Introduction
Designers & Product Engineers often use the Branch command to perform independent & parallel design studies. The command is available in the following ENOVIA web apps:
Collaborative Lifecycle
Product Structure Editor
Engineering Release
Once a specific study achieves successful results, designers and engineers can use the Merge command to integrate content from that study back into the source structure of the product. This process empowers teams to experiment studies in parallel while keeping integrity of the source structure intact throughout the process.
Note: As of now, the Merge command is only supported in the Collaborative Lifecycle web app.
The following image provides more clarity about this integrated process:
Enhancement to the Merge Operation
What
Starting from R2026x FD01 release, the ability to integrate materials during the Merge operation has been introduced. This feature enables designers to create branches for experimenting with various materials and conducting simulations, all without impacting the original structure.
How
Initiating the Merge operation from the successful study branch opens the Revision Explorer panel, revealing all other available branches and the source structure. Once you select the Source structure, the Compare app is launched displaying structural & 3D comparison with a cross-highlight feature, for eased decision-making during the merge.
In the Compare app settings, you can then select the Show Materials option to enable the material display during the comparison. This shows dedicated color codes indicating the differences between the applied materials, for eased decision making.
For example, the ‘Modified Applied Material’ indicates that, for the same part, a different material is used.
In the above example, the following three tabs are displayed:
Target: Represents the Primary Structure
Source: Represents the Branched Structure
Result: It is a Simulation of the Target structure after the merge operation.
How does it work
Select the material row and choose between Keep Source or Keep Target to determine which material to integrated into the resultant structure. Then click on the Merge command to initiate the operation based on the selected actions.
As a result of the merge operation, the selected design & material changes are merged into the original structure.
Please refer to the following demo video for more information.
