Create a Parametric Symbol - Intergraph Smart 3D - Help - Hexagon

SmartSketch Drawing Editor Help

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Intergraph Smart 3D
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Smart 3D Version
13
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11

To create a parametric symbol, you must take the following steps in the order that they are listed. Before you begin, select the Maintain Relationships option on the Tools menu.

Create a Symbol with Driving Dimensions

  1. Click File > New.

  2. Draw the elements that you plan to use in the symbol.

  3. On the Main toolbar, click the Dimension button Dimension.

  4. On the Dimension toolbar, click the SmartDimension button Smart Dimension.

    • On the ribbon bar, make sure that Driving/Driven Driving/Driven is set, if you have turned it off when previously placing dimensions.

    • Do not use the Angle button on the ribbon bar if you want users to rotate the symbol.

    SHARED Tip You can use any of the dimension buttons on the Dimension toolbar to place your dimensions.

  5. Click an element.

  6. Click to place a driving dimension.

    SHARED Tip Repeat this step to place up to four driving dimensions. These dimensions are used to create the parametric handles for the height and width of the parametric symbol. You can use up to four dimensions for the parametric handles.

  7. Select the elements that you want for the symbol and create a symbol.

Set Up Parametric Handles

  1. Open the symbol document that you just created.

  2. On the Symbol Authoring Tools toolbar, click Symbol Properties Symbol Properties.

  3. The Parameters tab on the Symbol Properties dialog box automatically displays the driving dimensions in the symbol document.

  4. On the Parameters tab, select a driving dimension in the table by clicking the appropriate row. For example, for the dimension 30.000 mm, you would want to select the row that displayed the value 30.000 mm.

    SHARED Tip If you move the Symbol Properties dialog box to one side of the document window, you can see the dimension that you selected on the Parameters tab highlighted in the document.

  5. In the Symbol Parameter box, select a row to apply Top, Bottom, Left, or Right to the row. For example, for the dimension 30.000 mm, you would want to select Right.

    • You can also click Apply.

    • Selecting Top, Bottom, Left, or Right determines the place on the finished symbol where the yellow parametric handles appear. For example, if you select Top and Left, the parametric handles appear at the top center and left center of the symbol range box.

    • While creating a parametric symbol that grows when text is added, you must identify the two primary dimensions as TextHeight and TextWidth, instead of selecting Top, Bottom, Left, or Right.

  6. Repeat the previous two steps as necessary for the number of handles that you want to appear on the symbol. You can identify up to four parametric handles. In the current example, for the dimension 20.000 mm, you would want to select Bottom

  7. Click File > Save.

  8. This procedure creates drag handles that appear as square yellow handles on the symbol's range box. You can place the symbol and use the drag handles to move the symbol in the document. In a new document, drag the symbol that you created.

The parametric handles do no support grid snap. You cannot define a step distance. Parametric handles change the represented dimension by the precision units defined on the Units tab of the Properties dialog box. You can access the Properties dialog box by clicking Properties on the File menu.

To use this functionality, you must install the Symbol Authoring option.