Coordinate System in SolidWorks

[mengineer2001]

I have been an active Pro E user for many years and new to Solidworks. I am currently trying to create a coordinate system. In Pro E you can create a coordinate system off of an existing coordinate and you can also rotate the new cs in x, y or z. Can this be done in SolidWorks without having to create a plane or some other type of reference geometry and just using an existing coordinate system?

 

[bildder]

Why are you trying to insert new coordinate system?

 

[handleman]

You can't just insert one on its own. It has to have some sort of entity for its origin to attach to. This could be a single sketch point in a 3D sketch, and that point can be dimensioned relative to the origin.

-handleman, CSWP (The new, easy test)

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

You can create a new CS using existing model geometry.

Are you trying to re-orient the model? If so, after creating the new CS, save the part as a Parasolid naming the CS as the output CS. When opening the Parasolid back into SW, the new CS will be the default. The downside to this method is that a dumb solid is created.

An alternative is to use the Orientation (spacebar) function to 'exchange' axes orientation, but although 'permanent' can be reversed at any time.

 

[grumpyblade]

If you are just after a co-ordinate system for a cad/cam file for say, SolidCan Or EdgeCam, then wherever you want to place the co-ord sys,create a plane, then a sketch on the plane with a line perpendicular(Z)to the centre of your proposed co-ord sys and a line horizontal(Y), close sketch but keep it visible (right click on sketch and select show.

Then go to insert reference geometry/co-ord sys, pick point, pick the point at the centre of your sketch, then select either Y or Z in the dialogue box and you get the option to reverse axis direction, just keep playing about with it until you get the co-ord sys you want.