Cutting, Copying and Pasting Objects

The steps below describe how to cut and paste or how to copy and paste Product Structure features. The last task will show you how to use the Instance Copy functionality.

We recommend you to use these commands when you do not need to re-specify the features you paste. if you do so, these features should not require too many specifications.

The Copy / Paste purpose (Break Link or As Specified in Product Structure) is to make an accurate Copy of the Source and keep the Attributes and Applicative data.
When the Source is in Visualization Mode, the Copy command needs a partial load of the Source.

When cutting or deleting a modified object, a warning message is displayed:

  • Yes: This option will display an editor to be able to save the modified object.
  • No: This option means that the document is removed, but not totally lost. It can be retrieved with the Undo command.

  1.  Select the object you want to cut or copy.

  2. To cut, you can either:

  • click the Cut icon
  • select the Edit > Cut command
  • select the Cut command on the contextual menu, or
  • from the geometry area or the specification tree, drag the selection (although not a graphical cut, this is equivalent to the cut operation).

This places what you cut in the clipboard.
 

To copy, you can either:

  • click the Copy icon
  • select the Edit > Copy command
  • select the Copy command on the contextual menu or
  • from the geometry area or the specification tree, press and hold down the Ctrl key and drag the selection.

This places what you copy in the clipboard.

  1. To paste, you can either:

  • click the Paste icon
  • select the Edit > Paste command
  • select the Paste command on the contextual menu (or Paste Special - Paste As Specified in Product Structure)
  • or from the geometry area or the specification tree, drop what you are dragging (see above).
Dragging and dropping objects (features or bodies) onto objects (products or components) is also quick way to copy objects too. Note however, that the option Enable Drag-Drop must be on to use the capability.
 

About Product Structure Features Position
  When you Copy / Paste from a CATProduct in another CATProduct, the pasted object has the same position as the source object.

When you Copy / Paste from a CATPart in a CATProduct, the pasted object has the same position as the target object, that is, its father.

 

Instance Copy in Visualization Mode when the Cache option activated in CATIA
  This command allows you to do an Instance Copy in Visualization mode without loading the product reference. It is available in the Product Structure workbench if the VPM Navigator license is available in the CATIA installation.

Two modes for products representation are available in Product Structure product:

  • Visualization Mode: only the CGR is loaded

  • Design Mode: all the geometry specifications are loaded

To access the Instance Copy command from the contextual menu, you need to follow these steps.

  1. Start CATIA and open a Product.

  2. Right-click the Product node in the specification tree and select the Instance Copy command.

The Instance Copy appears activated only if the current object is a Product node in the specification tree. Part geometry nodes, Design tables, Drawings sheets, catalog chapters, etc. are not Product nodes, so therefore they do not show the Instance Copy menu
 

The Instance Copy command is also available form the Edit menu.

  1. After selecting the command, you need to choose a destination object as explained in the status bar:

  1. Select a product instance and then the copy of the instance is created in Visualization mode and the new instance is displayed in the tree.

After using the Instance Copy command, the instantiated product reference remains in the Visualization mode.

The Instance Copy works also for a standalone CATPart.

Limitation

The multi-selection is not supported by this command. If several objects to copy are selected, only the copy of the first one is done.