- [Instructor] When you already have existing geometry
to rely on, it's a good idea to use the convert entities
and offset entities features to maximize your efficiency
and build relations where you want them.
So let's say for example I want to have a hole
that's dependent on this hole.
So what I'm going to do is select convert entities,
select that entity and hit okay.
Now I've created a new sketch that's on that plane.
I can go ahead now if I want and turn that into construction
geometry and make a hole that's based on its center point.
So if that center point moves anywhere,
this hole is going to follow it.
That's one thing we can do.
Let's say for example we want to convert
all of this outside perimeter to new geometry.
We can simply select the face and then hit convert entities
and that entire perimeter
is now turned into a sketch profile.
You also have the ability in the convert entities tool
to select a chain or select inner loops one by one.
You can also just select single items
and then click okay and convert them.
What that's going to do always though
is it's going to convert those entities
by projecting them into the plane that you're working on
so you want to be careful if you're not working
normal to the feature that you're converting the entities on
because it's going to skew the sketch
and make it so that it creates the profile in your plane.
Now let's say now we want to offset any of this stuff.
We're going to choose the offset entities tool.
I'm going to turn on select chain
and if I select one of these items,
I get all of these items selected in that chain.
You can see here I've got the bi-directional option on
so that gives me the ability to offset in both directions.
I can reverse direction inside or out,
adjust how much I'm offsetting.
I can also turn the construction geometry on
and have my base, the feature which I'm offsetting,
turn to construction geometry
or I can make the offset geometry, construction geometry
and convert both of them at the same time.
So there's a bunch of options here.
I'm going to go ahead and do that
and you can see here maybe I've got a frame
that I'm going to put around here,
and I've just got an outline for that
but without any serious real geometry here
that's going to be dependent on a feature.
One other cool thing you can do with the offset tool
is if I sketch a line here and then go and offset it,
I have the ability to create cap ends.
Now what that does, I'm going to turn off these construction
options and go bi-directional, is gives me the ability
to create a slot on the fly.
So I can turn this off and just offset the line
in both directions but if I create cap ends
I can have an arc at the end or just another line
and make a box.
So if you have a path for example that you need to make
a cut out for for a roller or something that inserts
inside of it, you can use this as a clean way
to make that cut out and have the geometry dependent
on a path for example.
So these are all good ways to use the convert
and offset entities.
They are dependent on other geometry already existing
in your 3D SolidWorks model.
But once you have that to rely on,
it's good to throw 'em in here.
If you do for example, want to change these though
after the fact, you're going to want to go in
and delete the relations that are created.
So like here I have offset relations and distance relations,
I can delete all of these, I can delete that.
I can go up into my relations, you see I have all
these on edge and offset relations,
I can delete all of them
and now I can just edit this as if it was a freeform sketch.
So that's using convert entities and offset entities.