Here?s a handy little tip that 4 out of 5 tech support guys recommend for getting a quick perpendicular- to-tangent relation in SolidWorks.
This is really simple, but I don?t see it used too often. It can help you avoid a bunch of steps, as well as prevent unnecessary construction lines and geometry.
To create a line perpendicular to a tangent of a circle
- Start a sketch
- Select the line tool from the Sketch Tools toolbar
- Pick the circular feature (sketch or solid)
- Now, hold the cursor there for a second. You will see an inference line show up. (an axis tangent to the circle and perpendicular.)
- Drag the cursor toward the center of the circle and pick somewhere on the inference line.
What this does is create a coincident relation at the endpoint of the line on the circle and a coincident relation on the line through the center of the circle. A two for one deal and a great way to pick up that tangency without all the extra work.
Have you used this before?
