About Breaking Dependencies

Assembly Design > Using Assembly > References and Dependencies > Reference Views > About Breaking Dependencies

When you work with Product Development Management (PDM) systems, you must check out and check in your models. While you work on a checked out model, references may be created to objects that are not in the work space. These objects are referred to as ghost objects. Dependencies created to ghost objects are dummy dependencies. Before you save the model or check it in to the PDM system, you must break these dummy dependencies. If removing a dependency would cause the assembly to fail regeneration, the feature is frozen.

Use the Reference Viewer to investigate and break object dependencies. You can break dependencies identified by the

icon. When you break a dependency, the object is removed from the Reference Viewer graph.

The following dependency types can be broken:

Dependency

Type of Break

Data Sharing Features (DSF)

Breaks the dependency between the DSF and the reference model.

For a Shrinkwrap, when you break the dependency to a previous reference model you can choose one of the following options:

• Keep reference history—Breaks dependency, but retains original reference history. Retaining original reference history, allows you to replace back the previous reference model without rerouting references.

• Clear all reference information—Breaks dependency and removes all original reference history.

Notebooks

Removes the dependency and makes the object fully independent of its declared notebook.

Interchange assemblies

Removes the dependency and makes the object independent of the interchange assembly.

Mirrored models

Removes the dependency when the mirrored model is created as not geometry dependent. You cannot break the dependency when the mirrored model is created as geometry dependent.

Old assembly cuts

Removes the dependency.

Replaced components

Removes the dependency.

Unused substitute components

Removes the dependency.

Restructuring components in assemblies from releases including and before Wildfire 4 created dependencies. These dependencies are visible in the Reference Viewer and can be removed.