Sketched Symbols: Define A Sketched Symbol

Sketched Symbols
This Skill Builder demonstrates how to define and place sketched symbols in drawings.
A sketched symbol is a user-defined symbol. You create sketched symbols in the sketch
environment and save them as drawing resources.
Sketched symbols can be created in a drawing or a template. Symbols created in drawings are
available only in that document, but symbols created in a template are available to all drawings
based on that template. After you place symbols in a drawing, the browser lists each instance in
the Sketched Symbols folder for the sheet.
Define a sketched symbol

1. Open a drawing file or drawing template.
2. Right-click the Sketched Symbols folder in the browser and select Define New Symbol.
3. Use the tools on the Sketch panel bar to create the symbol.
In this example, the sketch includes a rectangular box with a prompted text inside it.
4. Add an insert point to the sketch.

o Click a point in the sketch to select it.
o On the Standard toolbar, click the arrow on the Point tool and select Set Insertion
Point Grip. A sketched symbol can have only one insert point.
5. Add connection points to the sketch.

o Click a point in the sketch to select it.
o On the Standard toolbar, click the arrow on the Point tool and select Connection
Point Grip.
o Add as many connection points as needed.
6. Right-click in the graphics window and select Save Sketched Symbol.
7. Enter the new symbol name in the dialog box. The symbol is added to the Sketched
Symbols folder in the browser.
Add a sketched symbol to a drawing sheet

Two methods are available for placing sketched symbols in the drawing: placing on a selected
point in the graphic window and stacking symbols.
1.
Click the Symbols button on the Drawing Annotations panel bar.
2. In the Symbols dialog box, select the symbol to place. Clear the Leader check box to
place the symbol without a leader. Then click OK.
3. In the graphics window, select a point to place the first symbol.
4. In the Prompted Text dialog box, insert the text for the prompted entry and click OK.
5. Continue placing symbols:

To place symbols to a specific point in the drawing, select a point in the graphics
window.
To stack symbols to the existing sketched symbols, hold the Shift key on your
keyboard, and move the cursor over the square bounding box of an existing sketched
symbol until the constraint icon appears.
Click to place the symbol. The new symbol is stacked to the corresponding side of the
selected symbol.
6. To finish placing the symbols, right-click and select Done.
Other example of stacked symbols

In the following example, ellipse symbols are placed in the drawing. The sketched symbol
Ellipse consists of an ellipse geometry and its insertion point is in the center of the ellipse.
1. To place the Ellipse symbols to specific points in the drawing, select points in the graphic
window. If appropriate, you can select a point on the existing geometry.
2. To stack the Ellipse symbol to an existing symbol, hold the Shift key on your keyboard,
and move the cursor over the square bounding box of a sketched symbol until the
constraint icon appears.
3. Click to place the symbol. The new symbol is stacked at the corresponding side of the
selected symbol.
4. You can continue stacking Ellipse symbols.

7
5. If needed, you can stack Ellipse symbols to other types of sketched symbols.
Placing sketched symbols in previous releases

Stacking functionality was introduced in Autodesk Inventor 11. Originally the Stacking method
was set as the default placement method while the On Point placement was available when
holding the Shift key.
As some users were confused by the new behavior, the functionality was reversed in Autodesk
Inventor 2008. The On Point placement is now the default method and the stacking functionality
is available when holding the Shift key.
Note: In Service Pack 3 for Autodesk Inventor 11, the On Point placement is the default method
and the stacking functionality is available when holding the Shift key.
Summary
In this Skill Builder, you learned how to define a sketched symbol and how to insert and stack
sketched symbols in the drawing. Try using sketched symbols to create special tables in your
drawings. For more information, see the Help pages related to Sketched Symbols.

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Sketched Symbols

Define a sketched symbol

4. Add an insert point to the sketch.

5. Add connection points to the sketch.

6. Right-click in the graphics window and select Save Sketched Symbol.

Add a sketched symbol to a drawing sheet

3. In the graphics window, select a point to place the first symbol.

5. Continue placing symbols:

6. To finish placing the symbols, right-click and select Done.

Other example of stacked symbols

4. You can continue stacking Ellipse symbols.

Placing sketched symbols in previous releases

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