About iLogic Components

iLogic components are unique copies of standard Inventor parts or subassemblies that you can change without affecting the original component.

When you create an iLogic component, a copy of the component is created in the folder of the open assembly.

iLogic component and standard Inventor component

A standard Inventor component is an instance of an existing part or subassembly. An iLogic component is a unique copy of the part or subassembly that can be used as an instance in the main assembly.

Note: The part or subassembly is not truly a component until it is placed.

Uses for iLogic component

With iLogic components, you can:

Results of placing iLogic component

Component filenames are automatically generated in the assembly folder, using unique names. For example, the component part Bushing.ipt is copied to a new file in the assembly folder named Bushing-01.ipt. Additional copies are named Bushing-02.ipt, and so on.

If you drive one or more parameters from the assembly, a rule is created in the assembly. It is named for the component (for example, Bushing-01 Rule). The rule includes the lines necessary to drive the parameters. You can edit this rule to adjust the relationship between the parameter values.

Assembly to use as iLogic component

Suppose you are developing a subassembly that you want to place as an iLogic component.

Often, the subassembly contains iLogic rules that reference component names. Normally, when you place the component, the part names are modified as part of the copy operation. To prevent this modification, change the component names manually beforehand. The part names then remain the same during the copy operation. This is called “stabilizing” the names.

For example, change the component names to different names, and then change them back to the original.

Components to keep as standard models

When you place an iLogic component, all parts and subassemblies in the same folder or subfolders of that component assembly are copied to the folder of the main assembly and assigned unique names.

You can include parts and subassemblies that are to remain as standard models. These components are not copied as unique instances into your main assembly. You can use this method for parts and assemblies that are to remain unchanged. They can be shared with other assemblies.

Organize your iLogic component files so that the standard models are outside of the folder of the assembly to be placed as an iLogic component. You can store them in a Content Center folder or another Library folder. When you place the assembly as an iLogic component, these files are not copied to the folder of the main assembly. The iLogic component in the assembly maintains its links to the original files, in their original locations.