Using Referance lines

[neilr]

Hello I am having issue with the referance lines and how they are not usable outside of the scetch so I am assuming that I am doing something wrong or there is a better way to do things.

When I make a shape that I wish to do a rololve boss or cut with but there is no geometry to use for the axis I am having to insert a l ine into the scetch and ignore the error pop up when I hit the revolve button, do the revolve that fails. I then have to go back and edit the scetch to convert the line I used as the axis into a referance line and exit scetch mode, the geometry is created. This seams very burdonsome to me I have tried adding a referance line and then inserting an axis in it's place but it makes me exit scetch mode and there is no referance line.

I know it is not that big of a deal but it is a pain that I should not have to go through.

 

[MilesH]

A fair point.

In case you weren't using it, the command is Sketch | Insert > Axis

The requirement to exit and re-open a Sketch (to register it) before using Sketch | Insert > Axis was introduced in V12. I believe we have an assurance that this will be reviewed in V12.1.........

 

[neilr]

Thanks miles I didn't use the Sketch| insert > Axis . Somethings are just to simple to seen hehe

 

[MilesH]

I'm not sure if it's any less of a pain than your method, at the moment, though.....

 

[HaroldL]

Hello I am having issue with the referance lines and how they are not usable outside of the scetch ...

I'm sure we've all noticed that the Revolve Boss/Cut needs an Axis to revolve about while the Helical Boss/Cut uses a Reference Line. Why the difference and why can't they both use a Reference Line? :? To neilr's point, it would to make it easier to use the Revolve features, simply add a Reference Line in your sketch, and would be more consistent between the features. Are not Revolve Boss/Cuts and Helical Boss/Cuts basically the same feature type and couldn't they use the same geometry type as an axis? Could there be something in the modeling kernel that makes them different? :?

H.
v12.0

 

[MilesH]

Harold,

I guess the difference is that, for Revolve Boss, the axis isn't necessarily restricted to the Sketch Plane.

If they hadn't made such a meal out of Sketch Insert Axis/Point, that would be an acceptable way for me.

As you can use an ordinary Sketch Line as the Revolve axis, at the moment (as long as it's one of the elements to be revolved), I'm sure there are plenty of other ways this could be handled...

 

[HaroldL]

I was going to compare this to the way SW creates Helical features but it (SW) uses a two-step process to make a Helix which is then used as a path for a Sweep. For the Revolve it allows either a Reference Line or an Axis. :shock: What a concept!! :shock:

Anyway, I took Support's advise and entered it on the Suggestion forum. We'll see if it gets any traction there.

H.
v12.0

 

[MilesH]

You can use a Reference Line at the moment.... the only problem is that Reference Lines aren't accessible outside of the Sketch.... you have to use the trick that neilr used, to register it....

Sure, you could set up a hierarchy of selection that included a single Reference Line, if found, as the default for the axis - that would preclude using Reference Lines for any other purpose in that Sketch, though......

Maybe your request should be for an option to toggle the visibility of Reference Lines from outside the Sketch, Harold?

As I use a Sketch Line as the axis for 90% of my Revolves, I would be happy if they just fixed Sketch Insert Axis, so that it could easily be used for the rest....

 

[neilr]

It seems like an easy fix if they just made it so the referance geometry of the scetch being accessed was made visible, so if you selected any bossor cut feature and then selected a scetch the referance lines and pionts woudl show up as well, that would minimize any clutter from other scetches extra stuff.....

easy for me anyway as I don't have to write code hehe....