Part Modeling > Part Modeling > Bodies in Parts (Multibody Design) > About Bodies in Parts (Multibody Design Concepts)
About Bodies in Parts (Multibody Design Concepts)
A body is a container object for solid geometry. In earlier versions of Creo Parametric, all solid geometry in a part is considered as one piece of a single material, even when the geometry has disjoint volumes. Starting in Creo Parametric release 7.0, you can create parts that contain one or more geometric bodies. Each body can be handled individually, and can have different characteristics. For example, you can assign a different material to each body.
Bodies contain only solid geometry. Nonsolid entities, like datums, curves, and quilts, are not contained in any body.
Each body has its own geometry. You can perform geometric operations such as splitting a body or merging with other bodies. Bodies contribute to the mass properties of the model. You can select bodies as references for features.
Multibody videos
Watch videos that show use cases working with multibody models in Creo:
Multibody part design basics
Design bodies in the context of the master model (master model methodology)
Using bodies as design tools, Boolean operations
Subtractive geometry
New Parts
When you create a new part, it has an empty body in it. This body will contain the solid geometry created by the features. If no solid geometry is created, or as long as the part contains only nonsolid geometry, this body remains empty. A part must always have at least one body in it.
Legacy Parts
When you retrieve a part that was created using a version earlier than Creo Parametric release 7.0, it shows a single body in it. This body contains all the solid geometry in the part, if any exists.
Adding Geometry and Cutting Geometry
When you add solid geometry to a part, you can add it to an existing body, or in a new body. When you cut solid geometry from a part, you can cut from specific bodies, or from all the bodies.
Bodies in the Model Tree
In the Model Tree, bodies appear in the Bodies folder, in the order that they are created. You cannot reorder the bodies. The total number of bodies is automatically updated in the label of the Bodies folder.
In the Model Tree, the icon reflects the body state or the construction property:
—Body that contains geometry
—Body with no geometry
—Body with no contributing features
—Consumed body
—Construction body
, , , Default body
You can customize the types of bodies that appear, and toggle the display of contributing features. Click Settings > Tree Filters to open the Model Tree Items dialog box, and then click the Body tab.
Shortcut commands
The following commands are available on the shortcut menu when you right-click a body:
Set as Default Body—Sets the selected body as the default body.
Body Merge—Combines the geometry of two or more bodies into one body.
Body Intersect—Keeps the geometry that is shared by two or more bodies.
Body Subtract—Removes the geometry of one body from one or more bodies.
Split Body—Splits one body into two bodies.
Move Geometry—Translates or rotates the selected body.
Geometry Pattern—Patterns the selected body.
Mirror—Mirrors the selected body.
Remove Body—Removes the geometry of the selected body, and sets the body state to Consumed.
Set as Construction—Sets the selected body as a construction body.
Unset as Construction—Sets the selected construction body as a solid body. This is the reverse of setting a body as a construction body.
Create Part from Body—Creates a new part with a Copy Geometry feature that copies the selected body.
Copy—Copies the selected body to the clipboard.
Paste Options > Paste—Pastes the content of the clipboard.
Paste Options > Paste Special—Pastes the content of the clipboard, and applies additional options.
Body Properties
Bodies can have properties. See About Body Properties.
Parameters
You can add parameters to a body. See About User Parameters in the links below.
Material
You can assign a material to a body. See About Material Parameters in the links below.
Appearance
You can assign an appearance to a body. See About Material Appearance in the links below.
Layers
Bodies can be added to layers. See To Add Items to a Layer in the links below.
Multibody tutorials
You can gain hands-on experience with multibody design by working through the tutorials. See About the Multibody Tutorials in the links below.
Multibody design in other modules
In various Creo modules, there are aspects of working with multibody design that are unique to that module. For more information, see the links below.