When the parametric building environment opens, the first folder in the part browser is the Part Configuration folder. The part configuration defines the characteristics and behavior of the part according to the domain, type, and subtype, and it is required to save the part. To ensure that the part can be validated and saved correctly, you should define the part configuration before starting to model the part.
Example of part browser
The part configuration is defined once for a part family and remains constant for all part sizes. There are 4 required components of the part configuration:
- Part Description
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Describes the part family. You can edit the part description in the part browser. However, you cannot edit the part name here. When you create a new part, you enter the part name and description in the New Part dialog box. By default, the description is the same as the part name unless a different description is entered. For existing parts, the part description is predefined.
- Part Domain
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Defines the family of parts, such as duct components, pipe components, cable tray components, conduit components, or MvPart components. You cannot edit the part domain in the part browser. The part domain is predefined based on the part catalog you selected in the Getting Started - Catalog Screen dialog box of Content Builder. The part domain is selected from a list of predefined domains for building systems.
- Part Type
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The actual type of part, such as elbow, tee, fan, damper, or tank. From the list of predefined part types in the part browser, you specify the part type, which is based on the building system and loaded part catalogs. The part type is helpful during part selection.
- Part Subtype
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Categorizes part types. In the part browser, you specify the part subtype from the list of predefined subtypes. You can also enter a custom part subtype if you wish. The part subtype is helpful during part selection to filter a large group of parts of similar type.