Sketch constrained ?

[bimalpsheth]

Hy Buddies,


My question is thatin Pro/E WF 2 how can we come to know that our sketch is fully constrained in sketcher mode? I meanwhen I apply enough constrain and proper dimensions to the sketch it doesn't show that sketch is fully constrained. Because in other 3D softwares the fully constrained sketch converts to dark colour itself and we can't drag any single entity. And in our Pro/E WF 2.00 though sketch has been fully constrained, we can drag any entity and it changes dimensions dynamically. So, is it possible to know that our sketch is fully constrained or not in WF 2.00 ? Is there any options to be set in pro.config ?


Awaiting replies,


Bimal

 

[Pro-Grizzly]

Hi, bimalpsheth!


When the Sketch is fully constrained,


the dimensions are yellow (usually, but depends on your color map).


And if you want to lock their positions, you can do following:


- Set filter to "Dimensions" (see the lowest string of Pro/E window);


- Outline the Scketh to select all dimensions;


- Edit -> Toggle LocK (after this action the dimensions change their colors).


That's all...


Try it!
Edited by: Pro-Grizzly

 

[Dell_Boy]

Whoa Grizzly go back one step.

Since Intent Manager was introduced sketches are ALWAYS fully constrained provided you have not turned it off. The colours of the dimensions and constaints only indicates whether they are weak or strong.

Because Intent Manager automatically puts in enough constraints and dimensions to satisfy itself, the only thing you have to decide is whether these contraints are the ones that match your design intent (which is hardly ever the case for me).


DB

 

[Zaki]

Hi Guys


whenever sketch gone fully constrained u cant add a single dimension or constrain. If u do so a msg will appear


View attachment 2434

 

[Pro-Grizzly]

Since Intent Manager was introduced sketches are ALWAYS fully constrained provided you have not turned it off. The colours of the dimensions and constaints only indicates whether they are weak or strong.

I agree, but...


I mean, that if all dimensions are yellow -- if and only if you don't worry.


That's why I recommend always to getall dimensions strong.
Edited by: Pro-Grizzly

 

[Jacoolo]

so first all what was mentioned is true


There are softwares where a check tool for sketchers are available(I think Catia), but they doesn`t fill sketchers itself like Pro\e does


well finaly if You want to avoid any problems with sketcher make sure You build them inside of feature (by extrude>Placement>....) rather than outside


if You do in this way Pro\e always will prompt You when Your sketch has a intersect entities or so on


so Pro\e always inform You by grey dimensions or grey constrains that there are still some freedom in Your sketch that You left, that are not created by You but by the system automaticaly

 

[AHA-D]

ProE drives on fully constrained situations which is a curse and a blessing at the same time. Zero degrees of freedom is ideal for the mathematics of the program. I agree that fully constrained is also the goal for sketches in robust modelling, but there are cases where it's not that way.


Take for instance the case where you have a very irregular outer envelope and you want to construct a revolved cutout making a groove over the entire outer shell. Defining the cutout sketch in any way to a limited extent will risk the groove getting internal when the part is larger than the cutout extent. Connecting to geometry will equally fail if ProE looses track. You can however leave the cutout sketch undefined so that it cuts infinite and yet have a perfectly defined and robust model.


The sketcher in ProE is more often a nuisance - wanting to connect to geometry I don't intend - than a help. And I fail to understand why I should lock a dimension that I have previously given a value. I would think that when I manually define a dimension it is not my intent to let it be changed by any other constraint or manipulation.


I'm also a Solid Edge designer. There I can have underconstrained and overconstrained sketches (as long as it doesn't conflict : a square can have horizontal/vertical constraints, parallel sides and 90

 

[Dell_Boy]

I wouldn't be surprised if Pro/E required sketches to be fully constrained in order for dynamic drag on handles to work effectively.

This is a really neat feature when you need to use it (provided you control the number of decimal places) and the last time I looked it was unavailable in SW and SE

Does SE still stick constraints one on top of ther other so you very soon end up with an illegible blob and do you still get crap angle dimensions when you pick the middle of a line during angle dimensioning?


DB

 

[robertib]

There is a config option which locks all modified dimensions.


sketcher_lock_modified_dims yes

 

[michaelpaul]

There is a config option which locks all modified dimensions.


sketcher_lock_modified_dims yes

thanks for that one. The fact that modified or user created dimesnions weren't automatically locked is one of my big pet peeves about Pro. I hated modifing a dim and then dragging something else to see what else I may wish to constrain only to find that I didn't lock a dimension. That plus the fact that if you lock a dimension mannually in the sketch, exit the sketch, and then modify the sketch later the dimensions are no longer locked (I guess they fixed this in WF 3 but for now it's an issue).

My big problem with Pro is that there are so many config options that aren't obvious what they do so you may have a setting (like this one) defaulted to off and not ever realize you can actually change it!

Michael

 

[dojo]

My personal opinion, if you can't see if the sketch is fully constrained then it's way to complex. Still using the 'keep it simple' technique from the days without intent manager is a good way to go about. Also using right mouse button to cancel a pro proposal fora constraint or shift right mouse button to accept and lock it is not often used by new users, even when they just come from a PTC training course. (Just speaking from what I see by new people or subcontractors in our company tbh)


dojo

 

[Jacoolo]

two words about lock modified dims - You can do that without digging in options


while creating sketcher go to Sketch>Options.. and match Lock modified dimensions - of course these dimensions will be locked only while sketch is open. When You close it and return to it the dimensions will be free again

 

[Pro-Grizzly]

...


while creating sketcher go to Sketch>Options.. and match Lock modified dimensions - of course these dimensions will be locked only while sketch is open. When You close it and return to it the dimensions will be free again

I can say nothing about Sketch -> Options...-> Lock modified dimensions, But...


In WF3 after manually locking the dimensions,


they will be locked not only while Sketch is open.


Even if You close the Skcetch and open it again,


the dimensions still locked.





It's very comfortable!
Edited by: Pro-Grizzly

 

[Miko]

Hi all..
I have had many problems with locking and unlocking dimensions and in complex sketches especially. Thank you Pgo-Grizzly for useful information!

 

[bimalpsheth]

Hi all,


I'm Bimal, who has put this topic about sketcher constraints. I saw really number of intellingent information from u people.


I heartly thankful to each and every member those have given solutions.


But its not end of this topic, still I'm eager to get more ideas throughmore people. B'coz its like group disccussion and really itclears all doubts.


Thanks again everybody !!!&nb sp;

Bimal

 

[AHA-D]

Does SE still stick constraints one on top of ther other so you very soon end up with an illegible blob and do you still get crap angle dimensions when you pick the middle of a line during angle dimensioning?

DB

Constraints (and other things) still add on top of eachother in keypoints, but you have this very neat "quickpick" system that gives you a list of what is under your cursor as soon as you hover too long over the same spot. Then you can choose anything in the list.The appropriate item is highlighted on screen as you move the cursor over the item in the list. If you have 3 equal length constraints on top of eachother each pair is shown together with its companion, so you know very well which one you're picking. If you throw together some equality (or parallel) constraints in ProE they also stack on top of eachother and you have no way to tell which "L1" is referring to which other "L1", it only highlights the first pair.


Dimensioning is "sensitive" to keypoints, yes. Like you say, one can accidentally attach an angle dimension to the middle of a line, something that most often doesn't make much sense. But when you dimension distances between lines it automatically snaps to the closest endpoint without explicit pointing. You can dimension to the middle of a line without constructing/constraining an extra point to the line, circular geometry lets you use the quadrant points by default, arcs can have a diameter dimension, and so on ... When you click any part of a dimension you're presented with the edit field for the value, you don't have to explicitely double click the value on screen (zoom out, zoom in)... So given all this functionality one can live with watching out for the middle point when placing angles.


Your remarks remind me of a story one of my brothers-in-law told me. He wasworking with mentally handicapped youngsters at the time and took them for a swim. By pure chance a guy with only one arm was in the swimming pool. One of his chaps laughed and pointed out the swimming guy "Look there : a handicapped one". Moral : you can be worse off and still laugh with someone elses problem.


Alex

 

[Dell_Boy]

AHA-D,

what version of software are you looking at

The pairs are annotated as L1-L1, L2-L2, L3-L3 etc. Where there are more than 2 L1s they are not in pairs which would be damn stupid anyway.

Yes Pro/E constraints sometimes stack, but they generally maintain readability better.


Which diameter can't you create on an arc

View attachment 2456


Just because YOU can't put diameters on arcs doesn't mean that nobody else can.

I can't recall ever wanting to dimension to the mid-point of a line and only use the midpoint constraint occasionally to align to a centreline and even then you can get midpoint to appear automatically.

I don't know exactly how you want your quadrant dimensioning to work but I have never had a problem in Pro/E to get what I want with reasonably basic sections. I do sometimes have significant problems with tricky sections that I am sometimes forced to deal with and I very rarely resort to sketch points in a section

you also have a PM with a detailed explanation of the problems with SE angle dimensioning

Edited by: Dell_Boy