Adding relations in 3D sketches

I'm fairly new to SW... having trouble attempting to add relations to
3D sketches. There's not much in the help files.

This is hard to explain without a picture, but basically I have a wire
that bends a few times on the YZ plane, then bends 90 degrees in line
with the X axis, goes about an inch, then bends back onto a YZ plane
(parallel to the first plane). The bends on the second YZ plane match
the bends on the first. From a top view, it's U-shaped.

From a side view, I need to make the all lines 'colinear' (on top of
each other, but apart the distance of the x-direction bend. Does that
make sense?

If I attempt to add a colinear relation, it actually makes the lines
colinear... pulls the line out of the YZ plane it's on.

Is there some art to doing this? Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks...

Brian

 

It takes a bit more thought than a 2D sketch. Try using construction lines
to your benefit. Draw a construction line from one endpoint make it
perpendicular to the line and orient it using parallel to planes and
similar. I had a bit more complex situation I had a line that had a
compound angle. If I recall I had to draw 6 construction lines to acomplish
that. (Remember you could also use multiple 2D sketches and use composite
curve to accomplish what you need.)

Good luck,

Corey.

 

....

Sounds like you want them co-planar.

There are two things you could do, as I read what you're asking. You could
make all the lines coincident with a plane which you would need to set up,
or you could do the coplanar part in a 2D sketch.


matt

 

Also note that You can put in dimensions between planes and the 3D sketch

Krister L

Brian Mears <> skrev i
diskussionsgruppsmeddelandet:
....

 

With what you are describing, the simplest and most robust solution might be
a projected sketch (projecting sketch onto sketch). You just draw your YZ
side view with all of your funky bends in a planar sketch, then your U
shaped top view in a different planar sketch, and project them to create a
3D curve.
This feature is very handy, fast, and easy to edit when it is applicable
(basically, the curve must be fully defined by two orthographic views).

 

You can pick the endpoints of the lines that need to be "collinear on
different planes" and constrain them horizontal (same "x"), vertical,
or Along Z.