Sketching constraints and using them correctly is fundamental to good parametric part design without getting into variables
A coincident constraint aligns two points or entities at the same location, ensuring they move together if the sketch or model changes. It helps maintain precise relationships and achieve accurate geometry in the design.
A concentric constraint aligns two circles or arcs with a common center point, ensuring they remain concentric as the sketch or model is modified. This constraint helps maintain circular relationships and enables precise alignment in the design.
A parallel constraint ensures that two lines or edges remain equidistant and never intersect, creating parallel alignment in the design. It helps maintain consistent spacing and geometric relationships between elements.
A tangent constraint ensures that two curves, such as arcs or circles, touch each other at a single point, creating a smooth and continuous transition without overlap. This constraint helps maintain a seamless connection between curves and is useful in creating organic shapes and precise design interactions.
A horizontal constraint ensures that a line or edge remains parallel to the X-axis or horizontal plane. It helps maintain horizontal alignment in the design, ensuring that the line does not tilt or deviate from the intended horizontal orientation.
A vertical constraint ensures that a line or edge remains parallel to the Y-axis or vertical plane. It helps maintain vertical alignment in the design, ensuring that the line stays upright and does not deviate from the intended vertical orientation.
A perpendicular constraint ensures that two lines or edges meet at a right angle (90 degrees), creating a perpendicular relationship between them. It helps maintain precise right-angle alignments in the design, which is often crucial for various geometric shapes and construction.
An equal constraint ensures that two dimensions, such as lengths or radii, have the same value, making them equal in size. It helps maintain uniformity and symmetry in the design by ensuring that related elements have identical dimensions.
A midpoint constraint ensures that a point lies exactly at the middle of a line or segment. It helps maintain symmetry and precise positioning in the design by ensuring that the point is equidistant from the endpoints of the line or segment.
A normal constraint ensures that a line or edge is perpendicular to a selected surface or curve at the point of intersection. It helps maintain a right-angle relationship between the line and the chosen element, facilitating accurate design interactions and alignments.
A Pierce constraint ensures that a point lies on the intersection of two or more curves or edges. It enforces precise positioning of the point at the common intersection, helping to create smooth and accurate connections between different sketch entities or elements in the design.
A symmetric constraint ensures that sketch elements or features are mirrored or reflected about a specified axis or line. It helps maintain symmetry in the design, enabling designers to easily create and modify balanced and harmonious shapes.
The fix constraint is used to permanently lock a sketch entity in place. When you apply the fix constraint to a sketch element, it becomes immovable and unaffected by any changes made to the sketch. This constraint is particularly useful when you want to maintain specific elements of your sketch as reference geometry or when you want to prevent unintentional modifications to certain parts of the design.
The curvature constraint is used to create continuous transitions between sketch splines or conics with surrounding geometry. It allows for a defined multicurve sketch element in your design.