ Member, Developers Posts: 712 ✭✭✭✭
     I do take your point that Onshape doesn't have a "duplicate" option on the drawing tab.
      Thanks, is this something that is being considered?
  • stephen_lewin_berlinstephen_lewin_berlin Onshape Employees Posts: 20
    I suggest logging an improvement request - this is on a general list of feature requests, but we do take into account which features users upvote when we schedule work.
  • Rishabh_GarikiparithiRishabh_Garikiparithi Member Posts: 5 PRO
    edited September 4

    I'm here because my colleague just showed me how to duplicate a part and it's drawing.

    1. Make a part and a drawing image.png image.png
    2. Make copies of both the part and the drawing using the Duplicate button in the right-click menu for each.
      image.png
    3. (optional) Make a few edits in the copied part. I've done some terrible ones here just for demonstration. image.png
    4. In the duplicated drawing, go to each page in the tree, right click the part, and click replace image.png
    5. Select the part from your duplicated document. If there are multiple pages, you'll have to do this multiple times. If there are multiple different parts in your drawing, you will also have to do it for each part. image.png
    6. If you've made edits in step 3, some of the dimensions may no longer be relevant, and will be shown in red, but everything else will be duplicated properly. Views, comments, dimensions, tolerances, etc. will all be applied to the new model with minimal editing required. If you don't make any edits in step 3, the duplicated drawing won't have any red errors like this. image.png

    Knowing about this feature a month ago would have saved me over 10 hours of my life, so I'm surprised it has not been mentioned in forums and Youtube tutorials more.

  • eric_pestyeric_pesty Member Posts: 2,338 PRO
    edited September 4

    There's an easier way…
    Use the "move to document" for your drawing and part and move it to either a new document or some temporary other place.

    This new document has the copy of the part and its drawing but these are still associated.

    "Restore" the original document to before the move to get the "originals" back. If you want the new parts in the "original" document, you can just use a move to document from the temporary one.

    This works the same for assemblies if you want to copy the assembly and have use copy of the parts as well, here's an example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMLvZJ7dYJQ

  • glen_dewsburyglen_dewsbury Member Posts: 1,148 PRO

    This looks like a job for configured parts.

    First part on sheet one of a drawing and second part on sheet 2 instead of copying whole document and easier to track.

  • PeteYodisPeteYodis Moderator, Onshape Employees Posts: 560

    when replacing drawing references, if you switch to the sort by reference view of the sheets panel- the replace will handle all parent child view sets for the entire drawing - essentially a global replace for the reference in the drawing.

    If you replace while in the sort by sheets view, the replace will handle just the current parent/child dependent set of views and no more.

  • Rishabh_GarikiparithiRishabh_Garikiparithi Member Posts: 5 PRO

    I just tried this and it works!

    For clearer instructions.

    1. Create a version of your document, so that you can restore to it later.

    2. Open the tab manager (alt/⌥+t), ctrl+click the part file as well as the drawing, then right click and Move to document

    3. Select New document, name it something like "temp document for moving

    "

    image.png

    4. Open the new document once it's moved, and rename both the part file and the drawing.

    5. Go back to your original document, and in the Versions and History tab, right click the version you made in step 1, and click Restore to [name of workspace]… (This will re-create the original copy of your part file and drawing without deleting them from the temporary document you created)

    6. Go back to the temporary document. Create a new part studio. Then use the tab manager again to select both the copied part and its drawing, right-click and select Move to document again, but this time select Other documents so that you can choose the original document to move the copy back to.

    Now you will have both copies and their associated drawings in the original document. I'm surprised this works without creating any conflicts.

  • eric_pestyeric_pesty Member Posts: 2,338 PRO

    @Rishabh_Garikiparithi

    Glad you found it useful.

    Note that you don't actually need to create a version in order to do the restore in the original document so that's why I didn't mention it…

    I forgot about the "no empty doc" rule so you are right that you have to create a new tab (any kind of tab) before you can move both everything back to the original doc.

    Note that renaming the tabs in the temporary doc isn't actually required as it will still work fine without doing that, but it's a good idea to make it obvious which is which when they are back in the original doc!

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