Before you add a symbol to your document, you can specify which placement method is used. Placement method determines how a symbol behaves once it is on the drawing sheet.
Geometry
Note:
The Geometry option only works for draft documents and translatable documents, such as AutoCAD and Microstation. If you select the Geometry option and place another type of file, the placement option defaults to Embed.
This method copies the drawing elements directly into the active document without placing the elements as a symbol. The graphics are placed as a group and appear on the Groups page on the Library pane.
There is no limit to the number of symbols you can insert as geometry. Only the geometry and styles used are copied into the target draft file, so no unnecessary space is consumed.
Inserting a symbol as a link results in adding a reference to another file within the draft file. As the contents of the symbol file are not embedded in this draft file, there is no problem with increased file size. However, every time you move a draft file to another folder or machine, you must also move the linked symbol files.
Any change to the original symbol file will result in changes to all draft files that contain a link to that symbol. This can be useful in some workflows. However, you may find that you do not want a change to a symbol file to result in display changes in a released draft file.
Inserting a symbol as embedded copies the symbol file into the draft file. When you drag a file from the Library onto the active sheet, a symbol object is created and the symbol file copied, intact, into a separate storage area within the target draft file.
Inserting a symbol as shared embedded is the default mode, and includes elements of both the Embed and Link methods. It is like the Embed method in that the symbol file is copied into the target draft file. It is like the Link method in that additional insertions of the same symbol refer to the same embedding, rather than creating a new embedding. When you modify a shared embedded symbol by double-clicking the symbol on the draft sheet, all edits made to one instance will display in all other instances of the same shared embed. Because there is only one embedded file and each instance of a symbol refers to it, edits made in one are displayed in all instances of that symbol.
The shared embedded method avoids the potential disadvantages of both the embedded method and the linked method. Because the file is present, a link to it does not need to be maintained. Because the file is shared within the target draft file, multiple instances of the symbol can reuse it, so the target draft file stays smaller.
When you want to develop electrical, P&ID, and other diagrams, you should insert symbols as blocks. With blocks, you have access to the block, block label, and connector diagramming tools, as well as an extensive library of industry-standard 2D design blocks representing piping, electrical, and mechanical symbols. You also can access all of your AutoCAD-built blocks through on-the-fly conversion. The Solid Edge intelligent connectors quickly snap to keypoints on the blocks and create associative links that are easily updated.
For more information, see the Help topic, Using Blocks.