Attach Inventor sketch symbol to drawing view or object

Issue:

In Inventor, you need to attach a drawing sketch symbol to a view, a dimension, a balloon or a symbol so that it will move with that object. 

If the symbol isn’t attached, it won’t move with it and remain it its original position.  You have to manually reposition it which can be time consuming if you attached many symbols in a view for example.

Cause:

Symbols aren’t automatically attached to objects unless you place them in the correct location.

A symbol will be attached to a view if it is placed within a view boundary.

A symbol will be attached to a dimension, a balloon or symbol when the glyph appears it’ll move with it as well. 

Solution:

Attach a sketch symbol to a drawing view

Place the symbol inside the view boundary (view outline).

To find the view boundary:

• Hover over the drawing view in the graphics window or the view name in the model browser.
• When a symbol is placed within the view boundary it'll move with the view.
• Place the symbol within the red boundary lines.
• If the symbol is moved outside the view boundary it remains attached to the view.

Attach a symbol to a balloon, a dimension or other symbol

Place the symbol by hovering over the balloon, the dimension or symbol until the glyph appears.

• This ensures that the symbol with automatically be attached to the object.

• When you move the symbol, a leader will be added unless the symbol's definition doesn't make a leader visible(see the 'To automatically attach a sketch symbol with an invisible leader' section below)

Turn off the symbol leader

• Double-click on the symbol or right-click and select Edit Symbol...

• Uncheck the 'Visible' option. This will leave the leader but make it invisible.

• The leader is removed:

To automatically attach a sketch symbol with an invisible leader

This will automatically place the symbol with an 'invisible' leader.  The leader's visibility is turned off when the symbol is placed.

• Right-click on any symbol and select Symbol Libraries...

• Leave the 'Leader' option selected but uncheck 'Visible'.

Now if you move the view, the dimension or the balloon,  the sketch symbol will move along with it.

About the Author

Manufacturing Technical Support Specialist<br><br>Joanna has over eight years of experience working with Autodesk products. She started supporting core AutoCAD and network installations of all Autodesk products. She now has five years of experience with Inventor. <br> She graduated from Mechanical Engineering and has been providing solutions to clients and dedicating her knowledge to the Solution Center since then.

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