Unloading Components

This task shows you how to unload a component from an assembly. Unloading a component means removing the document containing the Reference of the Instance.

A second section explains that if you unload a CATPart, then add an existing component that has the same Part Number as the unloaded component, and finally you reload this component, a Part Number conflict occurs.

You can only unload CATPart and CATProduct documents in an assembly. For a model document, you must use the deactivate representation functionalities, see Managing Representations.

Unloading a CATIA document and reloading the same document after several modifications in the CATProduct may lead to Part Number conflicts. This aspect is explained in the second section of this scenario: Managing Part Number conflicts after a Reload.
When a .model (*MASTER) is under a Component, you can select it and press the Unload icon .
  • If the Cache is ON and you open a CATPart, it is not loaded (in Visualization mode) but its geometry is visible in the 3D view. Reload it (in Design mode) and then you activate the Unload functionality on this CATPart. This is unloaded (in Visualization mode) and its geometry is visible, which means that it goes back to the initial state.
    With the Cache status as ON, performing Unload command on a CATPart Instance will in fact switch it back to Visualization mode. The following scenario will explain you the effects of this command.
  • Actions performed after unloading components cannot be undone. The history of actions is cleared and the Undo icon is grayed out.
  • An object that is UI-Activated, cannot be unloaded. The UI-Activated object cannot deleted itself (cannot unload itself), this is why an error message appears:

Unloading Components
Open the 4cubes.CATProduct document.
You are in Visualization mode and the CATParts are unloaded (see Picture 1 below).

  1. Select CUBE.1 [Cuve.CATPart] in the Specification Tree or in the geometry and click the Load icon . CUBE.CATPart is loaded and it is reflected on all its Instances (see Picture 2).

  2. Unload CUBE.1. This component and all these instances return into Visualization mode (see Picture 3).

    Picture 1: CATParts are not loaded (Visualization Mode) Picture 2: Loaded CATParts Picture 3: CATParts are not loaded (visualization Mode), the Cache is not activated).
If you did not select the Cache option, the geometry of the CATPart disappears and its icon indicates the unloaded status . Then, to reload the same CATPart, select it and click the Load icon. Therefore, the Part re-appears in the Geometry space and, in the Specification Tree, its icon changes into the loaded status: .
Unload command launches the same window as Desk (Point 8. in Using the FileDesk Workbench, in the Infrastructure User's Guide).
 

 

Managing Part Number conflicts on reload
Open the ManagingComponents01.CATProduct document.

  1. Select CRIC_SCREW.1 (CRIC_SCREW.CATPart) in the Specification Tree or in the geometry and click the Unload icon . CRIC_SCREW.CATPart has disappeared in the Geometry space:

  2. Insert another CATPart having the same Part Number as the one of CRIC_SCREW.1 (CRIC_SCREW.CATPart), for instance: CRIC_SCREW2.CATPart:

And you obtain:

  1. Select CRIC_SCREW.1 (CRIC_SCREW.CATPart) and click the Load icon . A Part number conflicts window appears because CRIC_SCREW.CATPart and CRIC_SCREW2.CATPart have the same Part Number CRIC_SCREW:

The OK button is dimmed because the second instance of CRIC_SCREW has already been inserted in the CATProduct and now you need to rename one of the Parts in order to resolve the conflict.

  1. Click the Rename or Automatic rename button. The Part Number window is displayed and you can rename the CATPart. Then click OK:

  2. The conflict is resolved because CRIC_SCREW2.CATPart has been renamed. Click OK and the window will disappear:

And you can see that both instances of CRIC_SCREW are visible in the Specification Tree and in the Geometry: