Page 221 - Mastering SolidWorks

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192 CHAPTER 6 GettinG More froM Your SketcheS

The Modify Sketch dialog box enables you to perform the following functions:
Scale About: The Scaling function in the Modify Sketch tool enables you to scale about either
the part origin or the movable origin. The movable origin is shown with a black origin symbol
with knobs on the ends of the axes and at the intersection. The movable origin can be moved
and even snapped to entities that are internal or external to the sketch.
Translate: The Translate function of the Modify Sketch tool enables you to click and drag to
move the entire sketch or to select a point and move it to a specific set of coordinates that you
enter. If the sketch is dragged onto an external entity and picks up an automatic relation, then
a message may appear saying that you can now use Modify Sketch only for rotating the
sketch because there is an external relation.
Rotate: The Rotate function of the Modify Sketch tool enables you to position the movable
origin to act as the center of rotation. You can rotate either by entering a rotation angle or by
dragging with the right mouse button to rotate, as indicated by the cursor.
When you place the cursor over the knobs on the movable origin, the cursor symbols change
to indicate the functionality of the RMB. These cursors are shown in action in Figure 6.12. The
cursors enable rotation, mirroring about X, Y, or both simultaneously.

Figure 6.12
The Modify Sketch
tool’s cursors

Copying and Pasting Sketch Entities
Probably the simplest way to copy sketch entities in a sketch is to select the entities and use
Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V, or one of the many other methods available for this purpose (such as the RMB
button menu, the Edit menu, or Ctrl+dragging). Copying with box dragging, lasso, Ctrl+A, or
contour selection are all useful methods.
In addition to copying selected entities within an active sketch, you can also select a sketch
from the FeatureManager and then copy and paste it to a selected plane or planar face (if you are
not in a sketch to begin with). This creates a new sketch feature in the FeatureManager that is not
related to the original, although it does maintain internal dimensions and relations. (External
relations are not copied with the sketch.) This is particularly useful when setting up certain types
of lofts that use several profiles that can be created from a single copied profile. Copying and
pasting is a fast and effective method of putting sketches on planes.
A copied sketch is similar to a derived sketch (addressed later in this chapter), except that
with a copied sketch, there is no link or internal relations; and with the derived sketch, the new
and old sketches remain identical through changes to the original sketch.

Dragging Entities
If a selected set of sketch entities has no external relations, you can select it as a group and move
it without distorting or resizing the sketch. For the best results with this technique, avoid
dragging endpoints; drag an actual line.