Adding Reference Entities

Add Ref  enables you to project entities located on another plane or another sketcher onto the current sketching plane as reference entities. The reference entity can assist you in locating entities in the current plane.

Note: Reference entities are not included as geometry in the sketch, and they will disappear when you exit the sketch. (If you re-enter the sketch, reference entities will reappear.) If you want to add geometry from another plane or sketch onto the current sketch, see Adding Geometry.

The following instructions provide a brief overview of how you may create reference geometry on the Sketcher plane:

1. First, select a plane. The selected plane is highlighted.

2. Activate the Sketcher.

3. From the Sketcher toolbar, click the Add Reference tool.

4. Pick geometry. The entity selected is projected onto the Sketcher plane as a construction geometry. The construction geometry can be used to assist you in placing and dimensioning entities in the current plane.

5. You can use the Undo function to cancel your selection.

6. To finish the operation, press exit.

Automatic Reference

Entity Creation

It is possible to define that any picked geometry is automatically projected onto the selected sketcher plane.

1. First, select a plane. The selected plane is highlighted.

2. Activate the Sketcher.

3. Pick geometry. In this example, the start and end points of the line are automatically projected onto the sketching plane.

Entity Constraints

It is possible to add a constraint to an external geometry. The external geometry is projected onto the reference plane as a construction line according to which the new constraint is defined.

1. First, select a plane. The selected plane is highlighted.

2. Activate the Sketcher.

3. Pick geometry. In this example, a line is created with a parallel constraint with an edge outside the sketch plane.

Entity Dimensioning

The Automatic Reference option is not selected by default but must be set in the Constraint Filter for working on a specific sketch.