DesignSpark Mechanical Online Help

Lightweight components

If you have the Use lightweight assemblies option selected in the File import and export options, external components will be loaded as lightweight components. Only the component's graphic information is loaded.

A lightweight assembly component uses less memory than an object that is fully loaded. You can quickly view the component with the Orient tools. When you are ready to work with it in DS Mechanical, you can load the geometry information.

See also Displaying lightweight components and Internal and external components.

To load a lightweight component

Right-click the component in the Structure treeDisplay in the Structure panel that shows you each of the objects in your design. You can expand or collapse the nodes of the tree to view the objects. You can rename objects, create, modify, replace, and delete objects, as well as work with components. and select Load ComponentObjectAnything recognizable by the tools. 3D objects include vertices, edges, faces, surfaces, solids, layouts, planes, axes, and origins. 2D objects include points and lines. in a design, including the top-level design component. Each component consists of any number of objects, such as solids and surfaces, and can contain sub-components. You can think of a component as a "part." Components can be saved as a separate file. An external component is another design inserted as a component of your design. Making the component independent prevents changes from being made to the external component file. You can also create an external component by saving a component as a separate file. See Lightweight components, AssemblyHierarchy of components and subcomponents showing relationship within a design, as shown in the Structure tree. In manufacturing, a unit fitted together from manufactured parts. See Assembly tool, Component from the context menu.

The component and all its subcomponents' geometry information is fully loaded. You can modify the components with any DS Mechanical tool.

To make an external component lightweight

Right-click the component in the Structure treeDisplay in the Structure panel that shows you each of the objects in your design. You can expand or collapse the nodes of the tree to view the objects. You can rename objects, create, modify, replace, and delete objects, as well as work with components. and select Make Lightweight from the context menu.

The component becomes lightweight and uses less memory. You cannot make an internal component lightweight.