19.7.2 Modifying objects by changing dimensions

Use dimensions between lines and vertices to define and maintain dimensional relationships between features. Dimensions can be applied between lines and vertices from any of the following:

Sketch geometry
Reference geometry
Construction geometry

For example, consider a three-dimensional shell with an extruded circular post, as shown in the following figure:

This part was created in two steps:

Create a part consisting of only the shell.
Extrude a solid feature from the face of the shell (the circular post).

In this example the user wants to keep the distance between the left edge of the shell and the center of the post constant, regardless of how the shell is resized. To maintain this relationship, the user edits the post and adds a dimension between the center of the sketched circle and the left edge of the reference geometry that represents the shell, as shown in the following figure:

If the user moves either the left or the right edge of the shell, the distance between the center of the circle and the left edge remains constant, as shown in the following figure:

You can modify linear, angular, and radial dimensions. For detailed instructions, see “Moving and resizing Sketcher objects by modifying their dimensions,” Section 19.14.2.