Instantiating a 2D Component

You can instantiate a 2D component.

1. Double-click the view in which you want to instantiate the 2D component. This view is now active.

2. Click Instantiate 2D Component in the Annotations toolbar (Symbols sub-toolbar).

   Important: You can position several 2D components on the sheet and keep the scale and angle properties for all these components. For this, double-click the Instantiate 2D Component icon . Note that you cannot change the 2D component reference when doing this. All 2D component instances created using this method will have the same angle, scale and origin. You can modify these later on.

3. Go to the detail sheet and click the 2D component.

   Important: You can also: select the 2D component from the specification tree, select an existing 2D component instance in the drawing representation. In this case, Angle, Scale, Flip horizontally and Flip vertically properties are transmitted from the selected 2D Component instance to the new one.

   The drawing sheet automatically displays the sheet containing the starting view.

   
   
   

4. Position the component using Smartpick.

   The Tools Palette toolbar appears.
   
   For more about this toolbar, read Instantiating a 2D Component below.

5. Click in the sheet; the 2D component instance is created.

   Furthermore, the 2D component instance is added in the Component Instances node, under the appropriate view node in the specification tree.

   Important: The Component Instances node is created by default when a 2D component instance is created, but it is not displayed by default. At any time, you can specify whether or not you want to view this node in Tools > Options > Mechanical > Drafting > Display tab, Specification Tree area, by selecting 2D component instances.

6. If needed, select the component and use the displayed manipulators to modify the component.

   Important: If you select Disable direct manipulation and/or Disable direct scaling from Tools > Options > Mechanical > Drafting > Annotation and Dress-up tab, you will not be able to move and/or scale the component.

   Tip: You can also modify a group of objects including a 2D component. For this, multi-select the group of object and perform the desired modification(s). To easily find and edit the reference 2D Component, double-click or right-click the 2D component you have instantiated, and choose Edit reference component option in the contextual menu.

You can position a 2D component while creating it.

1. Instantiate a component and click in the sheet to define its position.

   
   
   

   The Tools palette toolbar appears and lets you modify the origin, position

   and orientation of the 2D Component instance. This toolbar displays the following commands:

   
   
   

   Link with detail: instantiate a 2D component. The component instance is linked with its reference in a detail sheet. By default, this icon is activated.

   Explode: instantiate and explode a 2D component. The component instance is not linked to its reference, so behaves as independent geometry and annotations.

   Fixed together: instantiate and explode a 2D component, and apply a fixed together constraint to the geometry elements. The fix together constraint is not applied to annotations, dimensions nor dress-up elements.

   Change component origin: define another origin in the view.

   Change component position: define another position in the view.

   Change component angle: define the angle in the view.

   Flip component horizontally: rotate horizontally the 2D component instance.

   Flip component vertically: rotate vertically the 2D component instance.

   Angle: define a value for the angle.

   Scale: define a value for the scale.

2. Click Change Component Origin in the Tools Palette toolbar.

3. Click a point on the component, which you want to use as the component origin.

   
   
   

4. This new origin will move to fit into the position you indicated for the component. You can see that the component origin has moved to the defined position.
   
   

5. Click Change Component Position in the Tools Palette toolbar.

6. Click a point to define a different position of the 2D component.

   
   
   The component origin moves to the selected point.

   Note:
   

   • This command moves the position of the 2D component to the selected point.
   • This modification in change of component position is applied to the currently selected 2D component instance which is created during the command execution.

7. Click in the view. The 2D Component instance is created.

8. You can also flip the component according to either the x or y axis. If you click Flip component horizontally , the component flips on the horizontal axis of the detail. If you click the Flip component vertically , the component flips on the vertical axis of its reference.

You can add a leader to a 2D component instance.

Instantiating a 2D Component

1. Right-click an instance. The contextual menu is displayed.

2. Select Add Leader from the contextual menu.

3. Select the element you want to associate to the 2D component, or click in empty space. The leader is added.

You can replace the reference of a 2D component instance.

Instantiating a 2D Component

1. Right-click an instance. The contextual menu is displayed.

2. Select 2D Component.X (Instance) object > Replace Reference for this instance.

3. Select another instance or a 2D component in a local sheet of detail. The 2D component reference is replaced.

Important: When replacing the reference of a 2D component instance, any existing text in the original 2D component instance is also replaced, even if this existing text had been previously modified (see Modifying Annotation Text and Orientation in a 2D Component for more information on this point).