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Hi,

New to group.

I have tried quite a few design tools, and I like FreeCad very much but have never got the hang of multiple sketches on the same axis.

Just started playing with 123d Design which I like a lot for the kind of things I do but I cannot work out if it supports measurements from one edge to another as I move something.

So far I have coped by moving something, and then measuring the distance between the edges and then working out the difference and moving again and then measuring again, but this is a pain.

There must be an easier way? What I would like is to be able to position an object in reference to other edges/positions.

All the movements seem to relevant to the CURRENT position which is not very friendly.

Advice greatly appreciated,

Jase

3 Likes
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Hi Jase,

sorry but I didn’t get the problem i am afraid. Can you add a screen shot which explains the issue?

Cheers,

Joerg

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I did not explain well so screen shot added.

Imagine two primitives that I wish to combine together. Lets say a big cube and a smaller cube.

The big cube has been fixed into position and I wish to move the smaller cube so it is 3mm below the top edge of the bigger cube.

My screenshot shows the current measurement of 5mm distance. I would like to be able to move the smaller cube while seeing this distance update as I move it up by 2mm. I can’t find a way of doing this.

I seem to have see the current distance (5mm) and work out manually how far I need to move the smaller cube (2mm), move it that distance, and then check the measurement again to make sure OK.

So I am asking if there is a way to see that distance change as I move the smaller cube.

Thanks!

Screen Shot 2016-01-12 at 08.25.25.png
Screen Shot 2016-01-12 at 08.25.25.png1280×800 134 KB

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ok, I made a short video which shows the Snap, Move and Align tools. After uploading it I recognized that the movements are very quick, so it might help to view it a couple of times :wink:

The Snap tool always places objects centered to each other. The Move tool shows the amount of movement in the current axis and the Align tool aligns object to each other according to the alignment points you choose.
When you press “D” while an object is marked it is dropped to the workplane.

Hope this helps

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrVlGccBCCM

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Thanks for that and I get all that, but it still doesn’t give me what I want.

So yes I could align the small cube to the top of the larger, and then move down -10mm. But that still not a single step and I would probably still check it with the measure tool afterwards just to be sure. So three steps, rather than one.

So I don’t NEED what I am asking for, but it would be a good feature which would remove steps and speed things up - not massively but a little.

And annoyingly (on a Mac), the software sometimes forgets I am trying to snap to 1mm and uses a snap of 5mm on the move. I have to change the snap and then set it back to 1mm for move to start behaving again.

Thanks for your replies.

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ok it seems that I have a different approach.
When I move an object 10mm I never measure afterwards, because I am sure that it has been moved 10mm :wink:

It is also possible to align parts while you draw them, may be this saves one step for you.

Regarding your snap problem I don’t think that it is Mac related, but it depends on how far you have zoomed in. The closer you are the finer are the steps used for snapping and vice versa.

Cheers

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You can click around on the measurement, then edit the measurement to move the item. I’ve done this a couple of times. I agree that it’s far from intuitive, and the software doesn’t seem to be geared towards working this way. But it is possible.