Create a copy of a source assembly or its components.
On the ribbon, use
Assemble tab 
Pattern panel
Copy to create a copy of a source assembly or its components. The following are also copied with the components:
- Relationships
- Patterns
- Placement
- Visibility and appearance overrides
- Flexibility states
- Design View representations
- Positional representations
- Model States
You can create an assembly file and open it in a new window, or you can add the copied components to the existing assembly file. Each copied component creates a file. If you prefer, you can reuse components instead of copying them.
The resulting copied components are not associative. Therefore, if the original components are modified, they do not update.
What are guidelines for using Autodesk Vault to copy components?
The Copy command can create new files. Save the new files to the same location as the source files. This action includes them in the Workspace recognized by the Autodesk Vault project.
If the files are saved to a different location, Autodesk Inventor has difficulty locating them. The files are not subject to the version tracking, check-in and check-out procedures, or other file management benefits of Autodesk Vault Basic.
How do reusing components and creating copied assemblies differ?
A copied assembly, subassembly, or part is saved in a new file. Each copied component creates a file.
You select some or all components of an assembly to copy. When you select a parent assembly or subassembly, the children are automatically selected. You can cycle through component status in the Copy Components: Status dialog box to exclude or reuse a component.
Reused components create an instance in the current assembly. When you use the Open in New Window option, reused components are inserted as a new instance in the new assembly file.
If a reused subassembly is not complete or some of its components are excluded, a new file is created for the subassembly. The components are inserted as new instances in the newly created subassembly.