Axis creation - An easier way?

Be gentle with me, I'm coming from many years of Pro/E.

I've got some parts with slots cut in them. I need to show the
centerlines of the slots in the drawings. But, since they aren't true
circles, they don't have centerlines which are at the center of the
slots. They have a pair of centerlines, one for each round end.

I'd like to have just one at the true center of each slot. I've been
drawing them in on the drawing views, but it seems rather time
consuming.

In Pro/E, you can place an "axis point" in a sketch in the part and it
will show up as an axis in the part or drawing. This would perfectly
fit my needs.

Does anyone know of a SW equivalent that I'm missing.

I'm using 2005, SP 4.

Thanks,
Bill

 

For slots in drawings I usually end up sketching lines and using
symmetry constraints w.r.t. slot edges. Cumbersome at first, but
automatic after a while.

 

You can't do a centerline from an arc center or loaction on an arc
to a midpoint between two points?

 

"You can't do a centerline from an arc center or loaction on an arc
to a midpoint between two points?
--
Cliff"

I assume you're talking about doing that in the drawing? Yes, I've
done that. It's much more time consuming than placing a point in the
feature that's always there every time I create a view of the part.

Or are you talking about creating an axis in the part?

 

Strictly speaking, things like centerlines are
drawing/drafting/annotation entities and not
part of the model though I expect that some
on some systems can be associative to the model.

Perhaps you just need a better way to create them?

 

How about highlight the 2 slot edges then hit the "centerline " icon. It
will place a centerline along the center of the slot or any other 2 edges
you pick.

Mike Eckstein

 

I do not know that "centerline " icon. Are we supposed to have it in
SW2004?

 

I think it came in 2005

Mike Eckstein

 

From a drawing, preselect the edges of your groove.
Insert-Annotations-Centerline. Or, alternately, the centerline icon located
on the annotations toolbar. There is also a centerline icon on the sketch
toolbar. Thats not the one you want.

Brian Hokanson
Starting Line Products