Scaling and Inserting Sketches/Objects

[bRIBEGuy]

Ok... maybe an uber-noob question, but I've been banging my head on my desk all day trying to crack this nut.

I have a 3D object designed. I am looking to emboss the company name (herein referred to as "Logo") on the side of said object. The company font was custom done, so I used a .dxf export, redrew a few screwy components, and ended up with the seven letter "Logo" as an extrudable Alibre file. At this point I felt like I was doing pretty good. BUT...... the "Logo" is roughly 8.5" tall, and I'll need to shrink it down significantly to work. My hope was to use the "Logo" file as an insertable item that I could use on all future product designs..... but for the life of me I can not figure out how to scale the thing. My primary background is in AutoCAD, and there it is as simple as pasting the object and using a "Scale" command. Here........ no clue how to shrink it down.

I'm really hoping someone can point out how dumb I am here and let me know maybe I just missed something really obvious?

 

[DavidJ]

Save the logo as a Custom Symbol. When inserting a Custom Symbol, there is an option to scale it.

 

[bRIBEGuy]

Thanks DavidJ, but the Custom Symbol option only seems to work in the "Drawing" workspace, and I cant figure out how to integrate it into the model itself in any efficient manner.

As best as I can figure, the only way to do this after creating a custom symbol is:

1. Open working object (A) drawing
2. Create "Drawing Workspace"
3. Activate sketch in workspace.
4. Insert Custom Symbol (B) taking a rough guess at the scaling/size.
5. Explode B
6. Select B
7. Copy B with ctrl+C
8. Go back to drawing A
9. Select face of A and create sketch.
10. Paste B

While this does technically work, it seems REALLY clunky and slow, especially if the scale/size of B needs to be changed.

Is this REALLY the only way to do this folks?

 

[simonb65]

You could leave the 'logo' as a separate part. Apply the Scale feature to that part to get it to the size you want, then save it ...



Then combine the 'Logo' with the part by treating them in the Assembly workspace as a sub-assembly. i.e. Part + Logo = Part With Logo Sub-Assembly. Constraining the logo to the required face.

Or you could use a Boolean to add the scaled logo to the part.

 

[bigseb]

I save all my logos as drawings. When I need one I:
1) open the drawing and copy the sketch to clipboard
2) open a new part, start a sketch and paste the logo from clipboard
3) extrude the sketch (to any length, doesn't matter)
4) scale the part so the dimensions are as required
5) start a new sketch and project the scaled part
6) copy the sketch to clipboard
7) open the part requiring the logo and paste.

Sounds long-winded, and it is.

 

[bRIBEGuy]

Sounds long-winded, and it is.

LOL... that seems to be the Alibre way, I'm learning.

Thanks for the help everyone... it looks like there are a few functional ways to do the process that I'm after... I guess I'm just hung up on the fact that something here seems to take multiple steps/drawings/etc, while in Autocad it's a literal key-stroke command.

So much more for me to learn...

 

[bigseb]

LOL... that seems to be the Alibre way, I'm learning.

Thanks for the help everyone... it looks like there are a few functional ways to do the process that I'm after... I guess I'm just hung up on the fact that something here seems to take multiple steps/drawings/etc, while in Autocad it's a literal key-stroke command.

So much more for me to learn...

Not really a fair comparison. AutoCAD is 2D CAD so it has all the tools to scale 2D geometry. Alibre is 3D CAD and it scales 3D geometry perfectly.

 

[Ken226]

All of the other 3d cad programs I've used in the past have had quick and easy tools for scaling 2d sketches or partial sketch features.

These include SOLIDWORKS, Fusion, Inventor, FreeCAD and T-Flex. Honestly, Alibre is the first I've used that didn't have it.
Most of our 3d features begin as 2d sketches, so being able to copy and scale sketch features between sketches or parts is a pretty basic tool.


With that said, the create custom symbol feature is easy to use and makes it quick and simple.
Now that Im used to using it, It actually works a little better than the simple 2d scaling buttons most cad software has for logos, especially complex ones.


I still think there should be a scale function for sketches, but for logos even with a scale button I would continue using the "custom symbol" method.

The reason I say that is that many times when you scale a 2d sketch, you will end up with open loops, overlaps and constraint issues.

It's really easy to do. I don't even bother exploding the custom symbol first. You'll get a warning message, but it'll still work. Just open a drawing, click "insert custom symbol", set the scale and rotation angle, and drop it in the drawing.
Copy it, and paste it into the sketch. Ignore the pop-up, and extrude it. You'll not have to worry about open loop or overlap errors.

Now, allowing the custom symbol to be inserted directly into a sketch, skipping the drawing altogether would be nice!