create plane by point and normal?

For a long time now (circa 2000?), it has been possible to automatically create such a plane on a model edge, simply by clicking on the edge and choosing "Insert Sketch"

To do the same thing to a sketch entity (line or curve), Show Sketches (while editing the part rather than the sketch), pick the entity, Insert/Reference Geometry/Plane, and pick "Normal to Curve"

In both cases, the plane will be attached at the end of the entity nearest to where you clicked. If the point you want is not at the end of the entity, use RMB "Split Curve" to add an endpoint where you want.

You can't as far as I know attach to the end of an axis, 'cos an axis is endless.

HTH

Can't use an axis, but you've been able to do the others for a long time

Mark

How about using 2 parallel axis?

that's kind of what i do now: i use 2 short construction lines each of which perpendicular to the truss line in question and to each other. the sketch plane is built using those 2 lines.

the 2 construction lines are typically at the midpoint of the truss line, so i can thin extrude the tube in both directions up to other tubes.

i'm trying not to break the truss lines, since they will be references for the truss analysis and i don't want extra nodes.

that's why i asked about a "new" method for making the planes. for instance, in pro, if i have a point on a line or on an axis, i can can make a plane at the point normal to the reference.

thanks again.

flyboy 2160

I knew I shouldn't have mentioned the P word.

I like SW and I think most of the core functionality is extremely flexible. In most cases a lot more flexible than certain other unnamed CAD packages, but not for plane creation. The basic options limiting me to a handful of specific criteria hasn't changed in quite a few versions. If I want to create a plane say between two axis, the basic goemetrical constrains are sitting there. I shouldn't have to create a sketch (admittedly, not much time) or have it clogging up my feature tree until the end of time (this bothers me more).

I didn't say it was hard, but the entire step of having to create a sketch in some cases could be eliminated. Just a pet peeve of mine.

P.S. Just to note, this other software did not have any set of predefined conditions. It simply allowed you to pick any set of existing entities until the plane was fully constrained.

Yep, now you did it (mentioned the P word, that is)

Thing about your 2-axes example is that 2 axes can actually be over constraining. The 2 axes must be parallel. If the model changes, the 2 axes may become skewed and the plane will fail.

Yeah, they must be parallel. And in most cases that they are designed to be parallel, e.i. gear shafts, if somehow they became askew, I'd want it to fail and let me know.