About ECAD Assemblies and Subassemblies
ECAD assembly mode provides a dedicated environment for creating and managing ECAD assemblies. In an ECAD assembly, the board is created in the context of the assembly and IDs are created automatically on all objects relevant to ECAD. These objects include hole features, ECAD areas, and components.
Creating ECAD Assemblies and Subassemblies
You can create an ECAD subassembly in a design assembly using the
Create command.
In the Model Tree, notice the following icons:
• 
—Identifies an ECAD assembly or subassembly.
• 
—Identifies the board part.
It is recommended not to open or modify ECAD assemblies in Creo Direct. Modifying an ECAD in Creo Direct can cause problems with ECAD compatibility when you open the assembly again in Creo Parametric.
Using Legacy Assemblies
To take advantage of the rigid and flexible capabilities of ECAD assemblies, you can convert a legacy assembly to a ECAD assembly. Save a copy of the assembly as an IDX file and create a new ECAD assembly from the IDX file.
You can still open existing design assemblies that model ECAD designs and create new design assemblies for ECAD collaboration. Use
Applications >
ECAD Collaboration to enter
Creo ECAD-MCAD Collaboration.