Page 122 - Mastering SolidWorks

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eXPLoring Sketch SettingS 91

Figure 3.35
tools ➢ Sketch Settings

can be useful to prevent intermediate solutions (for example, when half of the changes are
made) that may cause problems with the sketch. It can also be useful when you are confident
that the outcome will be correct. It is a rarely used option, and you could probably exist just
fine without even knowing this option was there at all.

If you import a large drawing from the DXF or DWG format, these drawings import as sketch
entities into either a SolidWorks sketch or a drawing. SolidWorks may automatically turn off
the Automatic Solve setting for performance (speed) reasons on files of this type.

Enable Snapping: It is also turned on by default. It enables the cursor to snap to the end-
points of existing sketch entities to help you make cleaner sketches. When you turn this
setting off, Automatic Relations is also disabled (although the icon for the setting remains
depressed; Automatic Relations are not created). Holding down the Ctrl key while sketching
disables snapping. Holding down the Ctrl key while dragging sketch entities functions like
copying sketch geometry. No Solve Move is discussed in the Sketch toolbar section.
Shaded Sketch Contours: As described earlier, it is turned on by default. It adds shading
inside of enclosed sketch areas. It enables one-click selection of all entities in the contour and
moving of the contour just by dragging the shaded area.
No Solve Move: It is also turned off by default. This rarely used option is mainly useful
when moving entities within a large sketch where there are a lot of existing relations that
prevent moving.

Detach Segment On Drag: This setting is also turned off by default. When you turn it on,
the Detach Segment on Drag feature enables you to pull a single sketch element away from a
chain of elements. For example, if you had a rectangle and you wanted to detach one of the
lines from the rest of the rectangle without using this setting, you would have to draw extra
geometry and then trim and delete lines in order to release the endpoints.
Override Dims On Drag: This setting is off by default. When you turn it on, it enables you to
drag fully defined sketch geometry, and the dimensions update to match the dragged size.
This is another setting that you should use sparingly. It can be useful for doing concept work,
but you should leave it off when working with production data for obvious reasons.
Pen Settings: These are covered later in this chapter in the section “Sketching with Touch
Interface.”

NOTE combining override dims on drag with instant3d can be very handy for concept work, ena-
bling you to drag sketches, model faces, and edges easily.