Square Holes

[V8280Z]

I am currently making a sheet metal part with Multiple square holes (for various size carriage bolts) and I am having some dimensioning issues. I would like to add dimensions in the drawing to the center of the square hole like a normal round hole but have not figured out how. Smart Dimension always goes to one of the sides or corners but does not allow the ability to pick the center point of a line or hole. Also, when I am creating the model, I would like to be able to locate the holes by the center point and not a corner or edge. I have searched through the forum as well as SolidWorks help to no avail.

What am I doing wrong?

Thanks!

 

[AnnaWood]

Post your model or an example model so we can play with it.

Have you tried using a hold chart? it will pick up the center of a hole. Square holes should work.

Cheers,

Anna Wood
SW2011 SP5, Windows 7 x64

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[applejack2]

I've always just drawn in the centerlines on the drawing with the line command (using the centerline type). Perhaps someone else has a better suggestion.

 

[drawoh]

V8280Z,

To dimension to the centre of a rectangular or square hole, use the Center-Line feature. When you click on the opposite edges, it places a centre-line in the middle.

JHG

 

[Updraft]

You can also create the hole with a point at its center in the sketch then show the sketches in the drawing. They are easy to pick and dimension to and then you can even hide the sketches.

- - -Updraft

 

[V8280Z]

Thanks for the different ideas, I have tried some of these methods in the past, I wanted to make sure there wasn't some simple setting that I had just overlooked that would make it easy to "click" the center.

 

[handleman]

If you create your square sketches for the holes as polygons (Tools->Sketch Entities->Polygon I think) with 4 sides, they will be created with a constrained, inscribed (or circumscribed, whichever you want) circle of construction geometry. Then you can pick the circle or its centerpoint.

-handleman, CSWP (The new, easy test)

 

[swdesigner]

V8,
you can also RMC on a line and select midpoint

Frank

 

[rollupswx]

I haven't tried this - but can you do it with a Forming Tool?
(that is how another program I use works - punches are placed and dimensioned by centerpoint)

 

[kellnerp]

I did a library feature using a center point rectangle as a basis. You can sort of kind of do this as a hole wizard method by laying out the centers in a sketch on a face with points and then dropping the library features on the points.

TOP
CSWP, BSSE

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[mjcole]

You can use center rectangle instead of normal rectangle to get the centerline or draw a construction line on diag and put point at the midpoint to dimension to. you can show the sketch on the drawing to dimension it or in your sketch to bring it in by showing Feature Dimension in the drawing.

Michael