Add Constraints

Access: Invoke the Sketcher, define the sketch plane and then invoke this function from one of the following locations:

Click the Add Constraints button in the Sketcher toolbar.
Right-click the graphics area and select Add Constraints from the popup menu.

Create constraints between entities.

Constraints are used to eliminate degrees of freedom which can result in a fully constrained sketch. Be aware that adding too many constraints can result in an over-constrained, or even a geometrically impossible sketch. See Constraining / Over-Constraining the Sketch.

Constraints can be applied to the following entities:

Lines

Circles / Arcs / Ellipses

Points

Splines (slopes)

Notes: Constraints can be applied when creating entities by using Dynamic Constraint Lines.

When you press the Add Constraints button , the following Constraint Toolbar appears:

While you are selecting entities, the cursor has the following appearance:

Select the entities you want to constrain, and press the relevant constraint button.

Note: When entities are selected for editing, only the relevant tools on the Add Constraint toolbar are activated. For example, if two lines are chosen for editing, only the tools for actions on lines are available. The Concentric tool, which is used only for circles or arcs, is grayed out.

The Constraint Toolbar provides the following tools:

Horizontal/Vertical enables you to make lines horizontal (aligned with the X axis) or vertical (aligned with the Y axis).
The system calculates the minimum adjustment to align each selected line along X or along Y. For each line, the system checks if it is closer to X (less than 45 degrees from the X axis) or to Y and aligns the line to the closest axis. If the line is exactly 45 degrees from X, the system aligns it on X.
Example:Example:

This calculation is done for each selected line separately.

Line ≤ 45° to the X axis; the line is aligned to X.	Line > 45° to the X axis; the line is aligned to Y.

Parallel enables you to make lines parallel to another line.

Normal enables you to make a line normal to another line.

Tangent enables you to make a circle/arc and a line tangent to each other, or to make two circles/arcs/ellipses tangent to each other.

Concentric enables you to make circles/arcs/ellipses concentric to another circle/arc/ellipse.

Same Value enables you to assign lines the same length as another line, or to assign circles/arcs the same diameter as another circle/arc.

Coincident enables you to make selected lines coincident with one another .

Same X enables you to align selected points horizontally to another point.

Same Y enables you to align selected points vertically to another point.

Same X/Y is similar to the Same X and Same Y options. Same X/Y enables you to align selected points horizontally or vertically to another point. The system automatically calculates the minimum adjustment to align all selected points along X or along Y.
If 2 points are selected, the system checks if the imaginary line they lie on is closer to X (less than 45 degrees from the X axis) or to Y and aligns the 2 points to the closest axis. If the line is exactly 45 degrees from X, the system aligns it on X.
Example:Example:

If more than 2 points are selected, the system uses the first 2 points to check (as described above, for 2 points) if the imaginary line between them is closer to the X or Y axis and then aligns all the selected points to the closest axis.
Example:Example: