Sketches in assemblies

Sketches in assemblies can be created in a part file or an assembly file. Your design purpose determines which type of sketch you create:

• Create a sketch in a part file to create features that belong to a part.
• Create a sketch in an assembly file to create features that affect multiple parts, such as cuts, holes, and weldments.

The following describes the characteristics of sketches created in an assembly file.

Projected geometry

When creating or editing a sketch created in an assembly file, you can project geometry into the sketch from other assembly components.

An assembly sketch is represented in the assembly browser by a sketch symbol nested under the Origin folder of the top-level assembly. There is no Reference sketch browser symbol.

Sketches consumed by features

When you first create an assembly sketch, it is nested in the browser under the Origin folder of the top-level assembly. If the sketch is later consumed by a feature, such as an extruded cut, the sketch moves to a new browser location. Like all other sketches consumed by features, it is nested under the assembly feature.

Constraint behavior

Like sketches in part files, assembly sketches can be constrained with sketch constraints.

Shared sketches

An assembly sketch cannot be shared with another assembly feature.