How to Use the Mechanical Browser Panel in BricsCAD Mechanical

Quick answer: Open the Mechanical Browser panel by running MECHANICALBROWSEROPEN, or right-click a ribbon panel or toolbar and choose Mechanical Browser from the Panels list. It’s a central place to view and modify the parametric properties of every mechanical block and non-mechanical block (solid) in the drawing, resolving this panel’s role from its many earlier appearances across this hub’s BIM section (Physical Materials, Parametrize, Stair Tool, and Structural Steel pages).

The Panel Elements

• Group by entity: groups 3D constraints by entity; expand an entity to see its associated constraints.
• Group by type: groups 3D constraints by type; expand a constraint to see the entities it affects.
• Show search: opens a search field that filters the tree to mechanical blocks whose names (or sub-block names) match the entered string; click the X to close it.
• Sort Alphabetically: lists every mechanical block, 3D constraint, and solid alphabetically, instead of the order they were added to the assembly.
• Show selected: when active, only shows nodes for currently selected objects (or their parents); with nothing selected, the full model shows instead. This mode’s state persists between sessions and applies across all open documents.
• Mechanical entities list: a hierarchical tree of assembly entities, user parameters, dimensional constraint parameters, dimensional constraints, mechanical blocks, arrays, and solids, with sub-nodes for things like a constraint’s arguments or an array’s members. Click a node’s arrow to expand or collapse it, click the node itself to select that mechanical block in the model space, and hold Ctrl or Shift to select multiple nodes.

Settings

• Expressions of constraints: shows a constraint’s numeric value or its assigned parameter name.
• Block parameters: toggles visibility of mechanical block parameters.
• Expressions of block parameters: the same numeric-value-or-parameter-name choice, for block parameters specifically.
• Nested mechanical blocks of standard parts: toggles visibility of mechanical blocks nested within standard-part assemblies.
• Arrays of entities: toggles display of array nodes, including mechanical block arrays.
• Block and External references: toggles display of Block Reference and External Reference nodes, and whether nodes build in the Bodies folder for Block entities.
• Keep values list order: toggles whether a parameter’s dropdown values list stays sorted.
• Asynchronous properties load: controls whether properties load asynchronously when multiple nodes are selected at once.
• Expose all solids: toggles display, under the Bodies folder, of solids for mechanical blocks and solids not related to any constraints.

These settings are also controlled by the MECHANICALBROWSERSETTINGS system variable.

Context Menus

Right-click a node (or a selected group of nodes) for a context menu tailored to that node type; only options applicable to every selected node appear.

Root mechanical block assembly: Remove material from mechanical block; Update (refreshes the assembly hierarchy when its subassembly reference files have changed); Visual style > All by Viewport; Switch all to local; Switch all to external…; Add new parameter; Custom properties (opens the Mechanical Properties dialog); Select all (same definition) / Select same (same name and parameter values); Highlight all / Highlight same (the same distinction); Create sequence (creates a block representing the current assembly); Renumerate child nodes / Renumerate child nodes continuously; Collapse all / Expand all.

Child (non-root) mechanical blocks, internal or external: Open (BMOPEN); Open a copy (BMOPENCOPY); Update (BMUPDATE, reloads referenced blocks from external files and updates BOM tables); Replace… (BMREPLACE, replacing a local insert turns it external); Replace all inserts… (every insert sharing the same source); Switch to local (BMLOCALIZE) / Switch to external (BMEXTERNALIZE); Set material to mechanical block… (opens the Physical Materials dialog, confirming the exact workflow covered on this hub’s physical materials page); Remove material from mechanical block (local blocks only); Mechanical block’s BOM status; Dissolve (removes the feature but keeps its geometry, discarding the design intent, the spatial and parametric relationships between its faces); Custom properties; Reset instance custom properties (back to the block’s inherited defaults); Hide/Show; Make mechanical block standard/non-standard; Include all inserts to section… / Exclude all inserts to section (sets the Sectionable property affecting VIEWSECTION); Visual Style; Zoom to; Select all / Select same; Highlight all / Highlight same; Delete (similar to SMDELETE); Renumerate similar nodes.

Parameters: Geometry-driven (ticking this makes the parameter geometry-driven; if it’s assigned to a geometry-driven 3D constraint, its boundaries factor in while moving the constrained geometry); Create design table (drives parametric block parameters); Animate (animates the model via its parameters); Convert (between a 2D dimensional constraint and a dimensional constraint parameter, or between a user parameter and a user variable).

Sub-assembly mechanical block parameters: Link to parameter, linking a sub-assembly parameter to the main assembly’s level parameter.

Constraints: Enabled (toggles the constraint); Flip side (unavailable for fix constraints); Select geometry (selects the entities involved). See DMCONSTRAINT3D for further options.

Dimensional Constraints: Geometry-driven (same behaviour as above; you can also set upper and lower bounds directly in the panel, factored into dynamic operations like DMMOVE and ROTATE3D); Create design table (see the Parameters Manager panel).

Constraint arguments: Flip (reverses direction); Replace… (DMCONSTRAINT3D); Exclude (excludes that argument).

The Properties Section

Shows the selected entity’s properties; with multiple nodes selected, it shows properties common to all of them, and changing one modifies every selected node. Edit a property by clicking a numeric field directly, or choosing from a dropdown.

The most important mechanical block properties: Extension type; Sectionable; Standard part; BOM status; Material; Custom properties (click Browse to open the Mechanical Properties dialog); and Preferable direction (the direction used for exploded views, set via BMEXPLODECONFIG).

Selecting a Sheet Metal Body additionally displays its Measurements properties in the panel.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens to a feature’s design intent when I choose Dissolve? Its geometry stays, but the spatial and parametric relationships between its faces, its design intent, are removed.

Does replacing a local mechanical block insert keep it local? No, replacing a local insert turns it into an external one.

How do I control whether a parameter shows its numeric value or its assigned name? Toggle Expressions of constraints (or Expressions of block parameters for block parameters specifically) in the panel’s Settings.

Does the Show selected mode’s state carry over between BricsCAD sessions? Yes, and it applies consistently across every open document.