What's the use of 'convert entities'?

[squale]

when and why would you use this?

[JerryFlyGuy]

For many obvious & diverse reasons.....












it saves re-drawing geometry which already exists in the model.. if you do the tutorials.. you'll come across it soon enough..

[squale]

is it mainly for copying a sketch onto another plane in another sketch?

[zenbot]

Its a very useful and often used tool. using convert entities you can take lines from existing solid bodies and "convert" them to a sketch plane. say you have a simple block with a whole on one side. you can set the opposite side as your sketch plane and select the edge of the hole and hit "convert entities". There will then be a circle the same diameter as the hole on your sketch. From then on, when you change the diameter of the first hole, the new sketch will change as well.

[DareBee]

X2 Zenbot
I use it heavily for child part creation in assemblies as well (same as offset entities).

[squale]

can convert entities only convert sketch entities or can it actually take the entire feature (like an extruded cut hole) and then convert that same feature to another side of the part?

[JerryFlyGuy]

It takes the entire geometry and converts it.. if you expand the 'extrude' in the feature tree and click the imbeded sketch.. it will convert the entire sketch.

The real beauty of it is that it's parametric.. you can use it to place a mating hole from one part to another in an assembly.. and later move or change the hole size.. and the 'converted' hole will follow along..

[squale]

but again, can it convert the entire feature or just the sketch that drives the feature?

[DareBee]

NEITHER

Copying a feature has nothing to do with sketches, and convert entities is a SKETCH tool.
It converts a sketch if you select an entire sketch.
If you select the face of a feature it will convert the outside edges.
If you select the ID of a hole it will convert the edge circle of the hole.
If you select one edge of a part, it converts that.
ETC, ETC

[JerryFlyGuy]

For those who never bother to read the help files..