What action is typically required to transition from editing a part to editing an assembly in NX?

To transition from editing a part to editing an assembly in NX, it is essential to change the work part back to the assembly. In NX, the concept of a "work part" defines which component is currently being edited or worked on. When you initially open a part, the work part is set to that individual part file. To interact with the assembly, including making changes to its components or structure, you must switch the work part setting to the assembly.

This process ensures that any modifications or commands apply to the assembly context as opposed to the individual part. It's a fundamental step in managing assemblies in NX, where the software requires you to explicitly specify the context in which you are working.

Selecting the assembly or navigating to the Assembly Navigator alone does not change the active work part. Therefore, while those actions might be helpful for managing assemblies, they do not complete the transition needed to edit the assembly directly. Re-importing the assembly build is also an unnecessary step for simply switching contexts; it would create a new instance rather than allowing for direct editing of an already loaded assembly.