9.

Sketcker mode in the solid modeller programs

9.1 Sketching in Pro/ENGINEER Sketcher mode represents in Pro/ENGINEER the way in witch are realized the sketching features. Sketcher commands captured the geometry of the design intend. The steps in achieving this issue are in order to keep sketches simple, easy to regenerate. These steps are: Realising the contour of the section or view, using Sketch commands, and aligning the sketch with the coordinate system; Modifying the geometry of the sketch, with Geometry tools menu; Dimensioning process if the Intend Manager is turned off;

Regeneration process following different steps; If the regeneration process is successfully, it will be necessary to

realize the major changing from week dimensions into strong dimensions. If the regeneration process is unsuccessfully, it will be necessary to add supplementary dimensions or constrains may be put on. There are two possibilities to work in the Sketcher mode: with or without Intend Manager. This powerful instrument manage dimension representation from the moment in witch sketch is created. Using Intend Manager is the equivalent of using from the beginning entire dimensioning process: defining the size of the sketch entities and locating those entities in the coordinate system. Regeneration process represents an important step in Pro/ENGINEER, for finalizing a fully defined section or view. If a sketch is not regenerate, all dimensions must be leaved at their default values because modifications before successfully regenerating could have as result the failure of the sketch, or system could make incorrect assumptions. The Unregenerate option restores the state of the sketch

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from the moment before regeneration, reversing the section geometry back to what it was. If the sketch is realized with Intend manager turned on, the sketch geometry must be realized as close as possible as the final state, and in the same time with the sketched entities appear their dimensions. The next step after regeneration is to change week dimensions into strong or final dimensions, adding new dimensions and/or constrains. A fast sketch can be done if the geometry of the sketch is big enough to understand the section, as close as possible to the final form by keeping the lines parallel, perpendicular or to an approximate angle, align the entities to the coordinate system, align the centre lines to the horizontal and vertical axes, creating equal lines length if it is necessary. For this reason is advisable to use the grid in order to supervise the sketch. The principal menus from the Sketcher mode are GEOMETRY menu in order to create sketch geometry, GEOM TOOLS (geometry tools) in order to modify the geometry of the sketch, SEC TOOLS (section tools) in order to use additional functions within the sketch mode, SEC INFO (Section info), in order to obtain information about particular section with Info pull down menu. GEOMETRY menu displays some different options for line, arcs, circles, rectangles and point creation. Quick lines are created using Mouse Sketch, circles or tangent arcs. Mouse sketch uses the buttons of the mouse. Line option can create different type of lines using:

2 Points lines defined by 2 points; Parallel line created parallel to an existing line;
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Tangent line created tangent to an existing arc, circle or spline; Perpendicular line created perpendicular to an existing line or model edge ; 2 Tangent line created tangent between two existing arcs, circles or splines; Pnt/Tangent line created with a fixed end, tangent to an arc, circle or spline; Horizontal line creates horizontal lines relative to the coordinate system of the sketch; Vertical lines line creates vertical lines relative to the coordinate system of the sketch. After vertical lines, system always switches to create horizontal lines.

Arcs option from GEOMETRY menu can create some different type of arcs:

Tangent Arc creates arcs tangent to an existing entity; Concentric option creates concentric arcs to an existing one, and between those arcs there are an dependency relation; 3 Tangent creates an arc tangent to three entities; Fillet option creates a tangent arc to any two entities excepting two parallel lines; Ctr/Ends option creates an arc by giving its centre point, the start and the end points; 3 Points option creates an arc by giving the start and the end points, and next, the size and direction of the arc.

Circle option from GEOMETRY menu creates circles such as:

Ctr/Point option creates a circle by giving its centre point and a point that defines the radius; Concentric option creates concentric circles to an existing one, and between those circles there are a dependency relation;
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3 Tangent option creates a circle tangent to three entities; Fillet option creates a fillet circle to any two existing entities; 3 Points option creates a circle by using three noncolinear points.

Sketcher Points are important in Pro/ENGINEER because they can be placed in strategic points such as the end points of the arcs or lines, in the centre of arcs or circles, having no dimensions but a certain position relative to the coordinate system. Putting some points into a tangency location or into an intersection, can be possible the aligning of the sketched entities

GEOMETRY TOOLS menu displays some options in order to modify the existing geometry of the sketch. These options are:

Intersect option for dividing an existing entity in two separate parts, using the intersection with another entity; Use edge option uses an existing model edge to realize a sketch entity. This new entity will be align to the model edge, and between the existing model edge and the new sketched entity is a dependency relation;

Offset edge option uses a model edge in order to create a sketch entity offset to a certain distance, and between the existing model edge and the new sketched entity is a dependency relation;

Mirror option creates mirrored entities relative a centreline; Replace option replace an existing sketched entity with a new one; Move option realizes a relocation of the sketched entities using several ways:

_ Drag Item option moves the entities into a new location,

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_Drag Many option translates the pick entities within a sketch, _Rotate 90option rotates the entities around a point by an angle multiple of 90 degrees, _Dimension option relocates a dimension.

Trim option for extending or shorting an entity. Trim option contains some different modalities of realizing its purpose. Those modalities are:

_Bound by using a boundary until it can be done the operation, _Corner by using a corner until it can be done the operation, _Length by using a specified length until it can be done the operation, _Increm by using a specified increment until it can be done the operation, _Untrim last for cancelling the last Trim operation, _Divide for dividing an entity in two different entities by using a pick point from the points situated on the entity. All sketching process has as final issue the regeneration. Conflicts between what is sketched and what system can create can appear all the time and causes can be an under dimensioning sketch, an over dimensioning sketch, entities can not be located or they are too small, there are some missing information about the sketch, entities are not align to the coordinate system, some points must be added for aligning the sketch to the coordinate system. Those problems regard the way in witch sketch was created, and can be solved by using GEOMETRY, SEC TOOLS and SEC INFO menus.

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