Autodesk 057A1-09A111-1001 - AutoCAD LT 2009, User Manual, Page: 97 / 414

To verify if the changes were written back to the source file
■ In the Mechanical Browser, right-click GRIPPER1 and select Open to Edit.
The Gripper source file opens.
Note that the component view Open Position has also been modified. How
did this happen?
Expand the component Lever1. Notice that it has two instances of the
component view Front. Another example of how mechanical structure can
eliminate repetitive tasks.
Localizing and Externalizing
To modify a part without effecting other drawings that use the part, you can
localize the xref component. By localizing you copy the definition of the xref
component to the current drawing and the link with the xref file is severed.
To localize an xref component
1 From the Window menu, switch to the Gripper Assembly drawing.
2 In the Mechanical Browser, right-click the GRIPPER assembly node and
select Localize.
3 In the Xref Info message box, click Yes.
The Gripper is no longer an xref component.
To detail a part without loosing associativity between the detail and assembly,
you can externalize the part to a file and detail it in that file. In the next
exercise you externalize the cylinder component.
To externalize a component
1 In the Mechanical Browser, expand one of the Gripper components and
right click CYLINDER:1.
2 Select Externalize.
3 In the New External File dialog box, accept the defaults and click Save.
Note that CYLINDER:1 is an xref component in all instances of the
GRIPPER component.
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