Snapping assembly holes to sketches

[sbmathias]

Coming from AutoCAD, it is easy to snap the center of a hole to the intersection of two lines. I'd like to use either the Simple Hole or Hole Wizard to put holes all the way through two mating components. I prepared for doing this by sketching lines down the center of each component.

I then mated the components in an assembly, and tried to locate the hole (through all) on the intersection of the two lines. SW is blind to this intersection. I tried sketching a point that was coincident with both lines, then locating the hole centered on the point. This seemed to work (although it did seem like a lot of hoops to jump through!), but when I went back to look at the component parts, neither had the hole that showed in the assembly! I thought I had played with this before, and had it work.

Anyway, I'd first like to find out if there is a way to snap a hole center to an (apparent) intersection, a la AutoCAD. Seems like this would make assembly holes quite useful. Then, does anyone have any suggestions on why my "through all" holes don't show up in the components?

 

[MadMango]

For the snap options, what version of SW are you using?

For your holes added in the assembly, and wanting them to appear in the component parts, look in SW Help for "Hole Series".

"But what... is it good for?"
Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM, 1968, commenting on the microchip.
Have you read faq731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

 

[sbmathias]

I'm using SW 004, SP4.1.

I've looked at the snap options, but it appears that the only snap is to grid lines. I'd like to be able to snap to sketch lines that I draw, and could be anywhere.

I've also previously been able to use the Hole Wizard to create a Hole Series with the Hole Wizard, and have things work out as promised. However, this time it didn't cascade back to my original parts. So, not sure what I did differently this time.

 

[DesignSmith]

Unlike AutoCAD, SolidWorks leaves the hole location floating and then later uses dimensionts or relations to make it fixed.

The hole series feature provides its own sketch point for you. Just click near but not on the intersection you want it snapped to, then [Ctrl] and click to select both the hole center point and the two lines, and give them a `coincindent' relation.

In reverse to AutoCAD, SolidWorks makes hole size primary and location secondary. Thus creating a sketch of intersecting reference lines to locate your holes by is not as helpful in SolidWorks as it would have been in AutoCAD.

I find it faster to just approximately place the hole centers, and then use dimensions and horizontal, coincident, or vertical relations; to get the holes fixed to the desired locations.

For consideration,


DesignSmith

http://www.DesignSmith-Services.com