An AssemblyObject (AO) is the basic building block (part) of an Assemblage, containing only the necessary information for its computation.

• it is constructed using the Construct AssemblyObject component
• to access its properties one can use the Deconstruct AssemblyObject component
• it can be passed around, internalized, baked, and copy-pasted between definitions via the AssemblyObject parameter component.
• after an Assemblage is performed, AssemblyObjects can be retrieved via the Deconstruct Assemblage component

While assembling parts together, you only need information about:

• position and orientation of their inviolable volume in space (parts must not interfere with each other - to avoid clashes or collisions), encoded as a collision Mesh and a reference Plane
• connectivity (how to connect a part with other parts), encoded in the Handles

Any other information (like actual geometry, materials, additional data, etc.) is not considered for the computation of the assemblage, so it’s not included in the AO ****definition, but it can be associated later using XData.

When you construct an AO, you construct an asset, from which a potentially infinite amount of identical copies can be produced. A collection of unique assets constitutes a catalog or AssemblyObjects Set (AOSet), a sort of blueprints set from which the Engine can choose from when performing the assemblage.

World Z lock

Optionally, by right-clicking on the Construct AssemblyObject component body, you can activate the World Z lock option: when active (and if the corresponding option in the Engine is active too), the object will be placed only if its reference Plane Z axis is parallel to the World Z axis. In short, this equal to establish an “up” direction for the AO, which should be respected during the Assemblage process.

Z-Lock active

Kind and Type

The name indicated at construction identifies the AO kind (asset or blueprint from which copies can be made, its unique identity) and it must be unique in an AOSet and all Assemblages in which it is used, meaning there cannot be two or more AssemblyObjects with the same name in an AOSet or an Assemblage. Just remember the expression “one of a kind”.