SolidWorks 2011 Parts Bible - Matt Lombard [45]
• Angle. You can create the angle dimension one of two ways. If the angle to be driven is between two straight lines, simply select the two straight lines and place the dimension. If you are creating an included angle dimension for an arc where there are not necessarily any straight lines drawn, then with the Smart Dimension tool active, first select the vertex of the angle, and then the two outlying points, as shown in Figure 3.3.
Figure 3.3
Creating an included angle dimension
• Arc Length. You can create the dimension by selecting an arc and its endpoints with the Smart Dimension tool.
The Line tool creates straight lines using one of two methods:
• Click+Click. Used for drawing multiple connected end-to-end lines. Click and release the left-mouse button to start the line; each click and release ends the previous line and starts a new one. Double-click, press Esc, or deselect the Line tool to end.
• Click and Drag. Used to draw individual or unconnected lines. Click, drag, and drop. The first click initiates the line, and the drop ends it.
Note
The click+click and click and drag methods have been treated equivalently by SolidWorks until recent releases. Some new functions like Enable on-screen numeric input seem to function better with click+click than click and drag.
Alternate methods for drawing lines include horizontal, vertical, angle, and infinite lines. The interface for these options appears in the PropertyManager, as shown in Figure 3.4.
• Horizontal, Vertical. These settings require you to select a starting point and an ending vertical or horizontal position. There does not seem to be any compelling reason to use this instead of the regular line command.
• Angle. This setting enables you to specify an angle and drag a line at this angle. Again, I can find no compelling reason to use this tool.
• Infinite length. SolidWorks parts have a working space limited to 1000 meters on a side, centered on the Origin. Infinite lines extend well beyond this, although you cannot draw or dimension a regular line outside of this box. I have not come across a compelling use for this feature.
FIGURE 3.4
The Insert Line PropertyManager interface
Note
The Add Dimensions option exists in several sketch entity PropertyManagers and adds Smart Dimensions to newly sketched entities. The option only appears in the sketch entity PropertyManager if the setting at Tools⇒Options⇒Sketch⇒Enable on-screen numeric input on entity creation is selected.
The on-screen numeric input is not the same as the Input Dimension Value function, and, in fact, it overrides that option. You cannot input dimension values when using the Add Dimensions in conjunction with click and drag sketching. It appears to be intended for click+click sketching only, so that you can enter values between clicks.
The Corner Rectangle tool creates a rectangle by clicking one corner and dragging to the diagonal corner. This action creates four lines with Horizontal and Vertical sketch relations, as appropriate. The Corner Rectangle is also available as a flyout icon with a Corner Rectangle, Center Rectangle, 3 Point Corner Rectangle (rectangle at an angle), and 3 Point Center Rectangle, as well as a Parallelogram. Figure 3.5 shows the flyout and flyout icons, and the PropertyManager for the Rectangle, which also enables you to switch types of rectangle easily.
FIGURE 3.5
The Rectangle flyout with associated icons
Notice the Add dimensions check box in the PropertyManager. Selecting this box while creating a rectangle causes the software to add dimensions aligned with the sides of the rectangle. This option is also available for lines, arcs, and circles.
Note