It is important to understand the special relationship between your CAD model files, Windchill CAD documents and Windchill parts. The following diagram highlights those relationships:

The preceding diagram illustrates the relationship between CAD file, CAD document, and part. The simplest case is when the CAD document and part are associated to each other with an “owner” association. In that case, the membership-in-assembly relationship that CAD parts have with their parent assembly are preserved in the CAD document structure. The member links are captured in the associated part structure in ‘uses’ links. For more information on association, see About Association. For more information about CAD document-part relationships, see Managing CAD and Part Relationships in Windchill