Learn/Drafting/Construction Planes
Six Creation Methods
Updated v2.5.8At a glance
- Offset — parallel to any flat face or existing plane at a set distance
- Face — coincident with a sketch face or flat body face
- 3-Point — through any three picked edge or vertex points
- Tangent to Cylinder — tangent to a curved face at a defined angle
- Midplane — exactly halfway between two parallel planes or faces
- Edge + Angle — through a body edge, rotated to any angle
- Create in the active component, even when picking another component’s face
- Face and Offset planes retain their reference and signed offset through rebuild and reopening
Construction planes put a sketch anywhere the faces you already have can't. Press P (or pick
Plane from the Drafting toolbar), choose a Method from the dropdown, and click the geometry
each method asks for — a translucent blue preview shows the plane live before you commit with
OK.
The six methods
- Offset — pick any plane or flat body face, then set a parallel offset distance.
- Face — one click on a sketch face or flat body face makes a coincident plane.
- 3-Point — pick three edge or vertex points; collinear picks are rejected with a warning.
- Tangent to Cylinder — pick a cylindrical face; the plane rides the surface at the angle you set, ideal for sketching on round tube or a shaft.
- Midplane — pick two parallel planes or flat faces; the plane lands exactly halfway between.
- Edge + Angle — pick a body edge; the plane hinges on that edge at any angle (90° default).
Drag it or type it
Offset, Tangent, and Edge + Angle modes add an arrow gizmo in the viewport: drag it to slide the
offset or swing the angle with the preview following. The Offset field is a full expression input —
1/2in, 12.7mm, or (3+1/8)/2 all evaluate — so the plane goes exactly where the drawing says.
Choose the destination component
The plane belongs to the active component by default. Picking a face in another component keeps that destination. Once a preview is visible, use Component to choose a different owner before committing.
For example, activate Lower Ball Joint Seat, pick a face on Upper Ball Joint Seat, and enter a 10.5-inch offset. The new plane is created in Lower Ball Joint Seat at the previewed position. Positive, negative, and zero offsets are retained through rebuilding and save/reopen.
Planes that track the model
Face and Offset planes picked from a flat body face retain a reference to the source feature. Change that source and the plane, its sketches, and dependent features rebuild together. The source and plane can belong to different components; changes to their component placement are accounted for too. Missing references are reported rather than silently snapping the plane onto another face.