Using the Sketch Tools

To use any of the sketch tools to sketch in 2D, you must first display the sketch grid. If you have a planar surface highlighted, you can hover over planar surfaces in the design to highlight surfaces for the sketch grid. In general, to use a sketch tool:

  1. Click Sketch Mode in the Mode group on the Design tab.
  2. Choose where you want to sketch.

    Hover over the planes and planar faces in your design to preview the location and orientation of the sketch grid.

    The sketch grid is placed automatically if you pre-select an object in the active component before you click Sketch Mode. If you pre-select an origin object, the sketch grid will be aligned with its X and Y axes and the sketch origin will be centered on the origin object. If you pre-select axes objects, the grid will run through the axes.

    If you previously selected a set of references that define a plane, the sketch grid is placed on the defined plane. The sketch grid mini-toolbar allows you to switch from sketching on one plane to sketching on another without leaving the sketch tools.

    1. If the sketch grid is currently displayed, click Select New Sketch Plane in the mini-toolbar, or right-click and select Select New Sketch Plane from the context menu.
    2. Hover over any existing geometry to display existing planes.
    3. Click to select the highlighted plane and display the sketch grid. Any vertices or edges on the plane are drawn in the current layer color and bolded.
    4. (Optional) Click Plan View in the mini-toolbar or in the Orient ribbon group to view the sketch grid head-on.
  3. (Optional) Move or rotate the sketch grid.
    1. (Optional) Select any points, lines, or curves that you want to move with the sketch grid.
    2. Click Move Grid in the mini-toolbar.
    3. Use the Move handle to move or rotate the sketch grid. Highlighted curves will be moved with the grid.
    4. (Optional) Use the Orient To Object tool guide to orient the sketch grid to an object in the Design window. The object does not have to lie in the sketch plane.
  4. Select any sketch tool from the Sketch ribbon group.

    You can draw points, lines, tangent lines, construction lines, rectangles, three-point rectangles, circles, three-point circles, ellipses, splines, tangent arcs, three-point arcs, sweep arcs, and polygons using the sketch tools. You can also create sketch lines by projecting the edges of 3D solids onto the sketch grid.

    Discovery's sketch tools also let you split, trim, and offset lines, as well as create corners and rounded corners.

  5. Draw with the tool.

    While hovering, Discovery also provides extension lines when you are parallel to an edge or perpendicular to an end point. For certain drawing tools, it displays indicators of tangency, line midpoint, line end point, squares, and golden rectangles.

    All tools let you enter dimensions while sketching. In some tools, you can press Shift at a reference point to see dimensions from that point to the cursor.

  6. When you are done sketching with the tool, you can:

    • Click another sketching tool.

    • Click Return to 3D Mode in the mini-toolbar or 3D Mode in the Mode group in the ribbon bar to pull your sketch to 3D.

    • Press Esc or click the Select tool in the Edit ribbon group to edit the sketch.