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Sketching · Lesson 2: Dimensioning and constraining

Smart Dimension and geometric relations for a fully defined sketch.

Lesson goal

Make a sketch fully defined, so that it reacts predictably to every change.

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2 videos

✎

1 exercise

Beginner

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Prerequisite: Lesson 1

1. Watch the videos

Dassault Systèmes videos hosted on MySolidWorks: they open in a new tab and a free account is enough. Watch them in order.

Sketch: Smart DimensionVideo 1▶Sketch: Smart DimensionOne tool to dimension lengths, diameters, angles and distances.In French↗ Sketch RelationsVideo 2▶Sketch RelationsHorizontal, coincident, tangent, equal… to capture design intent.In French↗

2. Key takeaways

1

A fully defined sketch is shown in black; in blue, degrees of freedom remain.

2

Relations carry the intent (symmetry, equality, tangency); dimensions carry the values.

3

Use a relation rather than a dimension when you can: two equal holes rather than two identical diameters.

4

A sketch in red or yellow is over defined: delete the extra relation or dimension rather than adding more.

Tip

If your team wants to enforce the rule, turn on the option that requires sketches to be fully defined before they are used in a feature.

3. Do the exercise

Go back to the plate from lesson 1:

  • make the four holes equal with a single dimension
  • place them symmetrically about the axes
  • fully define the sketch
✓To check: The sketch is black. Change the plate width: the holes stay symmetric.

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