Explode a component or group while preserving its axes
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Is there a way to explode a component or group without its carefully set axes being disturbed?
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No. Exploding a group or component means it's no longer a group or component and thus has no axes of its own. You could position it so its axes are aligned with the model axes before exploding. Then at least you know where the group/component axes were.
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Is there a way to convert a component into a group without having to explode it?
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You could open the component for editing, select the geometry, create a group, exit edit mode and explode the component leaving the group. Why would you want to do that, though? You could just make it unique if you want to separate it from the other instances of the component. Make Unique is much less work.
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Unfortunately your suggestion does not preserve the axes. And using unique components is problematic for the way i generate my non-welded pipe system models. I am forever re-sizing objects. it's easier for me to explode and resize a copy of a component that is already situated in my model than it is to jump to a window containing a long list of components and searching for the right one. but when i explode said component, the axes that i had carefully placed in the fitting's center-line is lost and i am forced to jockey the new group back into position. This has everything to do with maintaining a fast work flow. if i had the luxury of non-existent deadlines, groups would be my models. But what i gain in speed-modelling, is lost when i generate the construction document with LayOut. Rather than drag out a components instance name when i attach a label, i have to type in the description manually. So I need to think this whole method over.
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Seems like there's always something wrong with every suggestion made to help answer your questions. Maybe you could add some lines to the components that cross at the component's origin so when you remake the component you can easily place the axes there again.
I've built a dozen or libraries of different components using Make Unique. The time spent editing the names and descriptions is more than repaid in time saved in LayOut for the current project as well as in future projects. Keeping organized component libraries is a time saver, too.
Like you I have deadlines on my projects and find my process works well for me.
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That's not a bad idea, actually. I can place a guide point at my component's X,Y,Z intersection before exploding it. Smustard's Midpoint extension does the trick. Thank you Dave R. (See? Sometimes it pays to drill down.)
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