General Attributes and Limitations of Library Features

You can do various tasks when you create and insert library features. Limitations exist with library features.

General Attributes

When you create library features, you can do these tasks:
  • Add descriptions to references when saving the library feature.
  • Add annotations to a library feature.
    When you insert the annotation into a library feature, either the annotation itself or the leader must touch the feature to be saved with the feature.
  • Include a helix feature within a library feature.
When you insert library features, you can do these tasks:
  • Select a configuration while inserting the library feature into a part.
  • Include Link to parent part.
  • Edit by changing configurations, selecting a different position, and so on.
  • Insert annotations into the part with the library feature.
  • Flip the sketch orientation during insertion of a library feature by clicking the direction arrow in the graphics area.
  • Transfer visual properties, such as textures, specified in the library feature to the inserted features.

Allowance of Library Feature Errors

When you insert a library feature into a model and get error messages, you can keep the results to view and manually repair the errors.

In the warning message, click Yes to keep the results. In the FeatureManager® design tree, you can manually repair the library feature or click Undo to remove it. If you click No in the warning message, in the Library Feature PropertyManager, you can modify the selections or click to restore the FeatureManager design tree without the library feature.

Limitations

History and References

When you create a library feature, you mark the features to include when you insert the library feature into the target part. Generally, one or more base features on which you constructed the library feature will be replaced by base features already in the target part.

The sketches needed to support the selected features are automatically included.

When you insert a library feature, the history of all the inserted features is included. Any references that can be resolved internal to the library feature are not shown as external references that you need to select. You must select any remaining external references from entities in the target part.

Curves

You can add these curves as library features: helix, spiral, and composite curve.

You can add a projected curve as a library feature with reference only.

You cannot add these curves as library features: curve through XYZ points, curve through reference points, and split line.

Boolean Operation Features

You cannot add Boolean operation features as library features. Examples: combine bodies, join bodies, intersect bodies, or delete body features.

Surfaces

You cannot add surface features as library features.

Sketching

Blocks are not supported as library features. A potential workaround may be to explode the blocks.