CreatingPlanes

Thistaskshowsthevariousmethodsforcreatingplanes:

offsetfromplane
throughplanarcurve
parallelthroughpoint
normaltocurve
angle/normaltoaplane
tangenttosurface
throughthreepoints
equation
throughtwolines
meanthroughpoints
throughpointandline

OpenthePlanes1.CATPartdocument.

Anewlockbutton isavailablebesidesthePlanetypetopreventanautomaticchangeofthe

typewhileselectingthegeometry.Simplyclickitsothatthelockturnsred .
Forinstance,ifyouchoosetheThroughtwolinestype,youarenotabletoselectaplane.Mayyou
wanttoselectaplane,chooseanothertypeinthecombolist.Thestatusofthisbuttonisstoredas
thedefaultvalue:therefore,ifitisredandyoulaunchthesamecommandagainoranother
commandowningthisbutton,thebuttonwillberedtoo.

Offsetfromplane

1.ClickPlane .
ThePlaneDefinitiondialogboxappears.
2.SelecttheOffsetfromplaneplanetype.

Onceyouhavedefinedtheplane,itisrepresentedbyagreensquaresymbol,whichyou
canmoveusingthegraphicmanipulator.
3.SelectareferencePlanethenenteranOffsetvalue.
Aplaneisdisplayedoffsetfromthereferenceplane.

4.ClickReverseDirectiontoreversethechangetheoffsetdirection,orsimplyclickonthe
arrowinthegeometry.
5.ClickRepeatobjectafterOKifyouwishtocreatemoreoffsetplanes.
Inthiscase,theObjectRepetitiondialogboxisdisplayed,andyoukeyinthenumberof
instancestobecreatedbeforepressingOK.
 Asmanyplanesasindicatedinthedialogboxarecreated(includingtheoneyouwere
currentlycreating),eachseparatedfromtheinitialplanebyamultipleoftheOffsetvalue.

6.ClickOKtocreatetheplane.
Theplane(identifiedasPlane.xxx)isaddedtothespecificationtree.

Parallelthroughpoint

1.ClickPlane .
ThePlaneDefinitiondialogboxappears.
2.SelecttheParallelthoughpointplanetype.

3.SelectareferencePlaneandaPoint.Aplaneisdisplayedparalleltothereferenceplane
andpassingthroughtheselectedpoint.

4.ClickOKtocreatetheplane.
Theplane(identifiedasPlane.xxx)isaddedtothespecificationtree.

Angle/Normaltoplane
1.ClickPlane .
ThePlaneDefinitiondialogboxappears.
2.SelecttheAngle/Normaltoplaneplanetype.

3.SelectareferencePlaneandaRotationaxis.
Thisaxiscanbeanylineoranimplicitelement,suchasacylinderaxisforexample.To
selectthelatterpressandholdtheShiftkeywhilemovingthepointerovertheelement,
thenclickit.
4.EnteranAnglevalue.

Theplaneisdisplayedsuchasitscentercorrespondstotheprojectionofthecenterofthe
referenceplaneontherotationaxis.Itisorientedatthespecifiedangletothereference
plane.
5.CheckProjectrotationaxisonreferenceplaneifyouwishtoprojecttherotationaxisonto
thereferenceplane.Ifthereferenceplaneisnotparalleltotherotationaxis,thecreated
planeisrotatedaroundtheaxistohavetheappropriateanglewithregardtoreference
plane.
6.CheckRepeatobjectafterOKifyouwishtocreatemoreplanesatananglefromtheinitial
plane.
Inthiscase,theObjectRepetitiondialogboxisdisplayed,andyoukeyinthenumberof
instancestobecreatedbeforepressingOK.

Asmanyplanesasindicatedinthedialogboxarecreated(includingtheoneyouwere
currentlycreating),eachseparatedfromtheinitialplanebyamultipleoftheAnglevalue.
Herewecreatedfiveplanesatanangleof20degrees.
 Thisplanetypeenablestoedittheplane'sparameters.RefertoEditingParameterstofind
outhowtodisplaytheseparametersinthe3Dgeometry.
7.ClickOKtocreatetheplane.
Theplane(identifiedasPlane.xxx)isaddedtothespecificationtree.

Throughthreepoints

1.ClickPlane .
ThePlaneDefinitiondialogboxappears.
2.SelecttheThroughthreepointsplanetype.

3.Selectthreepoints.Aplanepassingthroughthethreepointsisdisplayed.Youcanmoveit
simplybydraggingittothedesiredlocation.

4.ClickOKtocreatetheplane.
Theplane(identifiedasPlane.xxx)isaddedtothespecificationtree.

Throughtwolines

1.ClickPlane .
ThePlaneDefinitiondialogboxappears.
2.SelecttheThroughtwolinesplanetype.
 3.Selecttwolines.
Theplanepassingthroughthetwolinedirectionsisdisplayed.
Whenthesetwolinesarenotcoplanar,thevectorofthesecondlineismovedtothefirstline
locationtodefinetheplane'sseconddirection.

4.CheckForbidnoncoplanarlinestospecifythatbothlinesbeinthesameplane.
5.ClickOKtocreatetheplane.
Theplane(identifiedasPlane.xxx)isaddedtothespecificationtree.

Throughpointandline

1.ClickPlane .
ThePlaneDefinitiondialogboxappears.
2.SelecttheThroughpointandlineplanetype.

3.SelectaPointandaLine.Aplanepassingthroughthepointandthelineisdisplayed.

4.ClickOKtocreatetheplane.
Theplane(identifiedasPlane.xxx)isaddedtothespecificationtree.

Throughplanarcurve

1.ClickPlane .
ThePlaneDefinitiondialogboxappears.
2.SelecttheThroughplanarcurveplanetype.
 3.SelectaplanarCurve.Aplanecontainingthecurveisdisplayed.

4.ClickOKtocreatetheplane.
Theplane(identifiedasPlane.xxx)isaddedtothespecificationtree.

Normaltocurve

1.ClickPlane .
ThePlaneDefinitiondialogboxappears.
2.SelecttheNormaltocurveplanetype.

3.SelectareferenceCurve.
4.YoucanselectaPoint.Bydefault,thecurve'smiddlepointisselected.

Itcanbeselectedoutsidethecurve.
Aplaneisdisplayednormaltothecurvewithitsoriginatthespecifiedpoint.Thenormalis
computedatthepointonthecurvethatisthenearesttotheselectedpoint.

5.ClickOKtocreatetheplane.
Theplane(identifiedasPlane.xxx)isaddedtothespecificationtree.

 Tangenttosurface

1.ClickPlane .
ThePlaneDefinitiondialogboxappears.
2.SelecttheTangenttosurfaceplanetype.

3.SelectareferenceSurfaceandaPoint.Aplaneisdisplayedtangenttothesurfaceatthe
specifiedpoint.

4.ClickOKtocreatetheplane.
Theplane(identifiedasPlane.xxx)isaddedtothespecificationtree.

Equation

1.ClickPlane .
ThePlaneDefinitiondialogboxappears.
2.SelecttheEquationplanetype.
 3.EntertheA,B,C,DcomponentsoftheAx+By+Cz=Dplaneequation.
4.Selectapointtopositiontheplanethroughthispoint,youareabletomodifyA,B,andC
components,theDcomponentbecomesgrayed.
Whenthecommandislaunchedatcreation,theinitialvalueintheAxisSystemfieldisthe
currentlocalaxissystem.Ifnolocalaxissystemiscurrent,thefieldissettoDefault.
Wheneveryouselectalocalaxissystem,A,B,C,andDvaluesarechangedwithrespectto
theselectedaxissystemsothatthelocationoftheplaneisnotchanged.Thisisnotthecase
withvaluesvaluatedbyformulas:ifyouselectanaxissystem,thedefinedformularemains
unchanged.
5.ClickNormaltocompasstopositiontheplaneperpendiculartothecompassdirection.

6.ClickParalleltoscreentopositiontheplaneparalleltothescreencurrentview.

7.ClickOKtocreatetheplane.
Theplane(identifiedasPlane.xxx)isaddedtothespecificationtree.

Meanthroughpoints

1.ClickPlane .
ThePlaneDefinitiondialogboxappears.
2.SelecttheMeanthroughpointsplanetype.
 3.Selectthreeormorepointstodisplaythemeanplanethroughthesepoints.

Itispossibletoedittheplanebyfirstselectingapointinthedialogboxlistthenchoosingan
optiontoeither:
Removetheselectedpoint
Replacetheselectedpointbyanotherpoint.
4.ClickOKtocreatetheplane.
Theplane(identifiedasPlane.xxx)isaddedtothespecificationtree.

Parameterscanbeeditedinthe3Dgeometry.Formoreinformation,referto
theEditingParameters.
Youcanisolateaplaneinordertocutthelinksithaswiththegeometryused
tocreateit.Todoso,usetheIsolatecontextualmenu.Formoreinformation,
refertotheIsolatingGeometricElements.