Component Properties

Context Menus

Main Component context menu

Right-click the main component name:

• Update: updates the hierarchy of mechanical components for the current drawing in case referenced drawing files of sub-components have been modified.
• Visual Style: All by Viewport: applies the current Visual Style to all components in the assembly (see the ShadeMode command).
  
• Insert standard hardware: inserts a standard hardware part as a mechanical component in the current drawing.
• Switch all to local: switches all components to internal components (see the BmLocalize command).
• Switch all to external: switches all components to external components (see the BmExternalize command).
• Add new parameter: creates a new parameter in the assembly.
• Select all: selects all components with the same definition.
• Select same: selects all components with the same name and the same parameter values.
• Highlight all: highlights all components with the same definition.
• Highlight same: highlight all components with the same name and the same parameter values.
• Create exploded view: creates a block with an exploded representation of the current assembly.
• Collapse all: collapses the main component and all components and subcomponents.
• Expand all: expands the main component and all components and subcomponents.

Component context menu

Right-click a component name.

External components context menu (left), local components context menu (right):

• Open: opens the referenced drawing (see the BmOpen command).
• Open a copy: opens a copy of a component insert as a new drawing (see the BmOpenCopy command).
• Update: reloads all referenced components from external files and updates BOM tables (see the BmUpdate command).
• Replace: replaces a component insert (see the BmReplace command). Replacing a local insert turns it into an external insert.
• Replace all inserts: replaces all inserts that refer to the same source (see the BmReplace command). Replacing local inserts turns them into external inserts.
• Switch to local: switches an external component to an internal component (see the BmLocalize command).
• Switch to external: switches an internal component to an external component (see the BmExternalize command).
• Set material to component... : assigns a physical material to local component.
• Removes material from component... : removes the physical material definition from local component.
• BOM status: parameter to control the appearance of the component in BOM tables.
• Dissolve: dissolves a mechanical component inserted in the current drawing (see the BmDissolve command).
• Unlink: breaks the connection between a component insert (for example a Window) and a 3D solid (for example a Wall) retaining the opening.
• Hide () / Show (): hides or shows the selected component.
• Exclude all inserts from section: sets the Sectionable property of all similar inserts to NO. Defines whether an insert is affected by the ViewSection command.
• Visual Style: displays the Visual Style menu. All Visual Styles that are saved in the current drawing are available.
  
  • By parent component: renders the selected component according to the shademode of the parent component (see the ShadeMode command).
  • All by Viewport: renders all components according to the current viewport shademode (see the ShadeMode command).
    
    
• Zoom to: zooms to the selection set.
• Select all: selects all components with the same definition.
• Select same: selects all components with the same definition and the same parameter values.
• Highlight all: highlights all components with the same definition.
• Highlight same: highlights all components with the same definition and the same parameter values.
• Delete: removes the selected component and its subcomponents from the assembly.
• Collapse all: collapses the main component and all components and subcomponents.
• Expand all: expands the main component and all components and subcomponents.

Subcomponent context menu

External subcomponents context menu (left), local subcomponents context menu (right):

• Open: opens the referenced drawing (see the BmOpen command)
• Open a copy: opens a copy of a component insert as a new drawing (see the BmOpenCopy command).
• Hide () / Show (): hides or shows the selected subcomponent.
• Exclude all inserts from section: sets the Sectionable property of all similar inserts to NO. Defines whether an insert is affected by the ViewSection command.
• Visual Style: see Component Visual Style.
• Zoom to: zooms to the selection set.
• Select all: selects all components with the same definition.
• Select same: selects all components with the same definition and the same parameter values.
• Highlight all: highlights all components with the same definition.
• Highlight same: highlights selects all components with the same and the same parameter values.
• Collapse all: collapses the main component and all components and subcomponents.
• Expand all: expands the main component and all components and subcomponents.

Component parameter context menu

Right-click a parameter:

• Link to parameter: creates a link between one or more component parameters and assembly parameters.
• Collapse all: collapses the main component and all components and subcomponents.
• Expand all: expands the main component and all components and subcomponents.

Properties

Main component properties

Click the main component name:

• Name: type a name for the main component. By default, the name of the main component equals the file name.
• Description: optional description of the main component.
• File: shows the path and name of the drawing.
• Extension type: allows to identify the component as a BIM Component or a Sheet Metal Feature.
• Insert as: select either Internal Component or External Component.
• Sectionable: defines whether the component is affected by the ViewSection command.
• Standard component: defines whether this component is a standard component or not.
• BOM status: defines the behavior of this component in a BOM table.
• Material: material of the main component.
  The Name, Density, and the optional Description are defined in the Physical Materials dialog box.
  Select the Material node and do one of the following:
  • Click the Browse button () to open the Physical Materials dialog and choose a material in the Project or Library list.
    The Density property of the selected material is used by the BmMassProp command.
  • Click the Delete button (). The Material field now reads <Inherit>. When the component is inserted in an assembly, the Material definition is copied from the main component of the assembly.

Component insert properties

Click the component name:

• Name: type a name for the component. By default, the name of the component equals the source file name.
• Component name: name of the component as defined in the source file.
• Description: description of the component as defined in the source file.
• Visible: allows to show or hide the component in the assembly.
  Click the Visible field and:
  • Click the down-arrow button and choose Yes or No.
    or
  • Double-click the Visible field to toggle the visibility of the component.
• Sectionable: defines whether the component is affected by the ViewSection command.
• Standard component: defines whether this component is standard or not.
• BOM status: defines the behavior of this component in a BOM table.
• Visual style: allows to control the visual style for the component. By default, the visual style is inherited from the viewport.
  Click the Visual style field and click the down-arrow button and choose a visual style in the list.
• File: shows the path and name of the referenced drawing.
• Material: shows the material of the component. If set to <Inherit>, the material is copied from the main component.
  If the material is defined explicitly in the source file, this material is used.

Subcomponent properties

Click the subcomponent name:

• Name: name of the component as defined in the source file of the parent component.
• Component name: name of the component as defined in the source file.
• Description: description of the component as defined in the source file.
• Visible: allows to show or hide the component in the assembly.
  Click the Visible field and:
  • Click the down-arrow button and choose Yes or No.
    or
  • Double click the Visible field to toggle the visibility of the component.
• Sectionable: defines whether the component is affected by the ViewSection command.
• Standard component: defines whether this component standard or not.
• BOM status: defines the behavior of this component in a BOM table.
• Visual style: allows to control the visual style for the component. By default, the visual style is inherited from the viewport.
  Click the Visual style field, click the down-arrow button and choose a visual style in the list.
• File: shows the path and name of the referenced drawing.
• Material: shows the material of the subcomponent.
  If set to <Inherit>, the material is copied from the main component.
  If the material is defined explicitly in the source file, this material is used.

Selection Methods

Select component(s) in the model

The component(s) highlights in the Mechanical Browser.

Click a component in the Mechanical Browser panel

The component highlights in the drawing. Press the Space bar to select the component.