Component Instances

We have already discussed the difference between Groups and Components. Groups are single instances of Geometry that can be copied but are not linked to other copies of the same Group. One Group can be updated or changed and the other Groups will not be impacted at all. Component Instances are different from Group instances because Component changes update across all Instances. In this next example, we can see this in action. There are four desk Groups and four chair Components:

Figure 11.46 – Four Desk Groups and Four Chair Components

When a change is made to one of the desk Groups, nothing changes in the other Groups. The Groups are not linked together once the initial copy has been made:

Figure 11.47 – Desk Is Edited (Left), Other Desk Groups Not Updated (Right)

But when one of the chair Components is edited, the other chairs in the model also update to reflect those changes. This is because the...