Loading Components

This task will show you how to load a component into an assembly.

Loading a component means putting its geometry in memory.
You can only load CATPart and CATProduct documents in an assembly. For a model document, you must use the activate representation functionalities, see Managing Representations.
  • Before unloading an object, you need to UI activate the root product, otherwise this message appears: "Unload action is not processed because the root product is not UI activated".
    To UI activate the root product, double-click it and then select the object you want to unload. You will see that the root product becomes blue-highlighted in the specification tree.
  • In Cache mode, the Load operation applied upon a CATPart Instance in Visualization mode, turns this CATPart in Prod Mode, and not in Design mode. With this partial loading, the geometry is not loaded and the CGR is displayed in the 3D view.
Open the ManagingComponents01.CATProduct document.
This task can only be completed successfully if you have just unloaded the components (see Unloading Components).
Select CRIC_BRANCH_3 (CRIC_BRANCH_3.1) in the specification tree or in the geometry and click the Load Components icon .

CRIC_BRANCH_3 (CRIC_BRANCH_3.1) is loaded. The link symbol disappears from the document icon in the specification tree. The geometry of the component is displayed.
 

 
This task will show you the status of objects after loading files.

Open Product1_Ball_Joint.CATProduct and create a new product, for instance Product2.CATProduct:

  1. Copy / Paste Product1_Ball_Joint.CATProduct in Product2.CATProduct and close Product2.

  2. Insert an existing Part, Ball_Joint_Housing.CATPart, in Product1_Ball_Joint.CATProduct:

  3. In Tools > Options > General, uncheck the option: "Load Referenced Documents".

  4. Reopen Product2 and you can see the Unload symbol in the Product1_Ball_Joint node.

  5. Right-Click Product1_Ball_Joint and select the Components > Load functionality. Note that Product2_assembly.CATProduct has been updated with the additional part:

  6. In the menu, select the File > Save Management functionality and you have the following result:

    The status of the product is "modified" whereas they have only been opened. It is normal because after a save / close / open / load, the status of this document is "modified".