Chapter 16: Modeling in Context
Note
The icons for Make Part From Block differ slightly between large and small icon sizes. The icon shown previ-
ously is a large icon. n
Virtual components
Virtual components always exist with in-context workflows, and frequently with the Layout work-
flow. Virtual components are parts that are saved within the assembly. You can save a virtual com-
ponent externally, and you can also make an externally saved part into a virtual component.The advantages of virtual components are that you don’t have to worry about saving out additional
files, plus the assembly will never lose track of any virtual component.Virtual components are primarily intended to be used as quick, temporary, conceptual tools, rather
than as a way to make parts that will be a permanent part of the assembly. I have also seen some
SolidWorks users use virtual components to represent non-geometric parts such as glue or paint.
Any time you choose Insert ➪ Component ➪ New Part from the menus and select a template and a
plane to put the part on, the part is placed immediately into the assembly, and you can start work-
ing without worrying about having to save the assembly and the part. This saves a lot of time ini-
tially. Later on, when you save the assembly, SolidWorks prompts you to save the parts externally
as well, or you may choose to leave the parts internal to the assembly.Virtual components are named Part1^Assem1, where Part1 and Assem1 are default names. You
can easily rename the part by clicking the RMB menu and selecting Rename Part. You cannot do
this for external parts. If you make an external part virtual, the name in the assembly becomes
Copy of file name^Assem1 where file name was the name of the external file. The name of the
assembly is always included (and cannot be removed) to ensure that if you have subassemblies that
also have virtual components, you will always have unique filenames for all the parts.Virtual components can also be accessed in their own window, which makes them easier to edit
for some purposes. Bills of Materials (BOMs) and numbered balloons work correctly with virtual
components.Best Practice
It is considered best practice to save any parts that will be a permanent part of the assembly as external files.
Virtual components should be limited to temporary parts or possibly non-geometry, BOM-only parts like glue
or paint. n
Balancing advantages and limitations
In theory, the Layout feature has several advantages:l You can make parts from blocks within the Layout.l (^) You can move parts by moving blocks in the Layout.