Appearance
Apply a constraint
- Select the geometry.
- Press the constraint's button.
The buttons are in the Selection section of the sidebar, on the floating bar above the canvas (the first six), and in the context menu. They are the same buttons.
What to select
| To say | Select |
|---|---|
| These two points are the same point | 2 points, Coincident |
| These two points are 40 mm apart | 2 points, Distance |
| This point does not move | 1 point, Fix |
| This line is level | 1 line, Horizontal |
| This line is plumb | 1 line, Vertical |
| These lines never meet | 2 lines, Parallel |
| These lines meet at a right angle | 2 lines, Perpendicular |
| These lines are the same length | 2 lines, Equal |
| These lines meet at 30 degrees | 2 lines, Angle |
| These lines are parallel, 8 mm apart | 2 lines, Offset |
| This point lies on this line | 1 point + 1 line, Point on line |
| This point is the middle of this line | 1 point + 1 line, Midpoint |
| This point is 5 mm from this line | 1 point + 1 line, Distance to line |
| This point lies on this circle | 1 point + 1 round, Point on |
| This circle is 7 mm in radius | 1 round, Radius |
| This circle is 14 mm across | 1 round, Diameter |
| These circles are the same size | 2 rounds, Equal |
| These meet smoothly | 2 rounds, or 1 line + 1 round, Tangent |
| These points mirror across this line | 2 points + 1 line, Symmetric |
A round is a circle or an arc; either works wherever the table says round.
After you press it
The selection clears. If it was a dimension, its value field in the docket is focused and selected, so you can type the number straight away.
The value is seeded from the geometry as it stands, so nothing jumps. You are locking in what you see, then changing it to what you meant.
Watch the status foot. The degrees-of-freedom count should drop. If it does not, the constraint was redundant and its docket dot will say so.
Constraints you get for free
The Rectangle tool adds two Horizontal and two Vertical. Shift while drawing adds a Horizontal or Vertical. A pencil tangent arc adds a Tangent.
If the solver rejects one of these, the geometry is still created. You get the shape without the constraint.
Add midpoint
Select one or more lines and press the midpoint button in the top bar, or Add midpoint in the context menu. It drops a point at the middle of each and constrains it there, as one undo step.
Useful for symmetric features: put a midpoint on the bottom edge, then make your hole centre Symmetric about a vertical through it.
When nothing is offered
No constraints for this combination means exactly that. Count the selection; one item too many is the usual cause. The Selection section lists what it thinks you have.
Seeing what you applied
Every constraint that is not a dimension leaves a glyph on the drawing beside the geometry it holds: H on a horizontal, ∥ on both of a parallel pair, a dot where two points meet. Hover one to light what it holds, click it to find its row in the docket, and press B to put them away. See constraint badges.
Removing one
Press the × on its row in the docket. Click a row first to highlight its geometry if you are not sure which is which, or click the constraint's glyph on the drawing to pick its row out.
See also
- Constraints, for the full reference
- Constraint badges, for the glyphs on the drawing
- Constraints and freedom, for why fully constrained matters
- Diagnose a sketch