Weld and Unweld

Purpose#

A weld joins endpoints of several elements into a shared joint: if you then drag an endpoint with the grip or move an element, the joined corners stay together. When drawing with object snap such joints are created automatically (Auto-weld); the command Weld creates them afterwards — also across small gaps, within a tolerance. Unweld removes the joints of the selected elements again.

Welds can be recognized by the green diamonds at the endpoints.

Access#

• Ribbon: group Constraints, split button Weld (1); the triangle opens Unweld (2) and the switch for the markers (3). At 1400 pixels width the group is collapsed — its triangle shows all tools of the group.
• Classic toolbar: group Constraints — at 1400 pixels width in the overflow menu ☰ —, family Weld with drop-down triangle.
• Command search : Weld, Unweld.
• Without a selection, post-selection begins (Weld: choose elements — Enter or right-click accepts, ESC cancels).

Weld#

Weld Select elements and start the tool — it acts immediately on the selection:

1. The dialog Weld — tolerance opens. The tolerance (default 0.01 mm, afterwards the last used value) says how far apart endpoints may be at most to be joined.
2. Click Weld. All endpoints of the selected elements lying closer together than the tolerance are pulled together into a shared point.
3. The dialog Weld completed shows the result — how many welds were created, how many points joined and which elements had to be shifted geometrically for it.

The status line summarizes: 2 weld(s) created, 4 point(s) joined — 3 shifted. If all endpoints are farther apart than the tolerance, nothing is created (No weld within the tolerance (0.01 mm)); elements without endpoints — circles, ellipses — have nothing to weld (No weldable endpoints found).

Unweld#

Unweld Select elements and start the tool: all joints in which the selected elements take part are released — 3 weld point(s) released. The geometry stays unchanged, the diamonds disappear; the endpoints can now be dragged individually. Without joints on the selection: No welds on the selection.

Showing and hiding the markers#

The third entry of the family switches the green diamonds on or off drawing-wide (Weld markers shown / Weld markers hidden). The state is saved with the settings; the joints themselves remain effective in any case.

Options and relations#

• Joints act when dragging grips, when stretching and with the constraints: the solver keeps joined endpoints together.
• Trim and Break release a joint whose endpoint disappears; Copy, Array and Clipboard take joints within the selection along; Scale moves the joint points along when all participating elements are selected.
• The tolerance of the command is separate from the tolerance of auto-welding (dialog Automatic snap).
• Welds are saved with the drawing, in standard parts and blocks.

Related commands#

• Dialogs Weld
• Auto-weld — joints while drawing
• Constraints · Grips