Analyzing View Geometries

If a layout contains inconsistent geometry, you cannot drag the geometry, nor change it in any way. Therefore, you may find it useful to analyze view geometry.

Note: You need to perform the analysis in an active view.

This task shows you how to:

Before you begin:
  • By default, the Sketch Solving Status and Sketch Analysis commands are not available in the Tools toolbar. To make them available, you need to customize the toolbar. Refer to Interactive Drafting User's Guide: Customizing a Toolbar by Adding Commands for more information.
  • Open a 3D shape representation containing a layout and in which use edges have been created (so that you can analyze them too along with the geometry). Double-click Sheet.1 in the specification tree to open the layout in the 2D window.

Analyze View Geometries Using the Sketch Solving Status

You can analyze view geometries using the sketch solving status.

  1. Double click the front view to activate it.

  2. Click Sketch Solving Status in the Tools toolbar.

    This command gives you a quick diagnosis of the geometry status. The Sketch Solving Status dialog box appears and informs you of the general geometry status, whether it is under-constrained, over-constrained or iso-constrained.

    Meanwhile, the information given in the Sketch Solving Status dialog box is highlighted in red in the geometry area and the elements that are under-constrained are highlighted. In this case, the three points are highlighted indicating that they are under-constrained.



Analyze View Geometries Using the Sketch Analysis

You can analyze view geometries using the sketch analysis.

The Sketch Solving Status dialog box is still displayed from the previous task.

  1. Click Sketch Analysis in the Sketch Solving Status dialog box or select Tools > Sketch Analysis. The Sketch Analysis dialog box appears. It contains three tabs: Geometry, Use-edges and Diagnostic. Construction elements appear in blue in the geometry.

    Note that by clicking the appropriate tab, you can sort the elements displayed in the dialog box by name, status or type. You can select elements from the dialog box and they will be highlighted in the geometry area.

    In the Sketch Analysis dialog box, the Geometry tab displays information about all the connex profiles in the view.

    General Status: global status on all the view geometries.

    Detailed Information: provides a detailed status/comment on each profile of the view.

    Corrective Actions: according to the analyzed element you select and which is not correct, you will be able to:


    • : turn this element into a construction element,

    • : close a profile that is not,

    • : erase a disturbing element,

    • : hide all constraints in the view,

    • : hide all construction geometries in the view and in the detailed information area of the Geometry tab.

  2. Click the Diagnostic tab. It gives information about every element of the geometry or constraint of a view.



    The information on this tab displays a full diagnosis of the view geometry. It provides a global analysis of the view as a whole, and specifies whether individual geometrical elements in the view are under-constrained (under-defined), over-constrained (over-defined) or iso-constrained (well defined):

    Solving Status: provides a quick overall analysis of the view geometry.

    Detailed Information: provides a detailed status on each constraint and geometrical element of the view, and lets you know what type of element it is (geometry, constraint).

    Action: according to the analyzed element you select, you will be able to:


    • : hide all constraints in the view and in the detailed information area.
    • : hide all construction geometries in the view and in the detailed information area of the Diagnostic tab.
    • erase geometry.

  3. Select Hide Construction Geometries in the Sketch Analysisdialog box.

    All the construction elements are hidden both from the dialog box.

    If you select items in the Detailed Information table, they will be highlighted in the view, which enables you to identify them easily. To solve constraint-based problems in the view, you need to edit the geometry directly.

  4. Click the Use-edges tab.

    It gives information on each projection or intersection, on constraints and so forth created in the view.



    You can sort the use-edges by type, build or update status or input geometry.

    Detailed Information: provides a detailed status/comment on each use-edge of the view.

    Corrective Action: according to the analyzed element you select and which is not correct, you will be able to:


    • : isolate the associative use-edge making it non-associative with geometry.

    • : remove the associative use-edge from update process (the use-edge is still associative to geometry but is not updated).

    • : erase the use-edge.

    • : change the input geometrical object projected or intersected (this option is not available in 2D Layout, it is grayed out.

    • : hide all constraints in the view.

    • : hide all construction geometries in the view and in the detailed information area of the Geometry tab.

    Important: Driving dimensions use invisible constraints to drive geometries. So these constraints appear in the Diagnostic tab, but are not highlighted in geometry of the view because they are invisible. If such dimensional constraints (invisible constraint created for driving dimension) are deleted in the Diagnostic tab, then the dimension will turn not up-to-date. The dimension must be manually deleted.