(Weldments) Insert> Part... >save, close, open > = ? part out of context?

What am I doing wrong with Weldments? I made a weldment of sq. steel
tube from sketches. I needed to add plates, so I created new part files
of the different shapes, inserted them using Insert> Part..., move them
into place everything is fine until I sdave, close and reopen the files.
Then I get a "->?" next to each part I've inserted, when I right-click
on each inserted part to List External References, it says "part out of
context".

Any ideas?
Thanks
Whit

 

Parts are not typically inserted into weldments. A Solidworks weldment is a
mutli-body part file where each multi-body was created using a feature(s).

Weldments are typically created using the "weldment tools". Turn on your
weldment toolbar to see what I'm referring to. You can add any type of
profile (for extruding) to the existing library. Also, look up "weldments"
in Solidworks help.

 

True, but when I saw this method demonstrated in a class at my VAR it looked
like a handy feature. The weldment I'm working on has a number of mounting
plates as well as structural steel shapes. This Insert> Part... method is the
"best" way I can figure to use this feature as it was intended, otherwise I
would need 'profiles' for all these different mounting plates or model it as an
assembly.

 

Try opening your assembly, The ?s should go away when the ass'y is open

Mike

 

I believe you would need to have each "part" open in this case, then ctrl+q.

 

The upper assy file inwhich this 'part' is used also shows the " ->? " next to
the part. When I open the weldment part it still has all the " ->? "'s but the
Inserted Parts are still associative, I can edit them and they do update in the
Weldment Part.

I tried opening a few of the Inserted Parts and sure enough a ctrl + Q does make
the "->? "'s go away, until I close a part at least. I'm beginning to think
this is a minor bug rather than something that's going to bite me hard in a few
days/weeks.

Thanks

 

I tried opening a few of the Inserted Parts and sure enough a ctrl + Q

No bug, that's the way references work.

Just as in-context parts (in an assy) will have its in-context features
display a ->? if the assembly is not open.

 

Aaahha, I see. I seldom do in-context work. Thanks for the enlightenment.

This is my first 'complex' weldment, before I simply extruded bodies in the
part file, I thought Inserting might be a good way to go this time, it's still
a toss-up, except now I have a bunch of extra files to keep up with....

Thanks again