Inserting a New Body

This task shows you how to insert a new body into the part. When your part includes several bodies, you can then associate these bodies in different ways (refer to the tasks showing the different ways of attaching bodies in the Part Design User's Guide: Adding Bodies, Assembling Bodies, Intersecting Bodies, Removing Bodies, Trimming Bodies) to obtain the final shape of the part.
Open any CATPart document.
This is the initial part, composed of Part Body and two bodies:

  1. Click the Body icon .
    If the icon is not visible in the application, you can display the required toolbar by using View > Toolbars > Insert.

    The result is immediate. the application displays this new body referred to as Body.3 in the specification tree. It is underlined, indicating that it is the active body.
    Now, the image associated with bodies in the tree differs from the image representing the part body. A blue gear as well as a yellow plus or minus sign have been added to the green gear. These signs indicate the polarity of the body.
    This new image lets you quickly tell a body from a part body especially if that one has been renamed.
You can construct this new body using the diverse commands available in this workbench or in other workbenches.

You will notice that Part Body and Body.3 are autonomous. The operations you would accomplish on any of them would not affect the integrity of the other one. Now, if you wish to combine them, refer to the tasks showing the different ways of attaching bodies in the Part Design User's Guide: Adding Bodies, Assembling Bodies, Intersecting Bodies, Removing Bodies, Trimming Bodies.

Showing or Hiding Bodies

To hide all the features, even the sketches, of a current or non-current body, simply use the Hide components contextual menu item.

Conversely, use the Show components contextual menu item to restore the view.

Types of Bodies you Insert

In case you first select features from an existing body to place them into a new body, this new body is of the same type as the body from which you have selected the features. In other words, if for example you select features from a hybrid body, then click Body , this new body is a hybrid body even if Enable hybrid design inside part bodies and bodies is cleared. For more information about this setting, see the Customizing section, 3D Shape in the user's guide.