I've used "Rectangle bt Center" to create pseudo-diamond-shaped figures:When using the Rectangle by Center there are no Horizontal or Vertical constraints applied. That sketch figure only has Perpendicular constraints so you need to apply a Vertical or Horizontal manually. That should be fixed but Development must have had a reason for leaving it this way.
Because not every rectangle or square sits parallel to an axis. You might want to rotate it, so this gives you the option by either adding a horizontal/vertical constraint OR add an angular dimension to an axis. It would be a pain if you had to remove an 'inferred' 'developer assumed' constraint every time you added a sketch figure like this!That should be fixed but Development must have had a reason for leaving it this way.
No more a pain than having to Add a horizontal or vertical constraint every time the feature is used, to me that is more a PITA. When I used CAD programs I don't recall them not constraining the Rectangle by Center with a vertical or horizontal constraint and didn't have you interrupt your workflow to add a constraint. For those times I need a rectangle that is not horizontal or vertical I use the 3-point tool. Seems to me that's why it's available.It would be a pain if you had to remove an 'inferred' 'developer assumed' constraint every time you added a sketch figure like this!
Point is that there are many different ways to use the sketch tools in Alibre and I doubt there is only one correct way. It would be nice to hear from Dev on why they opted to create it as they did.
Adding or deleting a horizontal or vertical constraint is easier than drawing a rec or square by center point from scratch.I often use "Rectangle By Center" with an axis line and an angle. For geometry based on a centerline it is essential. There is no other efficient way to rotate a rectangle or square on a point with lines perpendicular or parallel to a centerline axis.