A Circle Defines a Plane...So

Bo,

Amen...

Been wanting that for a long time. You should be able to select "ANY" circular or semicircular (arc) edge to define a plane. The best you can do now is create three points (using a 3D sketch), constrain them to the edge, and create the plane from three points. A lot of steps for such a simple thing.

Regards

Mark

Indeed. I've always found the 'Create Plane' tools to be missing some of the most basic ways to define a plane.

Jim S.

There are a couple that I can think of, but none as nice as just selecting a circle or an arc.

You could select the temp axis through the cone and the centerpoint of the circle, which would give you perpendicular to curve at point. Or you could add two points non-colinear with the center and make a 3 point plane (lines and points). If you have a non-180 deg arc, you could select the endpoints and the center, or if you have an elipse (conic section), you could also pick 3 pts.

I agree, though, I've often wished for some additional ways to make planes.

matt

snipped-for-privacy@tilikum.com (Bo Clawson) wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@posting.google.com:

Well these sorts of improvements are the type that would speed up work without code bloat & tricky error checking code conniption fits.

We ought to suggest easy new plane creation options to the SolidWorks crew.

Bo

Actually, a circle may be a cylinder .... and arcs just bounded circles .... on some systems .... How are they represented in the SW & ParaSolid database? In IGES from SW?

I would like to see several simple innovations for the create plane function.

It would also be nice to define a plane with two parallel axes. I run into this situation periodically, but have to use a workaround - typically by making a point colinear with one axis and creating the plane with an axis and a point.

snipped-for-privacy@tilikum.com (Bo Clawson) wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@posting.google.com:

I was just thinking that this would be an excellent project for a beginning macro hack.

I think SW needs to open a 5th grade book on Euclidian geometry and make use of what is taught of the construction of a plane. This is not higher math! We now have to choose SW geometry rather than something that was thought of

Cliff,

Everything that is a true arc, in SW, is represented as such in IGES. Parasolid isn't a neutral format, just the core geometry. But you already knew that.

Regards

Mark

I don't think that will work with a circular edge though. Unless I've missed the ability to select the centerpoint of a circular edge somewhere....

Jim S.

How about we ask Solidworks to put up the following for consideration for creating a plane:

1. Any 2D Circle or Arc
2. 2 parallel lines (a very common ocurrance in machine design)
3. A plane defined as being midway between 2 other parallel planes (not a must have, but convenient)
4. ...add any others

Bo Clawson snipped-for-privacy@tilikum.com

You can just select one line and an endpoint of the other... unless you are talking about 2 axes, which do not have endpoints.

These are excellent suggestions. As a workaround for #3, you can use the "Mid Surface" command if you have to faces (I think they need to be a solid, or maybe it's a bug?).

Mike Wilson

If it is not problematic to program, I would see an advantage in allowing plane creation to use any planer edge or sketch, i.e. conic section or spline, rather than just arcs.

JJ

Indeed axes work in assembly solids is where it is most convenient when 2 solids parts with axes (0ften round rotating parts on orthogonal planes) need more detail that is revealed or assembled on the plane between the axes.

Bo

Well if it is a conic edge, it has to be the special condition where the edge is planar. Most conic intersections result in intersection edges that are non-planar. I may misinterpret the desired end you have in mind, though.

Allowing any planar object to define a plane sounds like a positive, though I can see a plane being so defined and then the shapes generating the planar surface changing and then the shape is no longer planar resulting in a real geometry mess.

Bo

I meant planer sections only but you raise a good point about the potential for something to become nonplaner.

JJ