Sorry to continue off topic, but all our off-the-shelf commercial items are one file, no matter how many bodies. If they articulate in some way, like a hinge or drawer slide, then we have configurations to show that.
Dwight
I think a simple way to image what you guys are trying to explain is this; Try explaining to a person in the shop that’s looking for a model file, that the part number he is looking for is actually a body inside a part. Not many people outside the engineering world will understand this. We even created a “code” specific for multibody parts simply to distinguish them from everything else.
For instance, a part would be ITEM-001. An assembly would be ITEM-A001 and a multibody part would be ITEM-M001. ITEM being the category in which the part would go.
So then, people are able to easily know the category, if it’s a part or assembly/multibody and the numbering of it. It also makes it so that none of our numbers cross over each other.
ERP stuff 
Anything that’s external component can be whichever as it has no real incidence.
Config (and multi-body) is great when you are the only one using it.
Try to export a config assembly with config sub assy and parts to another shop. With part numbers and BOM.
Yes, it can be done. I haven’t seen many do it “properly”.
If SW get cutlist and BOM to work together properly without all the work around and custom macro, multibody could useful.
I used weldment. If I put same weldment in assembly more then once, BOM only count it once.
The cost of using SW.
I use a cut-list that lists all bodies to export to our ERP and haven’t really encountered issues, though it was a chore to set-up correctly.
Every file has a code assigned to it that our ERP looks at. If the code is empty or does not exist, as an external file would generally be, then our ERP will ignore what is contained inside this assembly/multibody part.
If the part is a multibody part but has one of the single-part codes, our ERP will throw off an error.
If the part is a single body part but has the multibody part code, our ERP will throw off an error.
If the part is whichever but doesn’t contain any code, our ERP will only process the top level (to the extent that it requires)
Basically we have codes for parts such as P, C, S, U, B, which can be combined depending on what operation it is. P-B would be a part cut on our plasma and requiring bending for instance. Our assemblies use ASS for Welded assemblies, ASM for Mobile(flexible) assemblies, MS for multibody parts and there are 2 other assembly codes that are used to define the final processes of production of our products.
P.S. ASS is an auto-filter on this site.