External Geometry Edges Obscure Sketch Edges

[bfeist]

OS: Windows 10
Word size of OS: 64-bit
Word size of FreeCAD: 64-bit
Version: 0.16.6706 (Git)
Build type: Release
Branch: releases/FreeCAD-0-16
Hash: f86a4e411ff7848dea98d7242f43b7774bee8fa0
Python version: 2.7.8
Qt version: 4.8.7
Coin version: 4.0.0a
OCC version: 6.8.0.oce-0.17

I find that when I have overlapping edges, as when an edge of my sketch is part of an External Geometry edge, the long edge obscures the short one and I can't select it. Is there a trick to this, or a workaround?

[bejant]

Rotating the view while you're in Sketcher might help. Can you post a file that has this problem? Or maybe it is somewhere in your last Modular Maze file?

[bfeist]

Rotating the view while you're in Sketcher might help. Can you post a file that has this problem? Or maybe it is somewhere in your last Modular Maze file?

I didn't include a sample because this always happens to me when I have overlapping edges, so I assumed it was something everyone ran into. I've now set up a simple example, which I've attached. The only way that I know of that I can see 4-line (which is covered by an External Geometry edge) and 5-line (covered by another sketch edge) is to select them in the Elements window. But, that's impractical if I have 50 lines and I don't know which ones they are.

[NormandC]

I didn't include a sample because this always happens to me when I have overlapping edges, so I assumed it was something everyone ran into. I've now set up a simple example, which I've attached. The only way that I know of that I can see 4-line (which is covered by an External Geometry edge) and 5-line (covered by another sketch edge) is to select them in the Elements window. But, that's impractical if I have 50 lines and I don't know which ones they are.

Unfortunately it's a problem that hasn't been addressed yet. Using the Elements list to select items that are overlapped by others is the only workaround.

For this reason, I always make sure not to have construction and external geometry overlapping sketch geometry. And actually, there are very few instances where that is necessary. In your simple example, there are a few ways:

• The most basic way is to take advantage of the sketch origin location in relation to the face. In your simple example, the sketch origin corresponds to the lower left corner of the face. So you can use the sketch vertical axis to constrain the horizontal positioning of the square, no linked external edge needed here.
• Link to the upper left external vertex rather than the upper edge. Then apply a point on point constraint with the upper left corner of the square.
• Link to external geometry that is on the opposite side of the face.
• When using a point on object constraint, the point does not need to be visually on top of the line or arc, it can be on its projection. Also, you can use a linked external point as input: since it cannot move, then the line will be the one to move to it. In the following screen capture, I used the external geometry tool to link the upper right vertex of the cube; then I created a point on object constraint between this point and the upper horizontal line of the square, which automatically restrains the height of the line.

[bfeist]

The only way that I know of that I can see 4-line (which is covered by an External Geometry edge) and 5-line (covered by another sketch edge) is to select them in the Elements window. But, that's impractical if I have 50 lines and I don't know which ones they are.

there are a few ways:

<ways omitted>
Excellent information; thanks! I've been relying on using the vertical and horizontal distance constraints in order to avoid adding construction edges and using the = constraint, which I understand is not the preferred method.