So today I have tried to create exploded view lines to reference points and axis' for the first time. And guess what? It won't let me pick them. Here I am attempting to point the line to the center of the slot and i have to select one end or the other. I can drag the line around a little and fake it, but shouldn't we be able to pick the axis at least?
I can select axis lines to connect my routing lines to. Not sure why you can't.
However, there really isn't an axis for the center of that slot, is there?
Therefore, you might want to create a little sketch there and select that. Or even better, show the sketch that created the slot and select the little midpoint that is created and use that for your routing line.
I wonder if you have your selection filter turned on.....
No, in fact I keep the selection filter turned off at ALL times. it has caused me more headache than most anything else in SW. If it is on it almost always is set to something I don't want. And if it is on sometimes it will select what i want.
I use either the temporary axis or create a real one to mate hardware to. In the example shown I even created both an axis and a point and could select neither. Then I did turn on the useless filter and still could not select it.
Wait, you said reference axis didn't you.....I tried it with the temporary axis of a hole.
Hang on...
Nope.....I can select reference axes as well.
I am using SW 2015 SP5.....what version you got?
Interesting that you can select both temporary and reference and I can't select either or the point.
I am creating a batch of little assy's and drawings and it has been the same on 3 in a row now.
I can't think of any reason why you couldn't other than selection filter.
I searched through some stuff online and there is no indication that anything changed with respect to this in SW 2017. Maybe someone else using SW 2017 can verify as well.
The only other thing that I can think of is that, in your picture, it doesn't actually show the reference axis that you mentioned......could this possibly be the issue? (I am hesitant to even ask this....but I know that I have made mistakes like this in the past...LOL )
Do you have to connect to the slot?? Why not go from the bolt to the nut or if its just the bolt then, start your line at the bolt and draw your line, stop when you have the right length, just make sure its either Vertical or Horizontal...
John,
In the case i showed below, no I don't need to connect to the slot and could use the nut face rather than the point or axis to start the line. However I also have a set of bolts that go through the slot and will bolt into the bumper that this kit assembles to. I am drawing up a batch of bracket kits that will bolt a universal bumper to several different brands of trucks and basically need just the items in the kit, not the truck or bumper.
Then I would model just a cut rough profile section of the universal bumper and change the transparency to like 75% - then when you explode the assembly, the bumper profile would show and you could run your line through a hole in the bumper if you need to make a 90 turn etc..
That may be what I need to do. But it sure seems odd that I am unable to use an axis for these lines. Especially when Dan is able to select them.
Dan Pihlaja - he's has a Special edition of SW - and since he's such a great guy they threw in Axis's's's for slots..
I can select both temporary axes and reference axes for creating the routing lines for a Explode Line Sketch.
As for the center of the slot, I suggested that he create a little sketch there.....he could add a circle that is tangent to the two arcs of the slot, or create a line from arc center to arc center and put a point at the midpoint of the line.......then select the point from the sketch and then hide the sketch.
I knew that there were no axes in the middle of slots, but it came up later in the discussion.
I am not sure why HE can't select them, but I can. Maybe it has to do with the versions of Solidworks that we are using. I am using SW 2015 SP5
Dan Pihlaja wrote:
I am not sure why HE can't select them, but I can. Maybe it has to do with the versions of Solidworks that we are using. I am using SW 2015 SP5
That may have something to do with it, I am on 2017.
To be clear, I can select the point or axis, it just doesn't make a line. I will have to go back to using the sketches and see if that works.
Edit Part and create an axis where you need one. It appears that the bolt is centered in the slot. Or you can create one referenced in the next assembly that the bolt connects to and leave that in this sub. I'm concerned that I don't see a thread (and half at least) sticking through those other nuts.
Actually I guess I misspoke a little. It will select the axis but not in like with the axis. I have placed a point there and while I can select it the line will not show up.
Actually Jim, in this view I would select the circumferences of the washer heads on both the bolt and nut.
Jim, I see that you marked John's answer correct but this is what I meant, selecting the circumferences of the washer heads gives me this. I don't select axis at all.
Berinie,
I yes you can do it that way. Where the problem is is that doesn't work for the center of a slot.
And I marked John's correct as I don't think there is an answer to do what I want. I may just have to put the round hole it mates to in the view for reference and be done with it.
How do you make the slot? Do you use hole wizard or a sketch?
If you use Hole Wizard you would have a center point in the slot sketch, if you just use a cut extrude or have the sketch in the base extrude, either way it takes a sketch to cut it and either way I would make sure that there is a center point in the slot. I would show that sketch and pick those points before I would pick an axis, but probably not the "Right" way to do it non the less..
The slots were made with the hole wizard using that cursed ( according to some) method of placing a sketch first. Sso there would be sketch points there. I just didn't think of turning on the sketches and mating to that.
I did attempt that and came up with the same thing as above where I was able to select the point but the line never appears even after accepting the placement.
Gotta try that next week - but the weekend just came and if I don't go with it - I'll miss out on a lot of stuff ....
Jim, I did mention that John's answer was correct though I meant this one:
I know I'm really late to the party, but I work for a VAR and got this Tech Support call recently asking how to route explode lines through the center axis of a slot. In short, it involves workarounds that some have found so far (creating additional reference axis geometry). I found an additional work around that doesn't need additional reference geometry, but isn't any less annoying:
Thank you, that works, of course it isn't the fast easy point and click like we would like.
