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sketch replace or feature reroute

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antran7

Mechanical
Sep 6, 2002
57
I have a basic sketch (a line and a tangent arc) that is pretty early in the model. I use it to define many things in my part (top profile, float lines, sweep paths, etc).

Well, afer the model was build, the ID person decided that it should be a line and a tangent spline instead.

Is there an easy was to replace that arc with a spline? If I do it the hard way (and bypass the warnings I get), I've got to re-edit all these features and recreate sketches or guide curves to reference the spline.

Conversely, could I take these failed features and tell them to reference the spline instead of arc (and not have to manually redefine them wit the spline).

Cheers,
An
 
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Is the spline going to remain an arc?
Or is it the ID guys intent to vary the shape of the spline?

[cheers]
Helpful SW websites every user should be aware of faq559-520
How to get answers to your SW questions faq559-1091
 
it varies the shape. something an arc couldn't do.
 
I've been in almost this exact situation.

Create a sketch to replace the original, right before the original sketch in the feature tree. Identify features referenced by the original sketch using Parent/Child. Go through each feature, and replace references to point to the new sketch.

I call this "neurosurgery". Actually, it's closer to replacing DNA. It an be done, but there are no shortcuts; just mindful patience.

[bat]I could be the world's greatest underachiever, if I could just learn to apply myself.[bat]
-SolidWorks API VB programming help
 
yup... that's what i was scared of. i ended up doing just that. even worse, this curve was an early feature in my mastermodel! so other parts referenced that curve also.

i'm surprised solidworks hasn't addressed this (pro/e has a replace feature that lets you preemptively redirect whatever referenced an obsolete sketch entity to a new one). This has to happen more often in solidworks, since you can't reverse sketch offset entities or make then coincident with the original line once they're made.
 
You could have tried to convert the existing arc into a spline and just manipulate it into the desired shape. I am not sure if this would have left the previous IDs for it, but worth a try!
 
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