Datasheet

26
Part I: Introducing SolidWorks Basics
Editing Design Intent
One of the most prominent aspects of design in general is change. I have often heard it said that you
may design something once, but you will change it a dozen times. This concept carries over into solid
modeling work. Design Intent is sometimes thought of as a static concept that controls changing
geometry. However, this is not always the way things are. Design Intent itself often changes, thus
requiring the way in which the model reacts to geometric changes to also change. Fortunately,
SolidWorks has many tools to help you deal with situations like this.
Choosing sketch relations
Seeing the sketch relation symbols is the best tool for visualizing Design Intent. You can show or hide
icons that represent the relations by choosing View ➪ Sketch Relations. When shown, these relations
appear as an icon in a small colored box in the graphics area next to the sketch entity. Clicking the
icon highlights the sketch elements involved in that relation. Refer to Figures 1.19 through 1.25 for
examples of these relations.
Tip
The View Sketch Relations option is an excellent candidate for use with a hotkey, thus enabling you to easily
toggle it on and off.
n
Cross-Reference
For more information on creating and managing hotkeys, see Chapter 2.
n
You can use the sketch relation icons on the screen to delete relations by selecting the icon in the
graphics area and pressing Delete on the keyboard. You can also use them to quickly determine the
status of sketch relations by referring to the colors defined earlier.
Selecting display/delete relations
The Display/Delete Relations tool enables you to list, sort, delete, and repair sketch relations. You can
find the Display/Delete Relations tool on the Sketch toolbar. The sketch status colors defined earlier
also apply here, with the relations appearing in the appropriate color. (Relations are not shown in
blue or black, only the colors that show errors, such as red, yellow, and brown.) This tool also enables
you to group relations by several categories:
l
All in This Sketch
l
Dangling
l
Overdefining/Not Solved
l
External
l
Defined in Context
l
Locked
l
Broken
l
Selected Entities
In the lower Entities panel of the Display/Delete Relations PropertyManager, shown in Figure 1.26,
you can also replace one entity with another, or repair dangling relations.
05_9781118002759-ch01.indd 2605_9781118002759-ch01.indd 26 3/17/11 8:57 PM3/17/11 8:57 PM