In Strata 3D there are two kinds of objects you can use while modeling: First, there are regular objects. You make them, reshape them, give them textures and animate them. Second, a Shape. What's the difference? Shapes do everything that objects do, plus a lot more.
Shapes are objects and groups of objects that are named, and stored in memory. When used in a model, the information is referenced to the named shape much like an alias or a shortcut.
So no matter how many times you use the shape in your model, the information only needs to be stored once. And, when you change any property of the original (parent) shape, all of the referenced (child) shapes are automatically changed as well. The parent-child relationship between the original shape and all copies of it is called "hierarchal."
Using the Shape feature of Strata 3D allows you to work on just one component at a time in its own separate work space, with its own window. Then you can insert one or more instances of the shape into your model.