Creating Assembly Envelopes

You can designate components as envelopes as you insert them into assemblies. You can change components to or from envelopes at any time.

Creating an Envelope While Inserting a Component

You can designate components as envelopes as you insert them into assemblies.

To insert a component as an envelope:

  1. In an assembly, click Insert Components tool_Insert_Components_Assembly.gif (Assembly toolbar) or Insert > Component > Existing Part/Assembly.
  2. In the PropertyManager, under Options, select Envelope.
  3. Under Part/Assembly to Insert, select a part or assembly from the list or browse to select one.
  4. Click in the graphics area to place the component.
    In the graphics area, the component becomes a transparent blue color. In the FeatureManager design tree, (for individual components) or FM_envelope_assembly.png (for subassemblies) beside the component indicates that the component is an envelope. You can mate the envelope component to the other components in the assembly to position it precisely.

Creating an Envelope from a Component

You can change components to or from envelopes at any time. You can make an envelope from any component within the hierarchy of the assembly.

To make a component an envelope:

  1. In an assembly, right-click a component and click Component Properties menu_Component_Properties.gif.
  2. In the dialog box, select Envelope.
    Exclude from bill of materials also becomes selected, because envelopes are never included in the bill of materials.
  3. Click OK.
    In the graphics area, the component becomes a transparent blue color. In the FeatureManager design tree, (for individual components) or FM_envelope_assembly.png (for subassemblies) beside the component indicates that the component is an envelope.