Creating and managing systems engineering models > Transferring Physics Definition from Concept Model to Detailed Model > Resolving conflicting physics objects when replacing components

Resolving conflicting physics objects when replacing components

This is the closest thing in the Mechatronics Concept Designer documentation to an explicit conflict resolution procedure: what to do when both the "old" (concept) and "new" (detailed/replacement) component already carry physics definitions that would collide.

The core rule

When you replace a concept component with a detailed component in Mechatronics Concept Designer, it is recommended that you inspect the components for conflicting physics objects.

You cannot transfer physics objects from concept components to detailed components that already have physics objects. If you want to map physics objects such as physics bodies, joints, sensors, actuators, and so on, you must first resolve the conflicting physics objects.

Terminology used here:

Concept component — the component you want to replace (the rough/concept-model geometry).
Detailed component — your replacement component, which can be a single part or an assembly.

Workflow when the replacement component already has physics objects

If your replacement (detailed) component contains physics objects, follow this workflow:

Use the Replace Component command to select the concept component and your replacement component.
In the Replacement Assistant dialog box, transfer physics objects from the concept component to the replacement component.

Worked example

Suppose the concept component (1) is to be replaced by two detailed components (2). The concept component has one rigid body, and the detailed components also have one rigid body each. To complete the mapping successfully, you must delete the physics rigid body in the detailed components first — this removes the conflicting object so the concept component's rigid body can be mapped into its place instead of colliding with a pre-existing one.

Practical takeaway

There is no automated "merge" logic for colliding physics definitions — the documented procedure is manual conflict removal (delete the pre-existing physics object on the detailed/replacement side) followed by the standard Replacement Assistant mapping. Automatic mapping (per "Transferring physics definitions from a concept to a detailed model") only applies when there is no pre-existing physics object to collide with.

Where to find it