Precedence rules for your idealizations and connections determine which modeling entity takes precedence when you apply two modeling entities of the same type on or between the same reference entities. There are two types of precedence rules, modeling precedence rules and geometric precedence rules.

Modeling Precedence Rules

These rules apply when you work with assemblies, and are determined by the assembly hierarchy:

Geometric Precedence Rules

Keep these rules in mind when working with the modeling entities that require points, curves, or surfaces as their reference entities. With some of these modeling entities, you can use multiple geometric entities as reference entities. For example, you can select a feature or a pattern of points and create a beam, spring, or rigid link that runs along a sequence of points. You can also apply a beam on multiple curves, or place a shell on a collection of surfaces.

If you later create a new modeling entity of the same type, placing it on or between the same reference entities, it overrides the existing one when the following conditions are met:

For example, if you select a single point as a reference entity for your new beam, the new beam overrides an existing one that references a feature of points that include this single point.

The following table illustrates how the precedence rules work for modeling entities that can reference points, curves, or surfaces.