The restrictions on dependent part instances may limit your ability to partition or mesh the assembly, or you may find that you wish to apply virtual topology to an instance. To switch between making a part instance dependent or independent, you can click mouse button 3 on the instance in the Model Tree and select Make Dependent or Make Independent from the menu that appears.

If you mesh a part and create a dependent instance of the part, Abaqus/CAE associates the mesh with the instance. If you subsequently change the instance from dependent to independent, Abaqus/CAE continues to associate the mesh with the independent instance. However, the reverse is not true. If you create an independent instance, mesh the instance, and subsequently convert the instance to dependent, Abaqus/CAE deletes the mesh from the dependent instance. The same applies to partitions and virtual topology. Abaqus/CAE deletes any partitions or virtual topology applied to an independent part instance when you change it to dependent.

In some cases, you can work around the restrictions on a dependent part instance by creating a copy of the original part and by creating an independent instance of the copy. You can then partition or mesh the new instance or apply virtual topology to it. Similarly, although you cannot create both a dependent and independent instance of the same part, you can create a copy of the part and create either type of instance from the copy.