About Copying and Moving Geometry

What's New: 2022

Use Copy Object to perform the following:

• Copy or move geometry within a part file to composites, base surfaces, or a group in the construction environment. For example, you can create a copy or move geometry between the construction environment and the part modeling environment.
• Create an associative or non-associative copy of surface geometry from one part to another in an assembly. For example, you can copy the mating surfaces of a source part in an assembly to a target part in the same assembly to use as a reference in the target part.

Update Cross-Part Designs with Associative Geometry

When editing a part in an assembly, use Copy Object to copy faces and solid bodies from one part to another as a base surface or a composite feature. By default, the copied geometry is associative. Modifications to the source geometry, including size and position, are updated in the copied geometry.

Use Copy object to create an association between parts in a design, where the shape of one part is dependent upon the shape of another. As an example, consider the relationship between a telephone handle and the cradle in which it rests. The telephone handle must conform to the shape of the cradle. To ensure the handle updates whenever the shape of the cradle changes, perform the following:

• Create or import the telephone cradle and open the telephone cradle part in an assembly file.
• Create a part to represent the handle in the assembly. With the new part activated, create an associative copy of the faces of the cradle.
• To create the body of the handle, create a 2D sketch of its profile.
• Extrude the sketch (representing the handle) to the copied surface (cradle), using the 'To Next' extents option. Select the copied surfaces of the face of the cradle for termination.

Whenever the cradle part changes, the face of the handle part updates.

Note: To associate the handle to a new design, right-click on the handle entry in the browser, and select Redefine. In the graphics window, select the part to which the handle is to be associated.

Only body-level references survive after you redefine a composite body. For example, constraints and terminations to individual edges or faces must be replaced. In another example, a To Next extrusion termination to the entire construction surface body survives after you redefine the surface. However, a To extrusion termination to an individual face must be repaired by editing the extrusion.

Copy Object and Solid Geometry

If the original geometry changes size or position, the copied geometry does not update.

You can copy a solid to the part environment by using the Derive command.

When creating a part in an assembly In Inventor, you may create work planes and other reference geometry or some sketch geometry. You can then copy another assembly part to the new file for use as reference geometry.

If the original geometry changes size or position, the copied geometry does not update.

Copy Object and the Construction Environment

Use Copy Object to copy and/or move data between the construction and part modeling environment.

For example, when importing data from a file that contains multiple bodies, such as surfaces and solids, you may have to move surfaces to the construction environment to be stitched together to form a single part. You can use Copy Object to copy or move faces (or solids) to the construction environment, and then stitch the faces together to form a part. You can then copy or move the data back to part modeling using the Copy Object command.

One possible workflow:

1. Open a translated file, and click Construction tab Manage panel Copy Object .
2. Select the faces you want to copy or move, and select the Group option. Copy the selected faces to the construction environment. Use window selection to quickly select faces.
3. Now that these faces are in the construction environment, use the Stitch command to stitch the faces together.
4. You can use Copy Object to copy or move the data back to part modeling.

Tips for Copying Objects

• You can create a new composite feature with no geometry as a placeholder for geometry to be copied at a later time. Open the Copy Object dialog box, and click OK.
• With Inventor, you can copy parts in an assembly to the active part without associativity. They are copied to the current part as grounded surfaces or a composite and can be used as reference geometry for operations such as feature terminations. To copy objects without associativity, cancel the Associative check box selection.
• You can copy a solid to the part environment if the destination file does not already contain a solid.

  For example, you can copy or move a solid from construction environment to the part modeling environment.

  With Inventor, you can also copy a solid from one part to the active part in an assembly.

• Window select is supported in the Copy Object command.
  • Full window - click+drag the mouse diagonally from upper left to lower right to select objects by fully enclosing them in the window shape made by the action.
  • Crossing window - click+drag the mouse diagonally from the upper right to the lower left to select all objects intersecting the window shape made by the action.