Hello everyone,

I am pretty new to Solidworks and am wondering if there is a way I can use Solidworks to create dimensions for probing fussy "shutoff" dimensions on mold components.  I have attached a picture showing what I have been doing to create these dimensions in Mastercam which is a bit clumsy but does get the job done.

The procedure involves:

1.  Creating surfaces (not shown in pic) where measurements are desired and offsetting them by the RADIUS of the probe which is 1.5mm

2.  Projecting points onto the offset surfaces at the desired X-Y coordinates

3.  Optional - I often create Ø3mm spheres as pictured to help illustrate how the probe will contact the workpiece

4.  I create 3D dimensions with X, Y, and Z coordinates

5.  Our EDM operators use these dimensions to verify critical features right in the EDM.

I have a basic seat of Solidworks and I'd love to hear some ideas of how I can use Solidworks to perform this task instead of Mastercam.