In some situations attempting to apply a position constraint results in a conflict with existing position constraints. If that is the case, Abaqus/CAE displays an error message, and you can either apply a different position constraint or use the Feature Manipulation toolset to modify the existing position constraints.
Similarly, attempting to translate or rotate a part or model instance may result in a conflict with existing position constraints. If a conflict occurs, Abaqus/CAE does the following:
Translation
Abaqus/CAE applies the components of translation only along the unconstrained degrees of freedom. If all of the degrees of freedom are constrained, Abaqus/CAE displays an error message and the translation fails.
Rotation
Abaqus/CAE displays an error message, and the rotation fails.
If you experience conflicts with an existing position constraint, you can remove all the existing position constraints without changing the position of the instances by using Instance
Convert Constraints. You can then apply the new position constraint, translation, or rotation. You cannot restore position constraints that were removed. Alternatively, you can delete a position constraint, and Abaqus/CAE will move the instance back to its original position.