Before You Begin Creating Geometry
in 2D Layout for 3D Design Workbench

Before you begin creating 2D geometry in 2D Layout for 3D Design, make sure you are familiar with concepts such as:

• The Tools toolbar and the Tools Palette.
• SmartPick, an easy-to-use tool designed to assist you when creating geometry. For more information, refer to the SmartPick chapter in the Sketcher User's Guide. Also note that from R17, you can use Smartpick on 2D/3D Background elements.
• Construction elements. For more information, refer to Creating Standard or Construction Elements in the Sketcher User's Guide.
• Multi-selection. For more information, refer to the Selecting Objects chapter in the Infrastructure User's Guide.

About 2D Geometry Creation in 2D Layout for 3D Design

Remember the following points:

• Construction elements contained in 2D geometry are displayed only in the current view (in the 2D window).
• To ensure that 2D geometry is not altered once it has been created, geometry edition is only allowed in the active view. Therefore, if you want to edit or move 2D geometry, you need to activate the view which contains the geometry. You can prevent 2D geometry from being involuntarily moved (and distorted) in active views by clearing the Allow direct manipulation check box from Tools > Options > Mechanical Design > Drafting > Geometry tab.
• While creating 2D geometry, you can create detected constraints automatically by activating the Create Detected Constraints in the Tools toolbar. You can view the created constraints by activating the Show Constraints in Visualization toolbar..
• You can create as many 2D geometry elements of a given type as needed by double-clicking the appropriate icon (instead of single-clicking it).

About Smartpick on 2D/3D Background  

From R17, in addition with the elements of the active view, Smartpick takes into account the following elements:

• 2D geometries sketched in other views and visible through edited view background

• 3D points, vertex, curves, edges visible through edited view background

Use Smartpick on 2D/3D background as usual (refer to Creating Geometry Using SmartPick in the Sketcher user guide).

Geometry creation

While using Smartpick to create geometries with any Sketcher command, Smartpick allows you to pick their position or direction directly on background elements.

According to existing geometry

The following commands directly manage the selection of background entities. This means that when creating a new geometry, you can define inputs by picking background elements.

Intersection Point (on line, circle, ellipse but not on spline)

Projection Point

Centered Parallelogram

Bisecting Line

Line Normal to curve

Offset (only with the No Propagation option)

Project 3D element

Intersect 3D element

Project 3D silhouette edges
 

Translate, Rotate and Scale commands does not transform background elements, but their transformations can be defined using Smartpick on background elements.

Limitations

• Background elements selection:
  • The trap selection does not detect elements of the background. This limitation prevents the selection of an undetermined set of projected objects. It also prevents the generation of numerous projections on view plane that would reduce commands performances.
  • For the same reasons, Smartpick only takes into account the last background elements flown over by the mouse cursor. Each time you launch a new command, move the mouse over the concerned elements.
  • Background elements must be selected after the command. First you click the command, then you select elements.
• Constraints:
  • Geometries created on background elements are not constrained. For example, an intersection point created on background edges has no coincidence constraint.
  • Constraints available on a background element can differ from the constraints available on the original element (especially for a 2D background element). For example, an arc of spline in the background can be projected as an arc of circle projection on view plane, which will make concentric constraint available by Smartpick.
• Contextual menu:
  General commands available via the contextual menu on selectable elements cannot be performed on background elements.
• Points:
  Background points are not taken into account in the compute of isobary center.
• Smartpick does not detect surface, silhouette edges, bodies nor FTA construction geometries.
• These Sketcher commands do not manage nor take into account background elements:
   

  Points by using coordinates	Quick Trim	Tri-tangent circle	Chamfer	Mirror
  Circle using coordinates	Autosearch	Conic	Trim
  Close	Equidistant points	Connect	Break
  Complement	Bi-tangent line	Corner	Symmetry