Under defined, fully defined, and over defined sketches

SOLIDWORKS sketches can fall under three status categories according to how they are defined. They can be under defined, fully defined, or over defined. These terms have already been mentioned briefly, but in this section, we will explore what those statuses are, as well as some ways to deal with them. We will explore these different statuses by drawing and defining a triangle that's under defined so that it becomes over defined.

Under defined sketches

Usually, the starting point of a sketch is under defined. Under defined sketches have parts of them that are loose or lack proper definition; for example, a line without a specific length. To find out more about under defined sketches, we'll examine the following sketch. We will use the MMGS measurement system for this exercise. We have indicated the lines and points with the letters L and P for reference:

Figure 3.49 – An under defined...