Part Modeling > Sections in Sketch-based Features > To Enter Sketch for a Sketch-based Feature
  
To Enter Sketch for a Sketch-based Feature
When you create a sketch-based feature, you can select a sketch or a sketch plane first and then open the tool, or you can open the tool and then select a sketch or sketch plane, or open the tool and create a sketch.
Whenever possible, references to orient the sketching plane are selected automatically so that you can open the Sketch tab by selecting a valid sketching reference and bypass the Sketch dialog box. The automatic references are based on the part’s default datum planes or default coordinate system. If the default coordinate system is used to orient the sketching plane, the x-axis of the coordinate system is used as the horizontal reference.
You can reorient a sketch at any time by clicking Sketch > Sketch Setup and changing items in the Sketch box. You can also click Sketch > Setup > Section Orientation and clicking one of the following commands, or by right-clicking the graphics window and choosing a shortcut menu command:
Set horizontal reference—Sets the selected linear external reference or centerline as the horizontal orientation reference for the sketch.
Set vertical reference—Sets the selected linear external reference or centerline as the vertical orientation reference for the sketch.
Restore section orientation—Returns the section to the default orientation after you set an orientation that is different than the default orientation.
Flip section orientation—Reverses the orientation direction to the opposite side of the sketch orientation reference.
Flip sketching plane—Reverses the sketch plane direction to the opposite side of the planar reference
Select a sketch first (object-action)
This method opens a tool with a sketch already selected.
1. Select a sketch in the Model Tree or graphics window.
2. Click the desired tool. The tool tab opens.
Select a sketch plane first (object-action)
This method opens the Sketch tab, bypassing the Sketch dialog box.
1. Select a datum plane or planar surface as the sketch plane.
2. Click the desired tool. The tool tab and the Sketch tab open.
3. Sketch a section, and then click OK. The Sketch tab closes, and the tool tab remains open.
Open the tool first and select a sketch (action-object)
This method uses an existing sketch, bypassing the Sketch tab.
1. Click the desired tool. The tool tab opens.
2. Click the Sketch collector and select a sketch in the Model Tree or graphics window. The tool tab remains open.
Open the tool first and select a sketch plane (action-object)
This method opens the tool tab first and then the Sketch tab, bypassing the Sketch dialog box.
1. Click the desired tool. The tool tab opens.
2. To select a sketch, click the Sketch collector and select a datum plane or planar surface in the Model Tree or graphics window. The Sketch tab opens.
3. Sketch a section, and then click OK. The Sketch tab closes, and the tool tab remains open.
Open the tool first and create a sketch (action-object)
1. Click the desired tool. The tool tab opens.
2. To create a sketch, click the Sketch collector, and click Define. The Sketch dialog box opens.
3. Define the sketch plane and orientation by performing one of these actions:
To define new sketch plane and orientation settings:
1. To define the sketch plane, click the Plane collector and select a plane or planar surface.
2. If required, to reverse the sketch plane direction to the opposite side of the planar reference, click Flip.
3. To define the view orientation, click the Reference collector and select a reference such as a surface, plane or edge.
4. To define the direction the orientation reference represents, select a direction from the Orientation menu.
5. Click Sketch. The Sketch tab opens.
To use the same sketch plane and orientation settings as the last created sketch, click Use Previous. The Sketch tab opens.
4. Sketch a section, and then click OK. The Sketch tab closes, and the tool tab remains open.