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      How can one or numerous circles be plotted in Spaceclaim by providing center coordinate and radius?

      This article will inform the reader on how to use dimension to generate circles by center coordinate and radius.  The use of the move tool is also shown for moving a point to a desired location and generating a circle there. It also shows how to use scripting to generate circles by center coordinate and radius, especially for situations where many circles are needed.  This avoids the need to draw by mouse and specify dimensions for every circle. 

       

      Dimensioning in Sketch 

      When sketching a circle, one can click to set the circle's center and then dimension the points relative to other sketch objects. This allows for precise placement and sizing of the circle.  In the example below, Spaceclaim puts a circle center at a grid point, but then the user can use the dimension tool to locate it relative to the coordinate axes with the following steps: 

      Step 1: activate Dimension 

      Step 2: left-click circle center 

      Step 3: left-click axis 

      Step 4: left-click dimension and edit 

      Step 5: left-click circle center 

      Step 6: left-click axis 

      Step 7: left-click dimension and edit 

       

       

       

      Point Creation and Point Move 

      Another option could be to insert a Point, and move that point to the coordinate location that you desire.  A circle can be generated using that point as the center, assuming the point is in the sketch plane.  In the example below the point is moved to (3.14, 6.28, 0). 

      Step 1: create point (Design --> Create --> Point 

      Step 2: move point (Design --> Move,  right-click point and select [XYZ], edit coordinates 

      Step 3: select plane and activate sketch, create circle from center and use Point 

      Scripting 

      For numerous circles (dozens, hundreds) scripting is recommended.  Below is an example script that generates 3 circles on the ZX plane.  The MM values in the origin address the coordinate location of the circle center.  The MM value in the result addresses the radius of the circle. 

       

      # Set Sketch Plane 

      sectionPlane = Plane.PlaneZX 

      # EndBlock 

       

      # Sketch Circle 

      origin = Point2D.Create(MM(4.63921024286007), MM(6.25661719833556)) 

      result = SketchCircle.Create(origin, MM(7.46929588923453)) 

      # EndBlock 

       

      # Sketch Circle 

      origin = Point2D.Create(MM(14.63921024286007), MM(16.25661719833556)) 

      result = SketchCircle.Create(origin, MM(17.46929588923453)) 

      # EndBlock 

       

      # Sketch Circle 

      origin = Point2D.Create(MM(114.63921024286007), MM(116.25661719833556)) 

      result = SketchCircle.Create(origin, MM(117.46929588923453)) 

      # EndBlock 

      One can activate the Design>Scripting tool from the menu and then generate a preliminary circle in the usual graphical way.  The scripting tool records the steps.  This script can be augmented by adding the scripting for the two additional circles.  So, one can use the scripting tool to record usual steps to see how the script language looks and works.  One could generate the plane, if needed, and the first circle manually and then copy-paste-edit the next sequence of circles. 

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