Hey there -
I would like to know if solidworks has any kind of constrained orbit option or tool, similar to autocad or inventor. It would make using the orbit tool much easier. Does anyone know if there is a constrained orbit in solidworks? Or, is there an add-in I can download to get a constrained orbit tool?
Thanks for anyone who answers!
have you seen the move with triad in the right click menu?
How do I get to this option? I've never seen it before.
I should probably add this - I'm using the 2010 version, if that matters.
Right click your part, While in assembly, and chose move with triad in the list.
I see. Unfortunately, that isn't what I was talking about at all, although I didn't know you could "move with triad" an object, though, so thanks for that.
What I actually ment was if there was an option to make the view tool (the one you rotate around your model with) constrained to the y axis so that it wouldn't misalign itself every single time I rotate around to look at something else. Autocad and Inventor both have this option, so I assume solidworks does too? I just don't know where it is...
oh sorry, my bad! end of the week and all that!
No problem man. I'm just not used to solidworks, and big models are hard to navigate around in without a useful rotate tool.
try this.
right click in your graphics area, chose rotate. you can now select faces or edges etc and it will rotate around these selected items. might help.
Okay, this was actually extremely helpful. This is almost exactly what I need, so thank you! Now if only I could get this to be my default rotate setting with vetical movement too... my dreams *sigh*. Anyway, that will work, just a little hard to get to. Thanks again man!
Hi Jacob,
There is a slightly easier way to get to this function. Without being in any tools, simply middle mouse select (press the middle mouse button down and then let go of it) the piece of geometry you want to rotate about. The piece of geometry will highlight in magenta and the cursor will change to a rotate symbol with a green line through it. Now middle mouse drag (as you would normally to do a free rotate). This will rotate about the selected geometry.
This is documented in the help in the following topic as the second method under "to rotate about a vertex, edge, or face":
I hope this helps,
Jim
Thanks! The only problem, again, is that this doesn't allow up-and-down movement, and I still have to have an object - say, a cylinder - in the y-axis for me to rotate around. If there was a way to actually constrain the rotate button or middle click rotate to the y-axis, I'd love it. But, this works pretty well, and thanks again for the tip.
It seems to me that function is missing when you enters some menu, like the extrude/boss operation,in this context, the constrained orbit by middle click is completely gone, am I missing something,? it does not make sense at all that the orbit function changes in different menus.
You can use the arrow keys to rotate in a defined direction (around X, etc). Use the shift key to rotate a full 90°. The amount that you can rotate with the arrow keys can be set in Tools>Options>System Settings>I Forget The Specific Options But The Second Link Below Should Explain.
This is sort-of-helpful, but the arrow keys don't seem to constrain my orbit around the y-axis, so by the time I'm over on the other side of my model, I'm sort of upside down. Still, thanks for the info anyway!
I think the best way to rotate is with the middle mouse button - it will rotate around the closest object. This makes it very handy when working on a corner of a large model - it will not rotate way out of view.
WT
This rotate tool is acutally the problem I'm trying to overcome / already found one way around. Whenever you use the "middle click rotate" the view has a nasty tendancy to turn upside down/sideways. Autocad and Inventor have a tool that constrains rotation around the y-axis so that you don't go upside down. Solidworks must have one too... I can use the rotate method in the previous post to kind of "emulate" a constrained orbit though. Not to say that the default orbit is useless - just annoying.
http://www.3dconnexion.com/ - just get one... your life will never be the same... ok, when it comes to SolidWorks anyway
Nice, but unfortunately, I do not have +$100 to spend on a mouse. I've used a regular old mouse for too long anyway.
Hi Jacob,
There is a slightly easier way to get to this function. Without being in any tools, simply middle mouse select (press the middle mouse button down and then let go of it) the piece of geometry you want to rotate about. The piece of geometry will highlight in magenta and the cursor will change to a rotate symbol with a green line through it. Now middle mouse drag (as you would normally to do a free rotate). This will rotate about the selected geometry.
This is documented in the help in the following topic as the second method under "to rotate about a vertex, edge, or face":
http://help.solidworks.com/2010/English/solidworks/sldworks/legacyhelp/sldworks/display/rotate_view.htm
I hope this helps,
Jim