Paste Special

This task explains you how to use the Paste Special... command. This implies the understanding of the type of features you can paste using this command as well as the various formats available for pasting these features.

This document is divided into 2 parts:
 

Paste As Specified in Product Structure
Paste As Specified in Product Structure is the format by default (traditional Paste).

If you copy / paste an object in an assembly, only the selected Source Instance is copied.

A new Instance of the Source object is created and it has the same Reference as the Source. Therefore, modifying the Source implies modifying the Copy and vice versa. And the Copy (new instance) has the same Reference. This schema illustrates this behavior:

  1. Select CRIC_TOP for instance and copy it.

  2. Right-click Product1 in the new CATProduct, select the Paste Special... command. The Paste Special window appears.

  1. Select the As specified in Product Structure line and click OK. You obtain this result:

  1. Edit the Reference of CRIC_TOP (open CRIC_TOP.CATPart). Note that if you modify this Reference, both Instances are also modified: Source and Copy.

The behavior of Paste Special As specified in Product Structure is exactly the same as a simple Paste.

Paste Break Link
Contrary to the previous format, the Source Instance and its Reference are duplicated, because a new Instance and a new Reference are created. The Reference of the new Instance is the Copy of the Reference, which makes it independent from the Source. The Source and the Copy are separated, that is to say if you modify the Source, there will be no impacts on the new Instance (Copy). This schema illustrates this behavior:

  1. Select CRIC_TOP for instance and copy it.

  2. Right-click Product1 and select the Paste Special... command. The Paste Special window appears.

  3. Select the Break Link option and click OK. And CRIC_TOP appears in Product1. Note that the Instance name of the copy is not the same as the one in our first example (As specified in Product Structure).

  4. Edit the Reference CRIC_TOP.CATPart. Note that if you modify this Reference, the new Instance of CRIC_TOP (the Copy) is not modified:

In an assembly, you cannot have two References with the same Part Number within a CATIA Session. If you copy / paste Beak Link a CATPart, CATProduct or a Component, the Copy is automatically renamed like this: Copy (n) of Source (Copy (n) of Source.1).

But If you copy / paste Beak Link an object in another CATProduct that does not contain the same Reference, the Copy is not renamed.

Duplicating References:

Paste Break Link duplicates the Reference of the selected object and all references of aggregated children, if they are internal reference in the document as the selected object. Here is an example:

The Source References in the Source Assembly are Blue in color. The References in the Target document are in Pink color.
P3 is a child of the copied component P2. However, since its Reference is in another document, so it won't be duplicated.
You copy P2.1 under Target (Copy / Paste Break Link).

=> Instance / Reference Link:
This symbol identifies that this is a Product (not associated to any document). This is an Instance or Reference that follows the same behavior as its root (first "father" having an Associated Document).
This symbol identifies that this is a Product (Instance or Reference), whose Reference is associated to a Document. The Product has its own Copy / Cut / Paste behavior.
When you use the Paste with Break Link functionality, only the Instance chain within the document is duplicated. For instance:
  • If you copy / paste P1.1:
  • If you copy / paste Root1:
When you copy / paste Break Link an Instance that has an External Reference, its Reference and its Document are duplicated (only when the original Document has an External Reference).

Duplicating Documents:

If copying / pasting Break Link an object in a CATProduct, its Reference is also duplicated (its document is duplicated). The action is somewhat like Inserting a New Product.
If you duplicate in CATIA V5 an ENOVIA document via the Paste Break Link, you only obtain a document File.

Limitations:

  • Cut: Break Link is the unique format when applied on Components, because Components have internal References (only Break Link is available in the Paste Special window). However, if you want to cut a CATProduct, you have the choice between both formats.
    V4 models are often inserted in the product structure using Components, therefore cutting the V4 models is like cutting a Component, using break link format, i.e. the reference is deleted as the instance. Reference and instances have to be re-created at the Paste (break link) operation.
  • Drag and Drop: only the As specified in Product Structure is available.
  • Paste Special:
    • You cannot paste on two Targets at the same time
    • You cannot make a multi-format Paste, but it is possible to select several Sources at the same time and paste it at the same format.
If you copy / paste a .model As Spec (Paste Special > As Spec) into a CATProduct in CATIA V5, the behavior is the same like doing a Add New Representation that is to say adding this model as a New Representation in the CATProduct. Copying As Spec consists in transferring the solid with the Geometry and History tree.

For more information about the Copy / Paste Special > As Spec, please refer to Copying 3D from CATIA Version 4 to CATIA Version 5 in the CATIA - V4 Integration User's Guide.

Copy Semantic:

Here we review how a pair (instance, reference) is copied from the origin document to the target document via the clipboard.

In these scenario types, we are copying the instance (I) that is attached either to a local reference (LR) or to an external reference (ER).