Fix / Unfix Relation
Fix pins a piece or a point exactly where it is now, so it never moves. Unfix lets it go again. A Fixed piece acts as an anchor for every other relation, and Fixing is what lets a sketch become fully defined.
When to Use It
- Pin the first piece of a sketch so the rest is built from it
- Hold a point in place while the rest of its piece can still move
- Finish defining a sketch so every piece turns black (see Relations)
Step by Step
- Open a sketch and draw the pieces (see Lines, Circles and Rectangles). Sketching is part of modeling, which comes with the Pro plans.
- Click Select on the Sketch tab (or press S).
- Click the piece (or pieces) to fix. Each click adds one. To fix one point instead, move the pointer over a piece until its dots show, then click a dot (an end, a corner or a center).
- Keep the pointer still for about half a second. In the bar, click Fix. Or right-click the selection and choose Fix under Make them, or click Fix under Add a relation in the Properties panel.
- A message says Fixed: that piece stays exactly where it is. Ctrl+Z takes it back. (for several pieces, Fixed: those pieces stay exactly where they are.).
- To release it, select it again. The button now reads Unfix. Click it. The message says Unfixed. The pieces move freely again.
Options
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Pieces | One or more lines, polylines, rectangles, circles or arcs. All of them are Fixed in one go. |
| One point | One point picked on its own. Only that point is pinned; the rest of its piece can still move (Fixed: that point stays exactly where it is; the rest of [piece] can still move.). A line's middle point, the origin and part edges are not offered Fix. |
| Unfix | Appears instead of Fix when every piece picked is already Fixed (or the point already is). The message for a point is Unfixed. The point moves freely again. |
| Part edges | Not offered Fix. A part edge never moves anyway. |
| Anchor | A Fixed piece never moves when another relation is added. The other piece moves to meet it (see The Anchor Rule on the Relations page). |
| Listed as | Fixed, in the Properties panel and the Edit list. The x beside it unfixes the piece. |
Tips
- Fix the first piece you draw, then build the rest with relations and sizes, to get a fully defined sketch fast.
- Fix holds a piece's position and size exactly as they are now. To change them, Unfix first.
- Pinning a point is gentler than pinning a piece: use it to hold one corner while the other corner moves.
- To remove a Fix, click the x beside it in the Properties panel or the Edit list, or click its green square and press Delete.
If Something Goes Wrong
- "Fix works on lines, polylines, rectangles, circles and arcs. A combined outline has to be broken apart first." A combined outline cannot be Fixed. Right-click it and choose Break apart, then Fix the pieces.
- "Fixing that would over define the sketch: a dimension or relation already sets part of where it is. Delete that one first (Edit, Constraints), or fix another piece. Nothing changed." Something already decides where the piece sits. Delete that size or relation first.
- "Fixing that point would over define the sketch: a dimension or relation already sets where it is. Delete that one first (Edit, Constraints). Nothing changed." The same, for a single point.
- Fix is not in the bar. It is only offered for pieces or for one point on its own. A point picked together with a piece does not offer it.