Chapter 16: Working with Assembly Sketches and Layouts
IN THIS CHAPTER
Introducing layout techniques
Applying special treatment within an assembly
When working on parts or assemblies, design work often begins with 2D sketches. You can follow through to 3D with data created in this phase by laying out the design as a sketch in the assembly before you start making actual 3D parts. When you use a single sketch or multiple sketches either as a visual guide or as a functional framework for a model, it is called a layout. Two-dimensional sketches are easy to produce and easy to use as the first step in design or modeling work. SolidWorks provides both formal and informal techniques for achieving this sort of effect.
The topic of layout sketches involves other topics that are covered in more detail later in this book, such as in-context modeling and master model techniques. These topics are introduced here at a conceptual level to prepare you for the detailed information later on.
In-context modeling involves the creation of relationships between parts in an assembly such that one part drives features on another part. Layout concepts apply to in-context modeling because you can use an assembly-level sketch to drive geometry within individual parts.
Looking at the Techniques
An informal technique called assembly layout sketch has existed since early versions of SolidWorks. This technique has been included in the SolidWorks official training materials for many years, and it simply allows ...
