Instantiating Power Copies Using Part Comparison Instantiation

You can analyze the 3D shape structure and isolate specific features within a part. This is particularly useful when managing power copies, for instance.

Before you begin:

  • Make sure you have the Generative Shape Design 2 product as well as KT1 or PKT licenses.

  • This instantiation mode is only available providing the Power Copy to be created is ordered and the chosen destination (that is the current feature) respects ordering rules.

  • Open reference and destination documents.

Related Topics
About Instantiating Power Copies

  1. From the reference document, click Instantiate From Selection or select Insert > Instantiate From Selection... from the menu bar.

  2. Select the power copy from the destination document.

    The Insert Object dialog box is displayed.

    Warning or error messages can be issued if the chosen destination is ambiguous or forbidden, for instance if you select an ordered geometrical set as the After destination.


    • In case of an error message, the destination field is emptied and the OK button is unavailable.

    • In case of a warning message, the power copy can still be instantiated but some elements may not be inserted in the chosen destination.

    Use the Reference list to choose the correct power copy when several have been defined in the document.

  3. Select the Part comparison instantiation mode.



  4. Select the Destination of the instantiation.

    It is composed of two elements: a combo list corresponding to the relative position (Inside or After) and a field containing the destination feature.

    The destination depends on the current feature as it is automatically filled with the latter. If there is no current feature, the field is empty.


    • When possible, you can modify the default destination, either by modifying the relative position or by selecting another destination feature.

    • The destination is filled with

      After when the destination is a geometric feature. In this case, the After field is grayed out.

    • The destination is filled with

      Inside when the destination is a geometrical feature set.

  5. Complete the Inputs within the dialog box by selecting the adequate element in the geometric area.

    After each selection, an indicator is displayed in the left viewer, with orientation when necessary. Click on the green arrow to reverse orientation if needed.



  6. (optional) Click Use identical name to automatically select all the elements with the same name.

    Tip: This is especially useful when the input is the same one repeated several times.

  7. (optional) Click Parameters to display the Parameters dialog box and modify values.

  8. Click OK to create the Power Copy instance.

    A PowerCopy Instances node is automatically created in the specification tree of the current document. The Comparison Window opens on the right side of the screen and the Scan and Synchronization toolbars are launched.



    Note that:


    • All the inputs must have been provided before launching the instantiation. Otherwise, the OK button is grayed out.
    • Instantiated features are not updated to let you update them one by one and check the consistency of the result.
    • The current feature is not yet synchronized at this step. It allows you to see the result of the Power Copy on the right side.
    • A new PowerCopy Instances node has been created in current document. This node allows the mapping between referenced objects and instantiated objects.

    When editing a feature in the Comparison Window, the edited feature is highlighted simultaneously on both left and right sides of the screen, in specification trees and 3D areas.

  9. Click First or First to update .

    The Scan command is automatically launched.

  10. Then click Next or Play update to scan the instantiated features and update them.

    Warning: Only the Structure mode is available here.
    All the inputs of TwoSurfacicHole are valuated.

  11. Close the Comparison window.



    Tips:
    • If you launch the Quick Select command , either in the left or in the right window, the visualization is updated in both windows: pre-highlighting is synchronous and a color code indicates the current selection (green labels) in the Quick Select dialog box and the parents/children (red labels).
    • Once the Power Copy has been instantiated, you can close the comparison window and delete the Power Copy Instance features.
    Important: The feature defined as the current object corresponds to the last instantiated component of the Power Copy.