A method based on a 2D part sketch and sketch blocks
The top-down design technique (also known as skeletal modeling) centralizes control of your design. The technique enables you to update your design efficiently and with minimal disruption to your design documents.
Top-down design begins with the layout. The layout is a 2D part sketch that is the root document of your design. You create a layout that represents your assembly, subassembly, floor plan, or equivalent. In the layout, you use 2D sketch geometry and sketch blocks to represent the design components. You position these components, in the layout, to evaluate design feasibility.
Once you are satisfied with the state of your layout, you make components from the sketch blocks. This process, also known as push-derive, results in part and assembly files that are associated to the layout sketch blocks. When you change the sketch block definitions, your component files automatically reflect the changes.
Experiment with top-down design to experience the power of truly associative designs.