Hello,

I have an assembly with two cylinders. For each part, the radius is defined but the length is not, so the part is underdefined.

In the assembly, I wish to:

• Define the length directly from the assembly
• Define the distance between the cylinders dynamically, i.e., they are spaced 0.05" apart, or AB = radius(A)+radius(B)+.05

So far I've tried to add the dimensions in the assembly, but they do not appear to be editable (the 'Primary Value' field is greyed-out). I can add an equation, and the equation evaluates as desired in the editor, but the actual geometry doesn't change, even after rebuilding.

I've also tried adding the dimensions/equations in a 3d sketch, but this still doesn't seem to have any effect on the geometry (i.e. the distance evaluates to 0.75 in, but the cylinders remain separated by 1.341 in).

SLD files and explanatory screenshots are attached.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Cheers,
Elizabeth

P.S. I realize there are other ways of arriving at the desired end result. However, because this is a simplification of a more complex model I'm working with, I would prefer to figure out how to make these particular methods work.

P.P.S. I'm working in SolidWorks 2009