CAD Forum

Posted: **Thu Jul 15, 2021 11:29 am**

Hi all, I know this topic has been discussed before but I never found a good solution for it.
I would like to choose the orientation of the sketch on feature creation.
As you can see in the animation below, I have a part on which I want to create a cut and I want to keep the horizontal orientation for sketch but, due to the WCS orientation, it turns vertical.
Is there a way to define x-axis of sketch plane whatever the WCS is?

Posted: **Thu Jul 15, 2021 11:43 am**

sergio.monti wrote: ↑Thu Jul 15, 2021 11:29 am Hi all, I know this topic has been discussed before but I never found a good solution for it.
I would like to choose the orientation of the sketch on feature creation.
As you can see in the animation below, I have a part on which I want to create a cut and I want to keep the horizontal orientation for sketch but, due to the WCS orientation, it turns vertical.
Is there a way to define x-axis of sketch plane whatever the WCS is?

You can definetly do this, all you need to do is update standard views, though I don't really recommend it all that much.
https://help.solidworks.com/2018/englis ... og_box.htm

Posted: **Thu Jul 15, 2021 12:05 pm**

Try this, in settings...

Andy.

Posted: **Thu Jul 15, 2021 12:28 pm**

I dont think this is possible without changing the global coordinate...
I believe this is related to how SOLIDWORKS tread XYZ coordinate when you are sketching..

Just curious, why do you want to change the sketch orientation?

Posted: **Thu Jul 15, 2021 12:38 pm**

sergio.monti wrote: ↑Thu Jul 15, 2021 11:29 am Hi all, I know this topic has been discussed before but I never found a good solution for it.
I would like to choose the orientation of the sketch on feature creation.
As you can see in the animation below, I have a part on which I want to create a cut and I want to keep the horizontal orientation for sketch but, due to the WCS orientation, it turns vertical.
Is there a way to define x-axis of sketch plane whatever the WCS is?

This is not Autocad, we don't have WCS. Geez.

Have you tried the Tools > Sketch Tools > Modify?

It's a little old and decrepit, but I think it might do what you are asking. No WCS, though.

Posted: **Thu Jul 15, 2021 12:45 pm**

matt wrote: ↑Thu Jul 15, 2021 12:38 pm This is not Autocad, we don't have WCS. Geez.

Have you tried the Tools > Sketch Tools > Modify?

It's a little old and decrepit, but I think it might do what you are asking. No WCS, though.

image.png

This reminds me of the question: "How do I move the origin?"

Now if you really want to make an ER suggestion, how about fixing the flipping problem? Anything from tangent arcs to tangent mates to angle mates to plane direction to dimensions.

Posted: **Thu Jul 15, 2021 12:48 pm**

I find it's easier to just learn and adapt, than fight the software!

Really, how much of an inconvenience is it having the "Auto-rotate the view to normal..." checked/unchecked and just getting on with it?

Posted: **Thu Jul 15, 2021 1:51 pm**

Whenever I create a sketch on the front (x-z) plane it insists on making Z down. Is there a fix for that? (2020 SP5)

Posted: **Thu Jul 15, 2021 5:52 pm**

SPerman wrote: ↑Thu Jul 15, 2021 1:51 pm Whenever I create a sketch on the front (x-z) plane it insists on making Z down. Is there a fix for that? (2020 SP5)

Sketch on the other side of the plane.

Posted: **Fri Jul 16, 2021 3:10 am**

Andy wrote: ↑Thu Jul 15, 2021 12:05 pm Try this, in settings...

Andy.

It's not just visualization, hor-vert relations will still be stuck to sketch CS.

Posted: **Fri Jul 16, 2021 3:22 am**

matt wrote: ↑Thu Jul 15, 2021 12:38 pm This is not Autocad, we don't have WCS. Geez.

Have you tried the Tools > Sketch Tools > Modify?

It's a little old and decrepit, but I think it might do what you are asking. No WCS, though.

I did't mean to refer to AutoCAD at all. I meant main coordinate system or whatever you want to call it

I found it, eventually, just above 'Modify', in Tools > Sketch Tools > Align (SW 2020 SP5.0)

That's exactly what I was looking for.

Thanks Matt

Posted: **Sat Jul 17, 2021 10:38 am**

matt wrote: ↑Thu Jul 15, 2021 5:52 pm Sketch on the other side of the plane.

That's what I do. I click on the front plane in the feature manager. Then click on Sketch in the command manager, and finally rotate the part 180 degrees. It's the need to rotate the part 180 degrees I am hoping to eliminate.

Posted: **Sat Jul 17, 2021 11:29 am**

SPerman wrote: ↑Sat Jul 17, 2021 10:38 am That's what I do. I click on the front plane in the feature manager. Then click on Sketch in the command manager, and finally rotate the part 180 degrees. It's the need to rotate the part 180 degrees I am hoping to eliminate.

Sorry, that should have been purple. You can't click on the other side of the plane, but there is a flip plane normal switch in the RMB menu that I think might do what you want.

Posted: **Tue Jul 20, 2021 11:27 am**

Dumb question, What is WCS? Is that the whole paper space / work space garbage that confused me back in autoCAD class 20 years ago?

Posted: **Tue Jul 20, 2021 11:41 am**

Here is the Flip Plane Normal thing I was talking about. My sketch starts out like this:

But then I use the Flip Plane Normal thing, which is available from the RMB menu on the plane:

: image.png (10.63 KiB) Viewed 2979 times

And that has this effect on the sketch, it essentially flips it 180 deg.

: image.png (11.57 KiB) Viewed 2979 times

Posted: **Tue Jul 20, 2021 12:29 pm**

Jim Steinmeyer wrote: ↑Tue Jul 20, 2021 11:27 am Dumb question, What is WCS? Is that the whole paper space / work space garbage that confused me back in autoCAD class 20 years ago?

Weapon control system. Use it with a joystick to fly your helicopter.

Posted: **Tue Jul 20, 2021 1:00 pm**

Jim Steinmeyer wrote: ↑Tue Jul 20, 2021 11:27 am Dumb question, What is WCS? Is that the whole paper space / work space garbage that confused me back in autoCAD class 20 years ago?

https://community.sw.siemens.com/s/arti ... tems-in-nx

Posted: **Tue Jul 20, 2021 1:06 pm**

Jim Steinmeyer wrote: ↑Tue Jul 20, 2021 11:27 am Dumb question, What is WCS? Is that the whole paper space / work space garbage that confused me back in autoCAD class 20 years ago?

I think what he's referring to with WCS is World Coordinate System, as opposed to User Coordinate System, from Autocad.

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/autocad- ... -p/8028209

Posted: **Tue Jul 20, 2021 2:03 pm**

Thank you, I had AC in school then fortunately went straight to 3D in the workplace.

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