SolidWorks 2010 Bible

Part VII: Working with Specialized Functionality

FIGURE 29.27

The Cross Break forming tool applied to a part

When you place a Cross Break feature, you have the option to edit the sketch profile that creates

the cross. This sketch has two intersecting lines. You cannot add more lines; the feature will fail if

you have more than two lines in the sketch. (For example, if you wanted to put three breaks across

a hexagonal face, the software will not allow this.) The lines do not have to end at a corner, but

they do have to end at an edge. If the lines extend past or fall short of an edge, the feature will dis-

play a red X error icon, but it still creates the break lines where the sketch lines are.

Figure 29.28 shows the Cross Break PropertyManager and a part to which a Cross Break was applied.

Notice that you can see the break lines through the solid, much like curves or cosmetic threads.

The Cross Break feature shows up in the FeatureManager just like any other feature, not like a cos-

metic thread, which is the only other entity in the software that the Cross Break much resembles.

FIGURE 29.28

Creating a Cross Break