Working with Part References

Part References mark a geometry as a part to be included in a Bill of Material (BOM).

Part References associated to geometry representing parts or assemblies are referred to as attached Part References.

You can create Part References that are not bound directly to any geometry. These are referred to as unattached Part References.

Attached Part References move with the geometry, when you move the geometry.

Part Reference Symbols

When you add a Part Reference to the drawing, a symbol is placed in the graphics area:

Attached Part Reference. Apart from a cross, an inner and an outer circle are displayed.

Unattached Part Reference. Apart from a cross, only one circle is displayed.

Entity Type Part Reference

Part References are entities on their own. Part references are similar to Blocks, but appear in the Properties palette as Part Reference in the Element Type box.

Part references are placed on a specific layer (AM_PARTREF).

You can explode Part References using the Explode command, but this will cause their entity property to be lost and the component properties associated with the Part Reference are lost.

Part Reference Component Properties

Each Part Reference has component properties like name, material, vendor and others. The component properties are the basis for the entries in your BOMs.

Contents

Creating and Placing Part References

You can create Part References and place them in the graphics area.

Attaching Part References to Blocks

You can create Part References attached to existing Blocks in the graphics area.

Editing Part References

You can edit BOM-related information for the part that is associated with the Part Reference you specify.

Part References Dialog Box

The Part Reference / Edit Part Reference dialog box lets you enter and edit BOM related information for the part associated with a Part Reference.