Simplified representations improve the regeneration, retrieval, and display times of assemblies, so you can work more efficiently. Use simplified representations to control which components of an assembly are brought into session and displayed. For example, to speed the regeneration and display process, you can temporarily remove a complicated and unrelated subassembly from your portion of the assembly.

When a component in simplified representation mode is updated outside the assembly, the Notification Center notifies you about the need to retrieve and regenerate that component. To receive notifications for models created in releases prior to Creo Parametric 4.0, you must save the models in Creo Parametric 4.0 or later.

Models created before Creo Parametric 4.0 and saved with system defined simplified representation, retain these representations. You can retrieve a legacy simplified representation as an Automatic representation. Set the hide_pre_creo4_reps configuration option to no to use legacy simplified representations.

You can create multiple simplified representations for an assembly. Each simplified representation can correspond to an area or level of detail of the assembly in which individual designers or groups are working. The name of the active simplified representation appears in the graphics window. You can simplify an assembly by excluding components in a particular representation or substituting one component (part or assembly) for another. Substitutions can simplify your working environment, while still including critical geometry.

You can use simplified representations in Assembly, Manufacturing, Part, and Drawing modes, as well as in Mold Design, Casting, and Process Planning for assemblies. You can also create a simplified representation for assembly skeletons. In Drawing mode, you can create multiple views of an assembly. The simplified representation must be specified before a view is added.

Part level and Assembly level simplified representations are different. Assembly simplified representations can include components, exclude components, and set the level of information (Graphics, Geometry, Master) retrieved and displayed. Part simplified representations can include features, suppress features, cut geometry based on work regions, and copy surfaces. Part simplifications actually define an instance of the original part, assembly simplifications do not modify the assembly design. Click the link below for more information on Part simplified representations.