When you delete a parent feature that has child features built from sketches, you have the option to keep the child features and have the sketch plane references dangle. You can dangle a sketch plane reference by editing the sketch plane definition and removing the plane definition.
To create dangling sketch plane references:
- Select a parent feature that has a child feature.
The child must be a sketch-based child, and the sketch must be dependent on the parent.
- Press the Delete key.
- In the dialog box, clear Also delete all child features, then click Yes.
A message warns about the problem and prompts you to ignore the error or stop and repair the error before the software rebuilds the subsequent features.
- Click Continue (Ignore Error) or Stop and Repair.
The What's Wrong dialog box indicates that there is a sketch warning.
- Click Close.
In the FeatureManager design tree, the part icon, the child feature, and the sketch used to create the child feature display warning icons that indicate the sketch plane is missing.
You can use the Edit Sketch Plane command to replace the reference plane.