Optionally make reference lines visible.

About the development of the Part Design module/workbench. PLEASE DO NOT POST HELP REQUESTS HERE!
Forum rules
Be nice to others! Respect the FreeCAD code of conduct!
User avatar
sliptonic
Veteran
Posts: 3457
Joined: Tue Oct 25, 2011 10:46 pm
Location: Columbia, Missouri
Contact:

Optionally make reference lines visible.

Post by sliptonic »

I'm designing a panel that has cutouts for various pieces of equipment. I use one sketch for each piece so I can rearrange them.

When a piece of equipment is installed, it has a bezel that is larger than the hole. I need to make sure the bezels don't interfere with each other so I drew a reference rectangle around each hole. But reference lines aren't shown even if the sketch is made visible. Is there a way to do this?


The picture below is noisy but shows what I mean. You see the blue reference line around the open sketch but not around the other sketches that are visible.
2021-10-11_15-59.png
2021-10-11_15-59.png (27.53 KiB) Viewed 7622 times
chrisb
Veteran
Posts: 53923
Joined: Tue Mar 17, 2015 9:14 am

Re: Optionally make reference lines visible.

Post by chrisb »

Construction geometry is visible only inside of the sketch. That's what it is made for. However, you can create another sketch with a CarbonCopy in it, where you toggle construction geometry.
I have even made the visibility of the 2nd sketch be dependent on that of the 1st, but that needs always a manually triggered recompute to work.
A Sketcher Lecture with in-depth information is available in English, auf Deutsch, en français, en español.
User avatar
sliptonic
Veteran
Posts: 3457
Joined: Tue Oct 25, 2011 10:46 pm
Location: Columbia, Missouri
Contact:

Re: Optionally make reference lines visible.

Post by sliptonic »

chrisb wrote: Mon Oct 11, 2021 9:34 pm Construction geometry is visible only inside of the sketch. That's what it is made for. However, you can create another sketch with a CarbonCopy in it, where you toggle construction geometry.
I have even made the visibility of the 2nd sketch be dependent on that of the 1st, but that needs always a manually triggered recompute to work.
Hmm. Too bad. I played with the CarbonCopy but it doesn't really meet my needs. It isn't linked geometry so isn't updated when I adjust the position of one of the reference sketches. This is the first time I've ever needed this so I'm sure it's an unusual feature request.
chrisb
Veteran
Posts: 53923
Joined: Tue Mar 17, 2015 9:14 am

Re: Optionally make reference lines visible.

Post by chrisb »

If your first sketch is fully constrained, the CarbonCopy should follow as long as you only change dimensions and don't add new geometric elements. If you move the whole sketch you can set the Placement or AttachmentOffset of the second to be equal with the first.
A Sketcher Lecture with in-depth information is available in English, auf Deutsch, en français, en español.
chrisb
Veteran
Posts: 53923
Joined: Tue Mar 17, 2015 9:14 am

Re: Optionally make reference lines visible.

Post by chrisb »

Here is an example of what I was talking about: The sketch CarbonCopy follows the changes in Sketch and also if you move it by changing the AttachmentOffset.
Attachments
carbonCopy.FCStd
(6.37 KiB) Downloaded 102 times
A Sketcher Lecture with in-depth information is available in English, auf Deutsch, en français, en español.
chrisb
Veteran
Posts: 53923
Joined: Tue Mar 17, 2015 9:14 am

Re: Optionally make reference lines visible.

Post by chrisb »

Glad I could help. I even tried to hide the second sketch completely from the tree, but it is still shown, with an additional "eye" overlay.
A Sketcher Lecture with in-depth information is available in English, auf Deutsch, en français, en español.
RatonLaveur
Posts: 991
Joined: Wed Mar 27, 2019 10:45 am

Re: Optionally make reference lines visible.

Post by RatonLaveur »

Would the ability to define layers in Draft help in such a case?

We do it for laser cutting, where each Draft layer can be processed (or not processed) individually.
User avatar
onekk
Veteran
Posts: 6144
Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2015 7:48 am
Contact:

Re: Optionally make reference lines visible.

Post by onekk »

Draft layers are generally a good things, I've used it many times.

But here OP is starting from Sketch that is another WB, with a different workflow.

Maybe having a sketcher with Layer ability, would be a way to achieve such things.

1) You create reference lines and put them on a Layer ("Construction Lines")
2) maybe these "Construction Lines" could be use to generate the proper "boundaries or constraints" for the final Sketch, that go maybe in a "Design" Layer.

Only an idea, and probably not the best idea, but..

Regards

Carlo D.
GitHub page: https://github.com/onekk/freecad-doc.
- In deep articles on FreeCAD.
- Learning how to model with scripting.
- Various other stuffs.

Blog: https://okkmkblog.wordpress.com/
User avatar
FBXL5
Posts: 979
Joined: Sat Aug 03, 2019 8:45 pm

Re: Optionally make reference lines visible.

Post by FBXL5 »

I don't think that layers in Sketcher are a good idea.

A sketcher is a tool to supply 2D contours to create 3D geometry.
- Open contours are used for (sur-)face objects only.
- Closed contours can be used for solid objekts or hollow (sur-)face objects (volumes).

It is not a tool to create technical drawings.
But I would like to use it to add auxiliary geometry to TechDraw views, but that is another topic...

A design could progress like this:
1. Have an idea.
2. Draft 3D curves or sketch 2D contours.
3. Generate 3D geometry.
4. Connect (e.g. Boolean operations).
5. Repeat 1. to 4.
6. Generate views from the finished object to create a technical drawing.

Layers are fine for 3D geometry e.g. within the Draft WB, but rather useless in Sketcher. My opinion...
Post Reply