Locking references in sketches to bodies

Hi,
I can’t seem to figure that out: for a simple example, I’m trying to build a stack of two boxes where the second one is always set in by a certain amount around the sides. So I go ahead and sketch out a rectangle and extrude it. Then I’ll sketch another rectangle on the top face, set the dimension to be a certain distance from the initial box edges and extrude that one too. Now what is not working as I expect are the two following:

  1. Selecting the initial sketch and changing its dimensions changes neither of the two extruded bodies

  2. Moving one of the first body’s faces will not move the second body’s face. I can see that a new sketch curve was created during dimensioning in the second body’s sketch plane which stays at position.

Is there a way to strictly link the sketches and references to the bodies (or vice versa, actually)

  1. Sketches are independent of the 3D bodies that are extruded from them. So once the body(s) are extruded you can delete the sketch or change it in any way you need and the bodies will not be changed

  2. Yes those bodies are also not constrained to each other. Try selecting multiple faces or edges and move those together and maybe that will do what you are trying to do.

Here is an example of what I mean for selecting and manipulating multiple faces or edges:

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Well too bad but thanks for the reply. Coming from desktop cad I feel I might have to rethink some

Yes, working in Shapr3D is different than working on desktop or almost any other cad. But once you catch the way it works a lot of things become easier. But not everything.

It feels like Shapr3d wants to be both an artistic modeller AND an “engineering” modeller. Without being able to keep bodies and sketches locked together, I don’t know how it can do the latter. You don’t seem to be able to enforce constraints on the bodies, and even if you could, having to do it all twice only to have the much easier to work with sketch seems silly.

I really hope I’m wrong, I want to use this software as it’s the only real ipados+osx combo out there, but I have yet to see a tutorial on how to create something “mechanical” that has to be constrained and then later on in the tutorial, changing aspects of the constraints and having the model automatically adjust as the constraints do.

I actually like not having to rely on sketch constraints for my 3D objects after having worked with Fusion 360 for a few years. I’ve seen how messed up the bodies can get when adjusting their origin sketches and I’m not disciplined enough to always go back to the sketch to make every little change.

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I don’t know about you.
But I hate it when your design is bound to a sketch.
I used to be OnShape guy.
I didn’t like how a sketch can miss your part up.
But eh :man_shrugging: I worked with it anyway.

Shapr3d sketches are more like a Blueprint you can create many bodies with it.

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That’s fair.

How do you do constrained modeling with Shapr3D? What types of modeling do you do? I’m eager to learn, but not sure how to start.

I can create sketches and extrude them. Works great. I can manipulate the 3D body to change things easily (grow or shrink holes, etc) but I can’t maintain a relationship between features when I manipulate the 3D model. eg. I can’t say (this hole must be concentric with this other one, this feature must always be 5cm from this other feature, etc.

How do you do this in Shapr3D?

We are still waiting for this feature in shapr3d.
But it’s coming for sure ‘hopefully’ :crossed_fingers:.
I did liked this feature in Onshape though.