Page 117 - Mastering SolidWorks

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86 CHAPTER 3 Working With SketcheS and reference geometry

Using Tools on the Dimensions/Relations Toolbar
The Dimensions/Relations toolbar has a few tools that you have already seen; but as the name
suggests, it also contains tools that help you to either create or investigate dimensions and sketch
relations. Figure 3.29 shows the default toolbar; but in the following pages, you’ll look at all the
tools available at Tools ➢ Customize ➢ Commands ➢ Dimensions/Relations. These tools are
available on the Dimensions/Relations toolbar:

Figure 3.29
The dimensions/
relations toolbar

Smart Dimension: Lets you dimension the sketch entity and combines several dimensioning
methods into a single tool, such as horizontal, vertical, aligned, radial, diameter, and so on.

Auto Insert Dimension: Automatically adds dimensions appropriate for selected
sketch entities.
Horizontal Dimension: Applies a dimension to a sketch entity that drives the horizontal
distance between the selected points or parallel lines.

Vertical Dimension: Works like a horizontal dimension but vertically.
Baseline Dimensions: Creates dimensions in drawing documents only. The Baseline Dimensions
tool is different from most of the dimension tools that you find on the Dimensions/Relations
toolbar in that it can create driven dimensions on view geometry or driving dimensions on
sketch geometry in a drawing, but the dimensions cannot be used on sketch geometry in parts.
Baseline dimensions originate from a single reference; then as you select additional references,
their dimensions are stacked, as shown in Figure 3.30.
Figure 3.30
Baseline dimension
on a drawing

Ordinate Dimensions: Drives dimensions where a set of ordinate dimensions originate from
a common zero point. To use these dimensions, simply click a zero location, place the zero
dimension, and then click additional points. The dimensions are placed and are automatically
aligned to the rest of the dimensions.