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Centering sketches

Centering sketches

Centering sketches

(OP)
It' easy to center a circular sketch on a circular solid using a concentric relation, but how do you handle rectangles or squares? Is there an easy way to center a square or rectangular sketch on the square or rectangular face of a solid?

Thanks,

Tom

RE: Centering sketches

Relating the center of a square or rectangle is easy to the origin.  Draw a diagonal construction line and relate the origin to the midpoint of this line.  When I am centering a rectangle on a rectangular surface, I draw a diagonal construction line from corner to corner on the surface.  I throw a point at the midpoint of this line.  I then use this midpoint the way I used the origin in the above method.
This way I use no dimensions to center the sketch.
I can't tell you how many times I have opened parts created by other workers and there are dimensions all over the place, where sketch relations could be used to clean everything up.
-Dustin

RE: Centering sketches

To elaborate on Shaggy's scheme:

The diagonals of a rectangle are equal length.  The diagonals intersect at their mutual centerpoint.

RE: Centering sketches

A slight simplification would be to right click on the diagonal construction line, select the "midpoint" choice, control select the origin and make a coincident relation.
Or, control select both the origin and the diagonal and make a midpoint relation.
The last method seems to have the benefit of requiring 7 clicks, one less than the others.

RE: Centering sketches

I take this one step farther and create a macro doing all that folks have described - the mid point and all -. I then associtae that macro to a hot key. All I ever need to now is

1) Select a plane
2) Start a sketch
3) Stab my "hot key" (I use S)

ITS GOLD!!!!!

RE: Centering sketches

(OP)
Thanks for all of the replies. They are much appreciated!

Tom

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