How to Use Standard Parts in BricsCAD Mechanical

Quick answer: Open the Library panel with LIBRARYPANELOPEN. BricsCAD ships with a library described as more than 1,000 standard mechanical parts available in more than 170,000 different sizes, worth noting this is a genuinely different figure than the “more than 30,000 details” mentioned on this hub’s bottom-up and top-down assembly design page, both describing the same library, just counted differently. Drag and drop parts from the library into your assembly, adjust their parameters in the Properties panel (temporarily listing the parameters of the block being inserted), and continue editing them afterward via the Mechanical Browser or Properties panel.

The Library Panel’s Categories

In the Mechanical workspace, the Library panel includes: Standard Parts, Holes, Sheet Metal, and Tools.

Standard Parts

Grouped into four subcategories: Fasteners (bolts, nuts, washers), Machine Parts (bearings, sprockets), Piping (pipes, elbows, flanges), and Structural Shapes (beams, channels, bars). Each subcategory structures by type, subtype, and standard, for example: Standard Parts / Fasteners / Bolts / Hex Head Bolts / ISO / ISO 4017.

Two settings specifically for Standard Parts, in the Settings dialog: Thread representation (THREADDISPLAY) toggles whether bolts and nuts show a 3D thread, off by default to reduce memory use and improve performance on large assemblies; Maximum number of sprocket teeth (GEARTEETHNUMBER) limits sprocket wheel teeth for the same reason, defaulting to 1. Both changes apply to new documents going forward.

In drawing views generated with VIEWBASE, standard parts’ threads annotate as thin lines in side views, and as a 270-degree thin arc in top or bottom views.

Holes

A parametric library of standard holes: slots, counterbores, and countersinks, plus a Threaded holes subcategory, represented directly in drawing views.

Sheet Metal Form Features

A parametric library of sheet metal form features, like bridges and embosses.

Tools

Grouped into four subcategories: Hex Key (L-Shape and T-Shape), Torque Wrenches, Wrench Keys (Combination and Ratcheting), and ScrewDriver, for example: Tools / Hex Keys / T-Shape.

Placing a Standard Part into the Current Drawing

Choose a category.
Choose a standard.
Select a type.
Click the standard part you want.
Edit its parameters in the Properties panel.
Click in the drawing area to insert it as a mechanical block.

Since most standard parts are mechanical blocks, edit them with BEDIT. You can also assign a standard, category, type, and description to a custom standard part, and override those same properties on parts supplied with BricsCAD. In BOM tables, standard parts sharing the same name and parameters count as equal.

Creating Your Own Standard Part

Use CREATELIBRARYBLOCK, the same command confirmed elsewhere in this hub, to create your own standard parts and add them to the Library panel.

Controlling Thread Display

Open the Settings dialog.
Go to Thread representation (THREADDISPLAY).
Enable it.
To make threads appear on existing parts, temporarily set Assembly components updating mode (BMUPDATEMODE) to [1] Update all components, run BMUPDATE, then restore BMUPDATEMODE to its previous value if needed.

Controlling the Number of Sprocket Teeth

Open the Settings dialog.
Go to Maximum number of sprocket teeth (GEARTEETHNUMBER).
Set a value sufficient for the sprockets you’re using (500 is recommended); larger values slow down updates for standard sprockets, and a value smaller than actually needed only displays that many teeth.
To make sprocket teeth appear on existing parts, temporarily set BMUPDATEMODE to [1] Update all components, run BMUPDATE, then restore BMUPDATEMODE if needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is 3D thread representation turned off by default for bolts and nuts? To reduce memory consumption and improve performance, especially on large assemblies.

How do standard parts with identical parameters get treated in a BOM table? As equal, provided they share the same name and parameter values.

What value is recommended for the maximum number of sprocket teeth setting? 500, balancing enough teeth for most sprockets against update performance for larger values.

Do changes to threads or sprocket teeth apply automatically to parts already placed in my drawing? No, you need to temporarily set Assembly components updating mode to Update all components and run BMUPDATE to refresh existing parts.