Workplane dialog

Use the Workplane dialog to edit a workplane.

Name — Enter the name of the workplane. The name of the workplane is used in macros to identify it.

Active — Select this option to activate the workplane.

Master — Select this option to make the workplane the Master workplane.

Group — Select this option to group the workplane.

Lock/Unlock — Use these toggle buttons to lock or unlock the workplane.

Ensure that the Locked icon is displayed to lock a workplane. You cannot delete or edit a locked workplane. This is useful if a workplane is set up for a specific purpose and you want to avoid accidentally changing it.

When you lock a workplane, its graphical handles and the options on the Workplane dialog are unavailable.

Ensure that the Unlocked icon is displayed to unlock a workplane.

The following section of the dialog contains the plane editing options.

These options enable you to:

• define the workspace in which to edit the workplane.
• move the workplane's origin.
• change the direction of the workplane's axes.
• twist the workplane about its axes.

Plane-editing options are also used in dialogs of other items such as primitive surfaces.

Alignment — Select the alignment of the workplane from the list:

Aligned — Select this option to align the Z axis of the workplane with the tangent of the object at the clicked point:

1. Open the Workplane dialog.
2. Select the Aligned option from the Alignment list.
3. Click a point on the wireframe.

The workplane is aligned as shown below:

If the object is a surface or a solid, the Z axis of the workplane aligns with the normal at the clicked point.

You can snap to points within patches by using on a point on a surface like the one below:

The workplane is aligned as shown below:

The workplane does not move, it rotates its axes.

View — Select this option to align the XY plane of the workplane with the current view.

Minimal Depth — Select this option to align the workplane so that the workplane is set at the minimum depth of the geometry:

1. Select the Minimal Depth option from the Alignment list on the Workplane dialog.

   The Align with minimal depth dialog is displayed:

   
2. Select the objects to be used for the workplane orientation.
3. Click OK to align the workplane with the minimum depth of the selection.

Average Normal — Select this option to align the workplane to the average normal of the selected geometry:

1. Select the Average Normal option from the Alignment list on the Workplane dialog.

   The Align with average normal dialog is displayed:

   
2. Select the objects to be used for the workplane orientation.
3. Select Surface area to prioritise the surface area of the surfaces in the selection, over the number of surfaces. In the below example, there are 2 large surfaces, and three minor surfaces in the selection:

   If Surface area is selected, the average normal of the selection is indicated by .

   If Surface area is deselected, the average normal of the selection is indicated by .

   
4. Click OK.

Control Section — Select this option to align the workplane with a control section to minimise undercuts:

1. Select the Control Section option from the Alignment list on the Workplane dialog.

   The Align with control sections dialog is displayed:

   
2. Select the objects to be used for the workplane orientation.
3. Click OK to align an existing workplane with a section.

OK — Saves the edits carried out on the workplane and closes the dialog.

Cancel — Closes the dialog without saving any changes.