• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

Also note, if you modify the gtol.sym file, anyone who uses the drawings you create must also have the same custom gtol.sym file. So if you actually do this and work in a group environment, make sure everyone uses the same file and it is available to others.

Using Center Marks and Centerlines

You can apply center marks either manually or automatically to edges that project as circular in the drawing view. To find the settings that control automatic insertion, choose Tools⇒Options⇒Document Properties⇒Drafting Standard⇒Centerlines/Center Marks. The size of the mark at the center and the use of lines extending to the actual circular edge are also controlled on this tab, in the Center Marks section. Figure 16.17 shows some of the options available for center marks.

FIGURE 16.17

Options available for center marks

Center marks propagate well to patterns, and you can dimension to them individually. You can rotate center marks in views where they need to be referenced from an edge that is not horizontal. You can also place center marks into layers.

You can apply centerlines to any geometry that has a temporary axis that is perpendicular to the view. Centerlines can also be placed automatically when you place the part into the drawing. You can create centerlines by selecting a face or a pair of parallel lines or concentric arcs. Centerlines may be displayed improperly on parts that are created by mirroring, as shown in Figure 16.18. This bug was originally printed here in the 2007 version and is still active for 2011 sp0.0.

FIGURE 16.18

Centerlines can display improperly on a mirrored part.

Tutorial: Using Annotations

This tutorial shows you how to use some of the tools that were discussed in this chapter. It does not cover every feature, so you should explore a little on your own and not necessarily follow the instructions exactly. Start here:

1. From the DVD, open the file named Chapter 16 – Tutorial.slddrw. This is a drawing file with views of the part from Chapter 21, but it does not contain dimensions or annotations.

2. Click the Center Mark tool on the Annotations toolbar. (If the button is not there, then choose Tools⇒Customize⇒Commands to place it on the toolbar, along with the Centerline tool.) Click one of the holes in the pattern of three, and click the Propagate symbol to propagate the center marks to all three holes in the pattern. The view should look like Figure 16.19 when you are done.

3. Activate the Centerline tool to add two centerlines to the right view, in the lower-left area. Change the view display style to Hidden Lines Visible. Select the cylindrical faces for each feature to place the centerlines. Click the vertical centerline and drag the ends past the edges of the part.

4. Select the edge that is indicated in Figure 16.20, and initiate a note from the Annotations toolbar. Type the text shown, all in one line. You can place the degree and diameter symbols from the symbol library, which you can access using the indicated button in the PropertyManager. Both symbols are in the Modifying Symbols library, also shown in Figure 16.20. Drag the lower-right corner of the text box to make the text wrap as shown.

Figure 16.19

Center marks and centerlines on a part

Figure 16.20

Placing symbols in an annotation

5. Draw an arrow with a text note inside it, as shown in Figure 16.21. Make the sketch and text into a block by window-selecting all of it and clicking Make Block from the Blocks toolbar, or by choosing Tools⇒Block⇒Make. Make sure that the end of the arrow is its insertion point. You have to expand the Insertion Point panel in the PropertyManager to access this option. When the block is set up, accept it by clicking the green check mark icon. When the block is created, delete it from the drawing.

Figure 16.21

Creating a block

6. Place the block using the Insert Block function, so that the block is to the right of the right view. Once you place it, press Esc to cancel the placement of more blocks. Then