Creating Equidistant Points Along Sketch Entities in SOLIDWORKS 2016
SolidProfessor - Sam Sanchez | November 30, 2015 | Comment
SOLIDWORKS 2015 introduced the “Segment” tool, which allows users to create sets of equidistant points or segments along sketch entities. However, it wasn’t without its problems.
Points along lines were no long equidistant after sketch entities were modified. Segments along the circumference of circles were no longer equal in length. If a user deleted a point, SOLIDWORKS did not maintain the equidistant relation. Additionally, users had to delete the geometry entirely and start over if they needed to change the number of points after completing the segment tool command.
SOLIDWORKS 2016 has thankfully enhanced the segment tool to improve all of these functionalities.
When users activate the segment tool and select “Sketch points,” SOLIDWORKS now adds an equidistant relation to each point on the sketch entity. Fixed relations can be added to one of the end points to keep points equally spaced if the sketch is modified.
SOLIDWORKS adds an equal curve length relation to each segment arcs and circles when the segment is modified by selecting the Segment tool and activating the “Sketch Segments” option. If users select “Sketch segments” on the line of the sketch, SOLIDWORKS adds an equal relation instead.
Users can modify the number of equidistant points on the line by right-clicking on the equidistant relation and selecting “Edit Segment Points.” If users confirm their changes or delete a point, the sketch updates automatically.
If a user deleted the equidistant relation from one of the points, the corresponding relations are removed from all of the sketch points and replaced with coincident relations.
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About the Author
Sam Sanchez is an Applications Engineer with SolidProfessor and a CSWP. Sanchez is an alumni of UC San Diego, and in her free time enjoys 3D printing and hanging out with her dog Ruby. You can see more training videos on a wide range of CAD, CAM & BIM topics at www.solidprofessor.com.
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