Snapping to Geometry When Positioning a Component
When positioning a component using the dragger, the component reference for the current constraint may already be selected. In such cases you can create a constraint between the component reference of the current constraint and a geometric entity that does not belong to the component reference. To do so, point to the geometric entity using the dragger and hold down the SHIFT key as you pull the dragger in a linear direction. If you release the left mouse button while holding down the SHIFT key, the component reference snaps to the projection of the pointed geometry (assembly reference) in the dragging direction. A new constraint is created between the component reference of the current constraint and the pointed geometry in the same direction. If you release the SHIFT key and continue dragging, the component is positioned using just the dragger. This type of snapping occurs for the following selections:
• The component reference is one of the following entities:
◦ An axis, a straight edge, or a straight line
◦ A point or a vertex
◦ A planar surface that is perpendicular to the dragging direction
• The assembly reference (the geometry that you point to) is one of the following entities:
◦ An axis, a straight edge, or a straight line perpendicular to the dragging direction
◦ A point or a vertex
◦ A planar surface that is perpendicular to the dragging direction
◦ A cone, torus, cylinder, or a sphere
• The assembly reference must not be an entity that is a part of the component reference.
These snapping operations create coincident or distance constraints depending on the component reference and the assembly reference as described in the Example topic.