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Update Composer Document

The Choose Update File dialog box lets you apply changes in CAD files to the corresponding Composer (.smg or .smgXml) documents while preserving all 3D scene enrichments and animations.

Important: Perform updates while in Animation mode to avoid changes to collaborative actor visibility in animations.

To display this dialog box, click File > Update > Composer Document .

Updates work by matching net GUIDs (globally unique identifiers) of actors in the Composer file you are updating to those in the up-to-date CAD file. Net GUIDs are character strings that uniquely identify each actor and are based on actor names. For example, a car assembly has a Door subassembly and a Handle part. The net GUID for the handle is ADoor-1.PHandle-1, where A means assembly, P means part, and -1 is the instance number.

Important: Updates require that net GUIDs never change. Because net GUIDs are based on actor names, do not rename actors in the Composer document or CAD file and do not rearrange actors in the Composer Assembly tree.

Tip: You can view net GUIDs from the Properties pane; see Debug Properties.
Notes:
  • You can update from original CAD files or different versions of Composer .smg or .smgXml files.
  • New geometry is automatically added to and old geometry is automatically deleted from the updated file.
  • The Define actor visibility in views by option (see [Default] Document Properties - Update) determines whether new actors resulting from updates are visible or hidden in views.
  • Some import options can affect net GUIDs; for example, for SOLIDWORKS files, you must select Merge file in one actor by part.
  • For SOLIDWORKS and Pro/ENGINEER, update from the same assembly level only. Subassembly names might differ in Composer and these CAD systems (SOLIDWORKS and Pro/ENGINEER), in which case the update would fail.
  • Both geometry and meta-properties are updated.
  • Significant changes in the CAD product structure, such as changing parent-child relationships, are not supported.
  • When updating sub-parts, updating the same instances under the same node is not supported. When a parent node has child nodes that are instances of the same object, only the first instance and its children are updated.
  • Updates delete some objects, like assembly groups, primitives, and dummy objects, created in Composer inside the product structure unless created directly under the root node, because these objects do not exist in the CAD files. Updates also delete meta-properties created in Composer for the same reason; meta-properties from CAD files are retained.
  • Kinematics (parent/child links) cannot be applied to actors in the Composer file.
  • When updating, use the same import options used to create the Composer file. You can view document import options from Document Properties - Input. See Input
  • Detail views (created with Digger, the High Resolution workshop, or the Technical Illustration workshop) do not update automatically. You must manually update detail views.

Command Name Description
Preview Displays a thumbnail image in the preview area. Previews are available for all .smg files and other files previously opened in Composer.
File name Specifies the CAD (or Composer) file from which you are updating. The default is the original CAD file from which the current Composer document was generated. Paths to original CAD files are stored in Composer files. The scope of the actors to be updated depends on the input file you specify. For example, if you update a document with a sub-part file, only the sub-parts are modified.
Note: If Open .smg if it exists ( Application Preferences - Input) is selected, the update uses the .smg file with the same name in the same folder instead of the CAD file. You can update using the .smg file or temporarily disable this option.
Files of type Specifies the type of file. You can update from a Composer file or from a native CAD file.
Recent folders Lists folders you have recently visited.
SOLIDWORKS (Available if a SOLIDWORKS file is selected.) Specifies which configuration to open. If the Import meta-properties import option is selected, the name of the selected configuration is added as a meta-property.
Note: SpeedPak configurations are supported. The SpeedPak components are switched to their parent configurations and are translated to SOLIDWORKS Composer.
Import Lets you configure native CAD imports. For details, see Import.
Refinement Determines faceting precision, so parametrizes the density of polygons to tessellate the CAD model. For details, see Refinement.


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