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Table Of Contents
50 | Chapter 6 Creating Parametric Sketches
When redrawing, Mechanical Desktop uses assumed constraints in the
sketch. For example, lines that are nearly vertical are redrawn as vertical, and
lines that are nearly horizontal are redrawn as horizontal.
After the sketch is redrawn, a message on the command line tells you that
Mechanical Desktop needs additional information:
Solved under constrained sketch requiring 5 dimensions or constraints.
Depending on how you drew your sketch, the number of dimensions
required to fully constrain your sketch may differ from that in this exercise.
This message tells you that the sketch is not fully defined. When you add the
missing dimensions or constraints, you determine how the sketch can
change throughout design modifications. Before you add the final con-
straints, you need to show the assumed constraints.
4 Use
AMSHOWCON to show the existing constraints, following the prompt.
Context Menu In the graphics area, right-click and choose 2D
Constraints Show Constraints.
Enter an option [All/Select/Next/eXit] <eXit>: Enter a
The constraint symbols are displayed.
NOTE The numbers in your sketch might differ, depending on the order in
which you created the geometric elements.
The sketch has eight geometric elements, seven lines and an arc, each iden-
tified by a number in a circle. Four lines have a V symbol (vertical) and three
lines have an H symbol (horizontal). Two of the horizontal lines have con-
straints denoted by symbols that begin with the letter C (collinear), and three
of the elements have constraints denoted by symbols that begin with the
letter T (tangent).