Closing an open contour

No, there isn't a tool that I'm aware of, but you can go to Tools/Sketch Tools/Check Sketch for Feature to help find the break. It should fail when checked for a Base Extrude, and highlight the segment at the break.

WT

And what a PITA searching for segment breaks can be (i.e. imported geometry into SW drawing)

Kman

Got to Options --> System Options --> Sketch and toggle on "Display arc centerpoints in part/assembly sketches" and "Display entity points in part/assembly sketches". This may help track down breaks.

Also, you may use the sketch repair tool in the "2D to 3D" tools. This tool works even for non-mported sketches.

Last resort: at each corner of your contour, trim back the curves so the poins are separated and rejoin them using the "merge" constraint (pick each point separately and select "merge" from the constraint options).

Sometimes tools/check sketch for feature gives wierd results - it shows good areas as having a problem. When it does, I use the following

RMB click a segment and choose 'select chain' from the context sensitive menu. The highlighted chain ends at the break, making it really easy to find

If the entire loop is highlighted when you select chain, you will know you are down to a single break in the chain. RMB click any segment and turn it into construction, and repeat the select chain process. Turning a segment into construction takes it out fo the cahin, and you will find the endpoint right away. If the entire loop still gets picked, you know the break is at one end or the other of the segment you turned into construction.

Ed,

Very useful technique! I may have been spending way to much time searching for breaks that probably weren't there. My standard procedure and that's why I said pain ITA, was to delete the suspect geometry and fix.

Kman

Tools/Sketch

Ed,

Simply brilliant. Or brilliantly simple. Anyway, I like it!

Jerry Steiger Tripod Data Systems "take the garbage out, dear"

snipped-for-privacy@misl-usa.com (kate) wrote in news:ed276352.0405061457.32039b04 @posting.google.com:

Wow, all these responses and no one mentioned Tools, Sketch Tools, Repair Sketch?

It only closes gaps under a certain size, but certainly I have found this useful, particularly with imported crap from Autocad.

matt