Reference Element in Geometric Parameters

The presence of a reference element in the geometric parameters allows you to change the geometry in the assembly without updating the reference elements in the fragment files to obtain a new execution of the adaptive fragment. In this case, the reference element will behave as an external variable: the execution of the fragment in the assembly does not depend on the execution of the file fragment. Reference elements in geometric parameters allow you to create adaptive assemblies. If the assembly has fragments of the second level and below, it is possible to create a chain of adaptive fragments, as it was shown in the subsection Detail > Create command.

The presence of reference elements in the geometric parameters of the fragment is shown in the Assembly Structure window.

The reference element will be placed by default in the geometric parameters of the fragment if you create it in the context of the subassembly for which the fragment is a fragment of the first level (you should specify the geometry source in the assembly Geometry Source: assembly), while the subassembly itself, for a general assembly, can be a fragment of any level. If the reference element is placed in the geometric parameters of the fragment, then, when you change the geometry, the source of the reference element, the adaptive fragment will change its geometry, according to the change of the source geometry, but only in the assembly. At the same time, there will be no changes in the fragment file where the reference element is located. To change the geometry inside the fragment file, you should update the reference element according to the change in the source geometry.

The reference element will be in the geometric parameters of the fragment if it is created in the following ways.

•Using the Reference Element command. The fragment for which the reference element is created should be opened in the context of the assembly for which the fragment is a level 1 fragment, and the Geometry Source: assembly, and the Create geometric adaptive parameters options should be specified.

•When editing a fragment of the first level in the context of an assembly with the automatic creation of reference elements (when the option is active and you use the assembly elements in the fragment constructions), the Geometry Source: Assembly and the Create geometric adaptive parameters options should be selected.

•The reference element is created automatically when you run the Detail > Create command with the third option.

You can cancel the creation of geometric adaptive parameters based on the reference element.

To do this, disable the Create geometric adaptive parameters option flag in the Reference element command parameters when creating a reference.

Control of the Create geometric adaptive parameters option is duplicated by the icon in the panel available when working in the context of the assembly (upper right corner of the 3D scene).

If the icon is active - the created reference elements will be placed in the geometric parameters of the fragment (in the case when a source is an assembly ). IF the icon is disabled, they will not be placed.

You should carefully check this icon when automatically creating reference elements in the context of an assembly. In some cases, the adaptability of the fragments may lead to recursion.

More information about recursions and their elimination can be found in the Elimination Recursions Using Reference Elements section.

In the case of recursion, you can remove the reference elements from the geometric parameters. To do this, call the context menu of the adaptive fragment and select Edit. Next, in the Geometric parameters tab, remove the reference element from the geometric parameters using the icon or remove all the geometric parameters using the icon .