Before you begin creating 2D geometry in 2D Layout for 3D Design, make sure you are familiar with such concepts as:
● The Tools toolbar and the Tools Palette.
● SmartPick, an easy-to-use tool designed to assist you when creating geometry. For more information,
refer to the SmartPick task in the Sketcher User's Guide.
● Construction elements. For more information, refer to Creating Standard or Construction Elements in the
Sketcher User's Guide.
● Multi-selection. For more information, refer to the Selecting Objects chapter in the Infrastructure User's
Guide.
Remember the following points:
● Construction elements contained in 2D geometry are displayed only in the current view (in the 2D
window).
● To ensure that 2D geometry is not altered once it has been created, geometry edition is only allowed in
the active view. Therefore, if you want to edit or move 2D geometry, you need to activate the view which contains the geometry. You can prevent 2D geometry from being involuntarily moved (and distorted) in active views by unselecting Allow direct manipulation from Tools -> Options -> Mechanical Design - > Drafting - > Geometry tab.
● While creating 2D geometry, you can create detected constraints automatically by activating the Create
Detected Constraints icon in the Tools toolbar. You can view the created constraints by activating the Show Constraints icon.
● You can create as many 2D geometry elements of a given type as needed by double-clicking the
Create a profile: Use the Tools Palette or click to define lines and arcs.
Create a rectangle: Use the Tools Palette or click the rectangle vertices one after the other.
Create an oriented rectangle: Use the Tools Palette or click to define a first side for the rectangle and then a point corresponding to the rectangle length.
Create a parallelogram: Use the Tools Palette or click to define a first side for the parallelogram and then a point corresponding to the parallelogram length.
Create an elongated hole: Use the Tools Palette or click to define the center to center axis and then a point corresponding to the curved oblong profile length and angle.
Create a cylindrical elongated hole: Use the Tools Palette or click to define the center to center circular axis and then a point corresponding to the curved oblong profile length and angle.
Create a keyhole profile: Use the Tools Palette or click to define the center to center axis and then two points corresponding to both radii.
Create an hexagon: Use the Tools Palette or click to define the hexagon center and dimension. Create centered rectangles: Use the Tools palette to define the rectangle center and dimensions.
Create centered parallelograms: Use the Tools palette to define a first side for the parallelogram and then a point corresponding to the parallelogram length.
Create a circle: Use the Tools Palette or click to define the circle center and then one point on the circle. Create a three point circle: Use the Tools Palette or click to define the circle start point, second point and end point one after the other.
Create a circle using coordinates: Use the Circle Definition dialog box to define the circle center point and radius.
Create a tri-tangent circle: Click three elements one after the other to create a circle made of three tangent constraints.
Create a three point arc: Use the Tools Palette or click to define the arc start point, end point and second point one after the other.
Create a three point arc with limits: Use the Tools Palette or click to define the arc start point, end point and second point one after the other.
Create an arc: Use the Tools Palette or click to define the arc center, then the arc start point and end point.
Create a spline: Click the points through which the spline will go.
Connect curves with a spline: Click the first, then the second element to connect.
Create an ellipse: Use the Tools Palette or click to define the ellipse center, major semi-axis and minor semi-axis endpoints one after the other.
Create a parabola by focus: Click the focus, apex then the two extremity points.
Create a hyperbola by focus: Click the focus, center and apex, then the two extremity points.
Create a conic: Click the desired points and excentricity for creating an ellipse, a circle, a parabola or a hyperbola, using tangents, if needed.
Create an infinite line: Use the Profile toolbar or click the first and second points of the infinite line. Create a bi-tangent line: Click two elements one after the other to create a line that is tangent to these two elements.
Create a bisecting line: Click two lines.
Create a line normal to a curve: Click a point and then the curve.
Create a point: Use the Tools Palette or select the point horizontal and vertical coordinates.
Create a points using coordinates: Enter in the Point Definition dialog box cartesian or polar coordinates. Create an equidistant point: Enter in the Equidistant Point Definition dialog box the number and spacing of the points to be equidistantly created on a line or a curve-type element.
Create a point using intersection: Create one or more points by intersecting curve type elements.