SolidWorks: Centerlines in Drawing Views

[SolidWorks Guy]

I may be in the minority on this. But I have been using construction lines as center lines in SolidWorks drawings for over 20 years now. Why have I not been using the annotation type center lines? Because of 2 reasons. First, as you may (or may not) know. Annotations in drawing views, attach themselves to a feature (face, edge, etc.). And second, you can not add relations to an annotation. Why would I do this? Because I don't know how many times I have had "dangling" relations to the annotation. And I have had to redo dimensions because the dimension that is attached to the dangled relation will not update if the part changes. Very different than a construction line can and will keep it's relation. Because it is not attached to a feature.
God forbid if you replace any features on a part. All those dimensions are now dangling. This is the reason why.

Here is an example of how I do this. If I need to add a center line to a hole. I will goto the left side and show the sketch that actually creates that hole (or the sktches center point of the Hole Wizard) and add a construction line that crosses the hole(s). Then add a midpoint relation to these construction lines. Then I add a perpendicular relation to the lines. And finally add a relation to one of those construction lines.

I know now a days you can reattach a dimension back to the annotation. That is if the annotation stays. If the annotation is removed because the feature was removed. All those dimensions are now hidden or removed all together. Why would anyone really want to make more work for you and others?

 

[ctopher]

I see your point. Have you turned in this suggestion to fix it?

ctopher, CSWP
SolidWorks '17
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SolidWorks Legion

 

[drawoh]

SolidWorks Guy,

I attach dimensions to SolidWorks Centre[‑]lines all the time, and I do not recall problems with missing geometry. I have on occasion made model sketches visible on the drawing. I have even added sketches to the model so that I could access them on the drawing. Good 3D[ ]CAD practise in general is to anticipate changes. Don't attach annotation and other features to geometry and other features will be modified or deleted.

This discussion really belongs in forum559.

--
JHG

 

[CheckerHater]

Second drawoh:

[li]Never had problem dimensioning to "proper" centerlines.[/li]
[li]Question better to be asked at SW forum.[/li]


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