Creo sketch mode best practices; are they documented?

[tbraxton]

"Generally, the good practice in defining sketches/sections is to prefer constraints over dimensions, and to prefer surfaces as references over edges/vertices."

This statement came from the PTC R&D team in the context of a discussion involving constraints of a sketch and the resultant feature. I was having difficulty capturing the design intent to produce the desired outcome in the geometry of the part.  The desired result was achievable but only by implementing some unorthodox sketch constraints. The geometry is proprietary so I will not be posting it here.

Has anyone had training on Creo since the intent manager has been deployed as the only sketch environment, and if so do you recall this paradigm from the training? Are there any other resources that explain in detail the algorithms in intent manager with examples of outliers and solutions?

The closest thing I can find on PTC.com is a tutorial titled "Understand Construction Geometry Theory". 

I am looking for some PTC or 3rd party material that delves into the foundations of this statement. It is so fundamental to the capture of design intent it would surely be part of introductory training with examples.

[Michael]

Great topic. I’ve often thought of creating a master class on sketcher: 

Design intent is crucial…

The principle of prioritizing constraints over dimensions and preferring surfaces over edges/vertices as references is key to creating robust and adaptable designs in Creo. Constraints such as parallelism or tangency define relationships between sketch entities based on geometry, making the model more flexible and preserving design intent when changes occur. Dimensions should be used sparingly and only for critical driving features, as over-reliance on them can lead to a rigid design.

Surfaces are preferred over edges or vertices as references because they tend to remain more stable when the model geometry is modified. Edges and vertices can shift or disappear with even minor changes, which can break references and require rework. Using surfaces as references helps ensure that sketches and features remain reliable as the model evolves.

The Intent Manager in Creo plays a crucial role in automatically applying constraints during sketching. While it aids in streamlining the design process, it can sometimes over-constrain or misinterpret the intent if the references or constraints are not applied carefully. By focusing on appropriate constraints and stable references, you can guide the Intent Manager to capture the desired design intent more effectively, resulting in a more robust and flexible model.

I love sketching and practice daily. 

[tbraxton]

Michael,

I know you have some contacts within PTC it would be great if you could get someone to produce some material detailing the nuances of exploiting the intent manager (aka Intent Mangler).