Speed up your 3D sketching!

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A week or so ago one of the reseller application engineers showed me a nice little tip for 3D sketching.

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When you are working in 3D sketches SolidWorks allows you to sketch in any plane, giving you feedback regarding the direction in which you are sketching.

By hitting tab you can change the plane in which you sketch and by adding new sketch planes you can also lock the orientation.

The method I was shown recently seemed too simple to not have noticed it before… sometimes things are right in front of you and you just don’t notice them. To sketch in a certain plane just ROTATE to a view that is close to that plane and SolidWorks does the rest!

This tip should help you speed up 3D sketching… particularly when in the context of an assembly as you can see exactly where you need to place your sketch.

Check out this short video to see this tip and how it can help.

Matthew West

SolidWorks alumnus. I like plate reverb, Rat pedals, Thai curry, New Weird fiction, my kids, Vespas, Jazzmasters, my wife & Raiders of the Lost Ark. Not necessarily in that order.