Create a perpendicular plane

Use Perpendicular Plane in the Construction Geometry dialog to create a construction plane perpendicular to a planar face or construction plane. Set Plane Direction (U or V) and Distance to control orientation and offset along the perpendicular direction. Optionally select a Reference Object to anchor where the plane sits on the face or plane.

1. On the toolbar, select Construct > Perpendicular Plane .

   The Construction Geometry dialog displays, Type is set to Plane and Method is set to Perpendicular Plane.

2. In the canvas, select a planar face or construction plane.

3. Set Plane Direction to U or V to choose which in-plane direction of the reference drives the perpendicular orientation.

4. Optional: Select a Reference Object (vertex, construction point, or sketch point) to position the plane relative to that point.

   If you skip a reference object, placement uses the location you pick on the face or plane.

5. Enter Distance or drag the manipulator to offset the plane along the perpendicular direction.

6. Click OK.

The new construction plane appears in the canvas, perpendicular to the reference you selected. To change direction, reference, or distance later, edit the feature from the timeline or browser.

Tips

• Create construction planes when you want sketches that do not lie on one of the three default planes.
• Use construction planes as inputs for other tools, such as the cutting tool in Split Body.
• Plane Direction and Distance often replace extra reference geometry when you only need a perpendicular plane in a specific orientation and location.