Figure 9­4 The partial view of the Boss­Extrude Property Manager

Editing Sketches of the Sketch­based Features In

SOLIDWORKS, you can also edit the sketches of the
sketch­based features. To do so, select the feature from
the FeatureManager Design Tree or from the drawing
area and right­click on it to invoke the shortcut menu.
Choose the Edit Sketch tool from it; the sketching
environment will be invoked. Alternatively, select the
feature and do not move the mouse; a pop­up toolbar will
be displayed. Choose the Edit Sketch tool from the pop­
up toolbar to invoke the sketching environment. Edit the
sketch of the sketch based feature using the sketching
tools and exit the sketching environment. Choose
CTRL+B keys to rebuild the model. You can also choose
the Rebuild button from the Menu Bar to exit the
sketching environment and rebuild the model.
Tip You can also use the sign available on the left of the sketched feature to
expand the sketched feature in the FeatureManager Design Tree; the sketch
icon will be displayed. Select the sketch icon and invoke the pop­up toolbar.
Choose the Edit Sketch tool from it to invoke the sketching environment and edit
the sketch.

Editing the Sketch Plane Using the Edit Sketch Plane

Tool You can also change the sketch plane of the
sketches of the sketch­based features. To do so, expand
the sketched feature in the FeatureManager Design
Tree by clicking on the sign on its left. Select the sketch
icon in the FeatureManager Design Tree. Right­click
on the selected sketch to invoke the shortcut menu and
choose the Edit Sketch Plane tool from it, as shown in
Figure 9­5. Alternatively, you can choose Edit Sketch
Plane from the pop­up toolbar as discussed earlier.
On choosing the Edit Sketch Plane tool, the Sketch Plane PropertyManager
will be displayed, as shown in Figure 9­6. The name of the current sketch plane
will be displayed in the Sketch Plane/Face selection box. Now, select any other
plane or face as the sketching plane and choose OK from the Sketch Plane
PropertyManager; the sketch plane will be modified.
 Figure 9­5 Choosing the Edit Sketch Plane tool from the shortcut menu

Figure 9­6 Partial view of the Sketch Plane PropertyManager

Tip While modifying the sketch plane if you select a sketch plane on which the
relations and dimensions do not find any reference for being placed, the What’s
Wrong dialog box will be displayed. In such a case, you need to undo the last
step, invoke the Sketch Plane PropertyManager again, and then select an
appropriate plane. You will learn more about the What’s Wrong dialog box
later in this chapter.

Editing Using the Instant3D Tool CommandManager:

Features > Instant3D
Toolbar: Features > Instant3D
In SOLIDWORKS, you can modify the feature and the sketch of the sketched
feature dynamically without invoking the sketching environment. To edit a
feature or its sketch, choose the Instant3D button from the Features
CommandManager, if it is not chosen by default, and select any face of the
feature to be modified in the drawing area; the selected face will be highlighted.
Also, the handles to resize and relocate the feature will be displayed, as shown in
Figure 9­7.

Figure 9­7 Resize and relocate handles displayed on the selected feature
To resize the feature, move the cursor to the resize handle, press and hold the left
mouse button at this location and drag the cursor; a scale will be displayed. Drag
the cursor further to resize the feature. On doing so, you will notice that the
feature is dynamically resized. Release the left mouse button after resizing the
feature. Note that while dragging the cursor, if you move the cursor on the scale,
the values displayed will be integers and if you move the cursor away from the
scale, the values displayed will be rational numbers. Figure 9­8 shows the resize
handle being dragged to resize the feature and Figure 9­9 shows the resultant
feature.

To rotate the feature, move the cursor to the bubble of the handle in the drawing
area and right­click; a shortcut menu will be displayed. Choose the Show Rotate
Handle option; the cursor changes into a rotate cursor and a circular path will be
displayed. Select the circular path and then drag the cursor to rotate the feature.
You can drag the cursor clockwise or counterclockwise. You can rotate the
model at any angle. The feature will be rotated dynamically in the drawing area.
Release the left mouse button after rotating the feature to a required angle.
 Figure 9­8 Resize handle being dragged to resize the feature

Figure 9­9 Resultant feature

While rotating the feature, if the Move Confirmation dialog box is displayed,
you need to choose either the Delete or the Keep button based on the geometric
and dimensional conditions. Next, click anywhere in the drawing area to exit the
rotate handle. Figure 9­10 shows the preview of the feature being rotated. Figure
9­11 shows the resultant feature.

Figure 9­10 Preview of the feature being rotated

Figure 9­11 Resultant rotated feature
Note
If you rotate the sketched feature whose sketch is fully or partially defined using
the relations and dimensions, the Move Confirmation dialog box will
be displayed, as shown in Figure 9­12. This dialog box informs you that the
external constraints in the feature are being moved and prompts whether you
want to delete those constraints or keep them by recalculating or dangling them.
The relations or the dimensions that do not find the external reference after the
placement are made dangling.

Figure 9­12 The Move Confirmation dialog box

You can also change the placement plane or the sketch plane of the feature by
choosing the bubble in the relocating handle. To do so, select a face of the
feature and move the cursor to the bubble on the relocate handle. Press and hold
the left mouse button on the bubble, drag the cursor, and then release the left
mouse button on another face. If the feature has some external reference, the
Move Confirmation dialog box will be displayed. Choose the appropriate
button in this dialog box; the feature will be relocated. Figure 9­13 shows the
feature being moved to another face. Figure 9­14 shows the feature after being
moved.
Figure 9­13 The feature being moved
 Figure 9­14 The feature after being moved

Tip In SOLIDWORKS, you can modify the cut feature and the sketch of the cut
feature dynamically, as done earlier.

To translate the feature on the same plane, select a face of the feature and move
the cursor to the move handle. Press and hold the left mouse button on the arrow
and drag the cursor.

You can also view the cross­section of a model without sectioning it. To view
the cross­section of a model, select a planar face or a plane and right­click.
Choose the Live Section Plane option from the shortcut menu; the triad and a
section plane parallel to the selected face will be displayed. Also, the Live
Section Planes folder containing all the live section planes will be added to the
FeatureManager Design Tree. Move the cursor toward the orange colored
horizontal ring; the cursor will change into a rotate cursor. Press and hold the left
mouse button and move the cursor along the selected ring; the section plane will
be rotated about the horizontal axis and you can view the cross­section at
different angles. Similarly, move the cursor about the vertical wings to view the
cross­section about the vertical axis. Select the vertical arrow inside the rings
and drag the cursor to relocate the live section plane vertically upward or
downward. Click anywhere in the drawing area to exit the live section plane. To
delete a live section plane, right­click on it in the FeatureManager Design Tree
or near the edges of the section plane in the drawing area. Next choose the
Delete option from the shortcut menu displayed.

You can also edit a feature, reference geometry, or a sketch by selecting the
entity either from the FeatureManager Design Tree or from the drawing area.
To do so, ensure that the Instant 3D tool is chosen in the Features
CommandManager and then left­click on a feature in the FeatureManager
Design Tree or in the drawing area; all the dimensions of the feature and the
sketch used for creating it are displayed. Note that the dimensions of the sketch
will be displayed in black and the dimensions of the feature will be displayed in
blue. Double­click on the dimension that you need to modify; the Modify dialog
box will be invoked. Set a new value in the Modify dialog box and press the
ENTER key or choose the Save the current value and exit the dialog button
from the dialog box. You will notice that the value of the dimension is modified
but the model is not modified with respect to the modified value. Therefore, you
need to rebuild the model using the Rebuild option. To rebuild the model,
choose the Rebuild button from the Menu Bar or press CTRL+B.

Editing Features and Sketches by Using the Cut, Copy,

and Paste Options SOLIDWORKS allows you to adapt to
the windows functionality of cut, copy, and paste to copy
and paste the features and sketches. The method of using
this functionality is the same as used in other windows­
based applications. To cut a feature, select the feature to
be cut, and then choose Edit > Cut from the
SOLIDWORKS menus or use the shortcut keys,
CTRL+X; the Confirm Delete dialog box will be
displayed. Choose the Yes button from this dialog box;
the selected feature will be cut, but the sketch will still be
displayed in the plane. This is because when you cut the
feature, only the selected feature will be deleted from the
document. You will learn more about deleting of features
later in this chapter.
After you cut a feature, select the placement plane or the placement reference to
place the feature. Choose Edit > Paste from the SOLIDWORKS menus or use
the shortcut keys, CTRL+V. If you cut and paste a feature that has some external
reference, the Copy Confirmation dialog box will be displayed, as shown in
Figure 9­15, prompting you to delete the external constraints or leave them
dangling. You need to choose the appropriate button to paste the feature.

Figure 9­15 The Copy Confirmation dialog box

If you copy and paste an item, the selected item will remain at its position and its
copy will be pasted on the selected reference. To copy an item, select the feature
or sketch. Next, choose Edit > Copy from the SOLIDWORKS menus, or press
CTRL+C. Select the reference where you want to paste the selected item and
choose Edit > Paste from the SOLIDWORKS menus, or press CTRL+V to
paste it. You can paste the selected item any numberof times. If you select
another item and copy it on the clipboard, the last copied item will be deleted
from the memory of the clipboard.
Tip For pasting a sketched feature, a simple hole, or a hole created using the
hole wizard, you have to select a plane or a planar face as the reference. For
pasting chamfers and fillets, you have to select an edge, edges, or a face as the
reference.

Cutting, Copying, and Pasting Features and Sketches

from One Document to the Other You can also cut or
copy the features and sketches from one document and
paste them in another document. For example, if you
need to copy a sketch created in the current document and
paste it in a new document, then select the sketch and
press CTRL+C to copy the item to the clipboard. Then,
create a new document in the Part mode and select the
plane on which you want to paste the sketch. Press
CTRL+V to paste the sketch on the selected plane. Use
the same procedure to copy features from one document
to the other.

Copying Features Using Drag and Drop SOLIDWORKS

also provides you with the drag and drop functionality of
Windows to copy and paste an item within the document.
Press and hold the CTRL key on the keyboard. Next,
select and drag the item from the FeatureManager
Design Tree. Drag the cursor to a location where you
want to paste the item and release the left mouse button.
If the item to be pasted is defined using the dimensions or
the relations, the Copy Confirmation dialog box will be
displayed to delete or dangle those constraints. Figure 9­
16 shows the feature being dragged and Figure 9­17
shows the resultant pasted feature.

Figure 9­16 Feature being dragged

 Figure 9­17 Resultant pasted feature

Dragging and Dropping Features from One Document to the Other

You can also drag and drop features as well as sketches from one
document to the other. To do so, you should open both the documents
in the SOLIDWORKS session. Choose Windows > Tile
Vertical/Tile Horizontal from the SOLIDWORKS menus; both the
documents are displayed at the same time in the SOLIDWORKS
window. Select the feature or the sketch in the Feature Manager
Design Tree in one document, and then drag and place it on the
required entity in the other document, as shown in Figure 9­18. Note
that you cannot drag and drop the base feature.
Figure 9­18 Feature being dragged to be pasted in the second document
Deleting Features
You can delete the unwanted features from the model by selecting the feature
from the FeatureManager Design Tree or from the drawing area. After
selecting the feature to be deleted, press the DELETE key on the keyboard, or
right­click to invoke the shortcut menu and choose Delete from the Feature
area; the Confirm Delete dialog box will be displayed, as shown in Figure 9­19.
The features that are dependent on the feature to be deleted are also displayed in
the Confirm Delete dialog box which informs you that all the dependent
features of the parent feature will also be deleted. If the Delete child features
check box is selected, all the child features related to the parent feature will be
also deleted. But if you delete a sketched feature, the sketches related to it will
not be deleted. These sketches are known as absorbed features. To delete the
absorbed features along with the parent feature, select the Delete absorbed
features check box from the Confirm Delete dialog box. Choose the Yes button
to delete the selected features; choose the No button to cancel the delete
operation. You can also delete a selected feature by choosing Edit > Delete from
the SOLIDWORKS menus. In SOLIDWORKS, you can use the Confirm
Delete dialog box to delete the child feature of the selected feature by choosing
the Advanced button.
Figure 9­19 The Confirm Delete dialog box