Part IV: Creating and Using Libraries
l (^) When placed in the assembly, the associated library feature can only affect one component
l The associated library feature is limited to one of several feature types:
l (^) Extruded or revolved cuts or bosses
l Hole Wizard holes
l (^) Simple hole features
The setup time for Smart Components can be significant for the first one or two that you create,
especially if you choose to make use of the auto-size option. The complexity of the setup depends
mainly on the number of configurations and configured parts that you use. The auto-sizing func-
tion takes the most time to set up because it requires matching configurations, and the auto-size
table takes a while to manage, especially for multiple parts. Still, if you end up placing a given part
with associated features and other components many times manually, or you have others in your
group that do it, this technique can save you and your team a lot of time.
Using Smart Components
Figure 19.1 shows a simple assembly. It took approximately 20 minutes to model all the parts, set
up the Smart Component, and test it in an assembly. This example does not use auto-sizing, but it
does use a library part, an in-context feature, and two instances of a single hardware piece. This is
an excellent example of Smart Component functionality because it is fast to create and fast to apply
and saves you some time whenever you use it.
FIGURE 19.1
A simple Smart Component