Grid command in Solid Works

Establishing a Grid System

1. Click Grid System (Features toolbar) or Insert > Reference Geometry > Grid System in a component or assembly.
   On the upper plane, a drawing begins. Before utilizing the Grid System tool, choose the plane on which you want to sketch.
2. Make a drawing that depicts the grid.
3. Click Exit Sketch in the Confirmation Corner.
4. Click after setting parameters in the Property Manager.

What follows happens:

• Each level of the construction has a copy of the sketch.
• The grid pieces in the drawing are designated by balloons.
• At each level, reference planes are made.
• The altitudes of each grid line are related to a surface.
• On each anticipated junction of the grid lines and levels of the structure, sketch points are added.
• Between each level of the building, a 3D drawing is made to serve as a support.

A derived sketch or reference plane used in the grid system cannot be changed.

Browse Grid

Adjust the grid's visibility in drawings.

• Toggle between the following:
• Things to Hide/Show > Browse Grid
• Tool View Grid View.png for the View Grid (View toolbar)
• Grid under View > Hide/Show

Grid Displaying

A latticed-point grid may be shown using the Grid command to help you see distances, angles, and object connections. Printing or plotting the grid is not done.

How to configure the grid display

1. In the command prompt, type Grid.
2. Enter a spacing value or give choices:
   • Drawing Bounds: Shows the grid outside of the defined drawing boundaries region. To display the grid outside of the drawing bounds, provide the Yes option.
   • The grid interval is set to the current snap interval when you snap.
   • Off: Deactivates the grid.
   • Uses the current grid spacing to turn the grid on.
   • Setting the horizontal and vertical spacing is possible using spacing.

Access

Control: Grid

Changing Snap

The graphics area has an unseen grid called the snap grid. When snap is turned on, only points that are immediately on the snap grid are selected by the pointer. Start points, finish points, center points, and other points all fall precisely on snap grid points when you point at the drawing.

To calculate the separation between snap points, use the Snap command. The axes of the current coordinate system are followed by the snap grid.

Also included is an isometric snapping technique. Create 2D isometric drawings of 3D objects with isometric snap.

Turning on and off the snap

Choose one of these:

• In the status bar, choose Snap.
• F9 is pressed.
• Fn + F9 on your keyboard.

Setting snap:

1. At the command prompt, type Snap.
2. Type a positive integer or choose two points that correspond to the snap spacing to determine snap spacing.
   The grid display specified by the Grid command often matches the snap grid. Setting the snap grid to only a portion of the grid display is another option.
3. Choose the On or Off choices to turn snap on or off.
4. By selecting the Spacing option and entering values for the horizontal and vertical spacing, you may adjust the X and Y spacing of the snap grid.
5. Choose the Grid choice, then specify:
   • Isometric establishes a snap grid that is isometric and oriented along lines that are 30, 90, and 150 degrees from the horizontal axis. When asked, provide the vertical spacing for an isometric snap grid. Isometric snap cannot have varied Spacing values, in contrast to rectangular snap. To choose the active isometric plane to draw on, use the IsometricGrid command (left, top, or right).
   • Rectangular creates an orthogonal snap grid with the X and Y axes of the current coordinate system running parallel.
6. To choose the type of snap, use the Orientation option to specify:
   • Grid switches to a regular snap.
   • A polar angle increment guides the alignment of the radial snap grid. Put a radius on the snap spacing.

To establish an alternative base point for the snap grid from the World Coordinate System origin, create a coordinate system using the CCS command (WCS). You may rotate the snap grid with the CCS command.

Establishing boundaries

To limit the graphics area and specify the size of the grid display, use the Drawing Bounds command. Printing and charting can both benefit from the use of boundaries. You just need to select printing by drawing boundaries to create a plot of your whole drawing if your graphics area is configured to scale directly to the standard drawing Sheet, independent of the current display in the drawing window.

Set limits by sketching them:

1. Next select Format > Drawing Boundary (or type DrawingBounds).
2. Choose a point to represent the graphics area's lower left corner.
3. Choose a point to represent the graphics area's upper right corner.

Turn on boundary checking by saying:

1. Next select Format > Drawing Boundary (or type DrawingBounds).
2. To enforce boundary checking by blocking points outside the drawing border, use the on option.

For boundary checking to be disabled:

1. Next select Format > Drawing Boundary (or type DrawingBounds).
2. Choose Off as your choice.

Establishing boundaries

To limit the graphics area and specify the size of the grid display, use the DrawingBounds command. Printing and charting can both benefit from the use of boundaries.

You just need to select printing by drawing boundaries to create a plot of your whole drawing if your graphics area is configured to scale directly to the standard drawing Sheet, independent of the current display in the drawing window.

Set limits by sketching them:

1. Next select Format > Drawing Boundary (or type Drawing Bounds).
2. Choose a point to represent the graphics area's lower left corner.
3. Choose a point to represent the graphics area's upper right corner.

Turn on boundary checking by saying:

1. Next select Format > Drawing Boundary (or type Drawing Bounds).
2. To enforce boundary checking by blocking points outside the drawing border, use the on option.

For boundary checking to be disabled:

1. Next select Format > Drawing Boundary (or type DrawingBounds).
2. Choose Off as your choice.

Unit and Precision Specification

You may configure the Unit System command to:

• Formats for units of length and angle
• Degrees of accuracy by indicating the number of decimal places
• The drawing's blocks and drawings' standard unit of measurement

The formats and precision for both linear and angular units are individually adjustable.

The unit settings might vary from drawing to drawing since they are stored with each drawing.

To be precise with units:

1. Next select Format > Unit System (or type UnitSystem).
   The Drawing Settings page appears in the Options dialogue box, and the Unit System expands.
2. Base angle under
   • Set the direction-specific base angle to 0 degrees. For instance, surveyors typically mark 0° on the page as "up." This option guarantees the accurate display of angle and distance for drawing lines; the status bar display refreshes in accordance with the orientation and direction of angle zero.
   • To increase angles in a clockwise manner, select Clockwise.
   • Adjust the rotation angle or choose the graphic area's second point by clicking Select in the graphic area.
3. Set the under Length to:
   • Linear unit type.
   • 0 to 8 decimal places of accuracy.
   In the Preview section, the chosen units are shown.
4. Set the kind of angular units under Angle.
   • 0 to 8 decimal places of accuracy.
   • In the Preview section, the chosen units are shown.
5. Choose the reference unit of measurement for Blocks and drawings in the drawing under Units scale. To stop entities from scaling, use Unitless. The Block is scaled if the units of a Block (or picture) to be inserted are different from the units in the Block units' format. The ratio between the units in the source drawing and the units in the destination drawing is established by this insertion scale.
6. Choose OK.

Alternating Isometric Snap Grids

Three isometric snap grids-left, top, and right-can be chosen when making isometric drawings.

Between different isometric snap grids:

1. Ensure that isometric is selected as the snap style and that snap mode is on.
2. In the command prompt, type Isometric Grid or press F5.
   In the command prompt, type Isometric Grid or press Fn + F5.
3. Provide a choice:
   • Left: Aligns the snap grid with the left plane, which is indicated by the pair of the 90° and 150° axes.
   • Right: Places the snap grid in the right plane, which is determined by the pair of the 90° and 30° axes.
   • Top: Sets the snap grid to the top plane, which is delineated by the pair of the 30° and 150° axes.

The isometric axes specified by the selected plane are aligned along in orthogonal mode. There are three isometric axes: 30, 90, and 150 degrees.