By default, when you create a subassembly, it is rigid. Within the parent assembly, the subassembly acts as a single unit and its components do not move relative to each other. However, you can make subassemblies flexible. This allows movement of the individual components of a subassembly within the parent assembly.
An example of the benefit of this function is when you want to move the components of a piston subassembly in a motor assembly. You can move the individual components of the piston while still grouping the components as a subassembly.
Note the following regarding flexible subassemblies:
| Mates |
The mates in a flexible subassembly are solved simultaneously with the mates of the parent assembly. Therefore, moving or rotating a subassembly component does not violate the mates in the subassembly or its parent. A component moves only within its degrees of freedom according to its mates. |
| Multiple Instances |
You can insert more than one instance of the subassembly in the same configuration of the parent assembly. You can make some instances rigid and others flexible, and the different instances can have different positions of the subassembly components. |