Managing NX Part Families
The next sections describe how NX part families are managed in Windchill.
In NX, you can create instances of parts and assemblies using a part family template. When a NX part family is managed in Windchill, it is treated as a "family" (or Family Table) that is composed of the following objects:
• Generic – A part or assembly that is used as a basis for creating instances (variations of a generic) using a part family template. A part family template is a table that defines variations of a model, where each row represents an instance, and columns represent varied parameters. Typically, the template is embedded in the generic model and is managed as part of the generic CAD document. In Windchill, both the generic part and the part family template are included in the generic CAD document. The NX model is the primary content of the generic CAD document.
• Instance – A part or assembly that corresponds to a row in the part family template. NX saves part family instances as individual files. In Windchill, each instance is stored as an instance CAD document.