Drawing with Externally Referenced Parts and Assemblies

Update mode

Handling during loading and saving of a drawing containing externally referenced parts is determined by the update mode that has been set. This mode is defined in the Configuration Editor, at System settings > Referencing > Referenced 3-D parts On/Off.

Available modes are:

On, with save (default)

Drawings with referenced parts can be automatically updated, both upon loading and saving.
On, without Save

Drawings with referenced parts can be automatically updated upon loading. Upon saving no check will take place.
OFF
No automatic updating of drawings with referenced parts will take place, neither upon loading nor saving.

Save drawing with externally referenced parts

Please note that, when a drawing containing referenced parts is saved, the link to the folder in which the parts are stored is also saved! When loading the drawing later on, the parts will be searched for in this folder!

On, with save

When saving a drawing, HiCAD checks whether the drawing contains referenced parts that have been changed since the drawing was last saved. The names of the parts found and the reason for the update are then listed in the Save referenced parts dialogue window, e.g.

In the parts list in the dialogue, the reason for saving is given in the third column.

Various checkboxes are available at the bottom of the dialogue window:

Also show non-modified parts	If this checkbox is active, the referenced parts that have not been modified are also listed.
Display database attributes	see General Notes on Referencing
Product structure to HELiOS	see General Notes on Referencing

For each part mentioned in the list, you can now define whether or not you want the part to be saved in its current version. This applies irrespective of whether the drawing is saved via the Explorer or the HELiOS database.

If the checkbox before the name is activated, the part is saved exactly as it exists in the drawing, with the corresponding KRA file being overwritten.
If the checkbox is deactivated, the drawing is saved with the current version of the part, but the original .KRA file is not changed.

Referenced assemblies with referenced parts

Changed referenced parts are always offered for saving. With the selection under Parts to be saved, you also specify how to proceed with referenced assemblies that contain referenced parts. Three options are available for this.

Only structurally changed assemblies

Referenced parts with changed geometry are offered for saving. However, the referenced assemblies to which the parts belong are only taken into account if they have been structurally changed. This may mean that the KRA file of the part is updated, but not that of the assembly. When reloading the drawing or inserting the KRA file of the higher-level assembly, HiCAD detects that the part it contains has a newer KRA version, which is then reloaded.

Also assemblies with new indices included

If this option is selected, the assemblies whose directly referenced sub-parts have a new document master index are also offered for saving in addition to the structurally changed assemblies. This option only has an effect if the parts and assemblies are managed in HELiOS.

All assemblies with changed sub-parts

If this option is selected, the assemblies that contain changed referenced parts in their entire structure are also saved, regardless of the level. If this option is preset in configuration management, the corresponding assemblies are marked with the symbol in the ICN.

Which setting is active here when saving is determined by the setting in the Configuration Editor under System settings > Referencing > Saving changed assemblies. The ISD default setting is Only structurally changed assemblies. Even if you select a different setting when saving a drawing during the current HiCAD session, the setting from the Configuration Editor will take effect again the next time it is called up.

The following instructions apply to referenced assemblies that contain referenced parts.

KRA files from existing drawings (before HiCAD 2024 SP1) are not checked. This means that if a drawing is loaded and all parts in the drawing are up-to-date, no assembly is marked as with changed sub-parts - even if the KRA of the assembly may still contain old versions of the sub-parts. Only when a part in the drawing is actually updated are the higher-level parts offered for saving.
When inserting an assembly KRA into a drawing, the system checks directly whether parts need to be updated, marks the assembly accordingly and offers it for saving later if necessary.
If the user selects that an assembly should not be saved although it has updated sub-parts, the marking of the assembly is also saved when the drawing is saved. This means that the next time the drawing is loaded, it will still be known that this assembly has updated sub-parts. As mentioned above, this only applies to newly saved and updated drawings (from HiCAD 2024 SP1).
If a referenced part is updated because there is a newer document master index for this part, only the direct parent assembly of this part is offered for saving if Also assemblies with new indices included is selected. If you want all higher-level assemblies of the part to be displayed, select All assemblies with changed sub-parts.
If an updated or edited referenced part is installed several times in the drawing, the higher-level assemblies of all identical parts of the part are also offered for saving.
The change to a sub-part in its detail drawing is not recorded. Its KRA is then obsolete until the next time the higher-level assembly is loaded.
Assemblies without write access are labelled accordingly and are not saved.

Off / On, without save

When the drawing is saved, referenced parts are not checked and hence also not automatically updated. This means that the corresponding KRA files remain unchanged even if the part has been modified in the drawing. However, the parts of the drawing continue to be referenced! This is, in principle, the same as the procedure for deactivating all checkboxes in the On, with save mode.

You can only update the corresponding KRA file by applying the Save referenced part function to the changed part of the drawing.

Referenced parts are only checked when a drawing is loaded. When saving drawings in On, without save mode, the procedure is the same as in Off mode.

Examples

In beiden Beispielen ist im Konfigurationsmanagement der Aktualisierungsmodus Ein, mit Speichern verwendet worden.

Saving a referenced individual part

A new drawing, e.g. REFTEST, is created. In this drawing, a cuboid is referenced immediately upon generation and saved under the name QUADERREF.KRP.

The cuboid is now processed, e.g. chamfered, in the drawing. If the drawing is then saved, the selection list contains the part.

Body name	Update	T_Sachnummer (Article number)	T_Benennung (Designation)
QUADERREF*		Example cuboid

If the checkbox is activated, the chamfered cuboid (1) is saved in the drawing and, at the same time, the corresponding KRP file (2) is also updated.

If the checkbox is deactivated, the chamfered cuboid (1) is saved in the drawing, but the KRP file (2) is not changed.

Externally referenced assemblies with externally referenced parts

In the Configuration Editor, the parameter Saving changed assemblies has been preset to All assemblies with changed sub-parts under System settings > Referencing.

The following figure shows a drawing managed in HELiOS with three assemblies BG1, BG2 and BG3. Assembly BG2 is subordinate to assembly BG1 and contains assembly BG3. All assemblies contain different solid primitives. In the first step, both the parts and the assemblies have been referenced externally with the part and document master.

The chamfer length of the right prism has then been changed in assembly BG3 and an index has been created in the document master of the left prism.

Parts whose geometry has changed - in the example, the right-hand prism - are marked with the symbol in the ICN. Due to the default setting in configuration management, all assemblies with changed sub-parts are additionally marked with the symbol.

If the drawing is now saved, all marked assemblies and the prism with the changed geometry are listed in the Save referenced parts dialogue window.

If you change the selection under Parts to be saved,the list of parts changes.

Load drawing with externally referenced parts

Please note that, when loading a drawing containing referenced parts, HiCAD searches for the parts in the folder in which they were stored when they were fitted.

On, with save / On, without save

If On, with save, HiCAD checks whether the drawing contains referenced parts and whether these differ from the associated KRA files. The names of the parts found and the reason for the update are then displayed in a selection window.

Body name	Update	T_Article number
Q1*	File version	Q1
Z1*	File version	Z1
K1*	File version	K3
Z3*	None	Z3

For each part mentioned in the list, you can now define whether or not you want the part to be updated in the drawing. This applies irrespective of whether the drawing is loaded via the Explorer or the HELiOS database. If the Before the Name checkbox is activated, the part is updated in the drawing. If the checkbox is deactivated, the part is not modified in the drawing.

Define the handling of the parts mentioned in the list and then click OK.

The On, without save corresponds to the On, with save mode when loading drawings.

Off

When the drawing is loaded, referenced parts are not checked and hence also not automatically updated. This means that the parts in the drawing may not match the corresponding KRA file. This is, in principle, the same as the procedure for deactivating the checkboxes in the On, with savemode.

If you want to update these parts subsequently, you can do this by changing the update mode or by re-installing the KRA file. You will then be able to update the parts in the drawing.

Access Rights for Referenced Parts • Settings for Referencing (3-D)