How - tangent work plane?

Just a thought, add a sketch with a line perpendicular to the required plane and having an end point on the cylinder. Exit the sketch and then add a plane on the cylinder surface and at the end point of the line. It should create the plane perpendicular to the line (parallel to the original plane) and on the surface. I haven't tried this but I have used this approach to add a plane at a specific angle on a cylinder.

Good luck

Tony

Per your example, in the D sketch, put a construction line from the midpoint of the LH vert side horizontally to the RH circular side. The endpoint should be constrained to the arc. Then define your plane as parallel to the flat side & through the point.

WT

A star for me... that's what I did! It seems to work fine, but seems like too many steps for a simple task. It seems that the plane creation tools are less powerful than what I'm used to in MDT. I'll make an enhancement request. Thanks for your quick responses!

Brian

easy, select (default) plane which is perpendicular to flat surface of "d" + tangent surface of "d". select "other solutions" if necessary.

I just tried this on a cylinder and it worked. However, if I try it on anything other than a cylinder, it does not. Is that what you experience as well?

Brian

the method i described was for cylindrical surfaces. please define "anything other than a cylinder". and yes, plane creation tool can be rather limited without the aid of construction sketch(es).

Strangely this does'nt work on a D shape. But try this: select the curved surface of the D shape, select a middle point on one of the curved edges of the D shape. This work in SW2004 for a plan tangent to the curve of the D shape and parallel to the flat on the opposite face. If you want others orientations you must add construction geometry.

P. Comand

now that is strange, it works on my "d" shapes. :)

In order to use "on surface" as you're describing you typically need to create 2 planes. The first one needs to go thru the centerline of the cylinder using the tempory axis and a reference face at a specified angle. The second plane can then be created picking the cylinder face and the plane that goes thru the centerline.

This is why some of you have had success with the d-shape and some have not. If your first plane goes thru the centerline of the cylinder then it works.

Take your pick between this method or the sketch method described in another response.

Roland