Part Family is a way of linking together related parts for easier browsing.
Locating this option
Available from: Library Manager option > Parts tab > Details > page
How Part Families work
A ‘Part Family’ is simply a name that you can give to one or more parts, that allows you to quickly switch between alternate parts with the same functionality. For example, you might assign the same part family to the through-hole and the surface mount version of a particular logic component. You would then be able to easily switch between them in your design using the Next Alternate Part command or through Properties.
To add or change the Part Family of a part, open the part using the Parts Editor. The value you use for the Part Family can be any text string. It does not have to be any special value, but some care is needed in setting them up to make sure you do not accidentally set unrelated parts as being in the same family. The application does not know how you want your part families organised, so it cannot help you with this.
Part Families in the Part Browser
As well as using the Part Family to flip between related components during Insert (or through Properties), you can also use the Part Family in the Part Browser, to display a ‘tree’ view of all the parts grouped by their family. You can arrange the Part Families in a hierarchical or ‘tree’ fashion by using the separator specified for use with the Part Browser. The default separator is a forward slash, so by adding a Part Family of:
Hardware/Switch/SPST
to the three parts SP445, 244-3134 and MPSW20, you will see them listed in the Part Browser thus:
Part Families and Part Groups
A ‘Part Family’ is a name that you give to one or more separate parts. They do not have to share any particular characteristics, and can have different symbols, footprints, or even pin count.
A ‘Part Group’ is a set of part names that share the same part definition, including their symbol, footprint and gate information.
Related Topics
Part Browser | Parts Editor | Part Details | Insert Component