2011

Table Of Contents
In the design phase of a project, constraints provide a way to enforce
requirements when experimenting with different designs or when making
changes. Changes made to objects can adjust other objects automatically, and
restrict changes to distance and angle values.
With constraints, you can
Maintain design specifications and requirements by constraining the
geometry within a drawing
Apply multiple geometric constraints to objects instantly
Include formulas and equations within dimensional constraints
Make design changes quickly by changing the value of a variable
BEST PRACTICE It is recommended that you first apply geometric constraints to
determine the shape of a design, and then apply dimensional constraints to
determine the size of objects in a design.
Design Using Constraints
When you are creating or changing a design, a drawing will be in one of three
states:
Unconstrained. No constraints are applied to any geometry.
Underconstrained. Some constraints are applied to the geometry.
Fully constrained. All relevant geometric and dimensional constraints are
applied to the geometry. A fully constrained set of objects also needs to
include at least one Fix constraint to lock the location of the geometry.
368 | Chapter 19 Add Constraints to Geometry