Setting the working plane location
The Set Working Plane tool sets the location and angle of the working plane to any location in 3D space.
The Set Working Plane tool and Align Plane tool share the same position on the tool set. Click and hold the mouse on the visible tool to open the Pop-out tools list and select the desired tool.
Double-click the Set Working Plane tool to make the layer plane the current working plane. Double-click a planar object to re-activate the working plane on which it was created.
|
Mode |
Description |
|
Three Point
|
Defines the working plane by three 3D points, or according to the surface of a rendered object |
|
Planar Face
|
Aligns the working plane to a planar face; or, for a point on a NURBS curve, aligns the working plane perpendicular to that point's tangent |
Once the working plane is set, if you activate a planar drawing tool, "Working Plane" displays on the Tool bar to indicate that a working plane is active. You can save the location of the working plane for future use; see Working plane commands.
Setting the working plane with three points
|
Mode |
Tool |
Tool set |
Shortcut |
|
Three Point
|
Set Working Plane
|
3D Modeling |
Shift+1 |
To set the working plane with three points:
In a 3D view with object snapping enabled, click the tool and mode.
Click a point to set the origin of the working plane.
Click a point to set the X' axis of the working plane.
Click a point to set the Y' axis for the working plane.
Setting the working plane to a rendered object's surface
|
Mode |
Tool |
Tool set |
Shortcut |
|
Three Point
|
Set Working Plane
|
3D Modeling |
Shift+1 |
To set the working plane to a rendered object's surface:
In a 3D view, set the rendering mode to Unshaded Polygon, Shaded Polygon, Shaded Polygon No Lines, or Final Shaded Polygon.
Click the tool and mode.
The cursor changes to a pointing hand when over the surface of a rendered object.
Click a surface to set the working plane location.
Setting the working plane to a planar face
|
Mode |
Tool |
Tool set |
Shortcut |
|
Planar Face
|
Set Working Plane
|
3D Modeling |
Shift+1 |
Planar Face mode is useful when you want to align the working plane to the top of an object without sharp corners (like a cylinder). You can also use it to position the working plane on a NURBS curve, aligning the working plane's Z axis to the curve’s tangent direction (in this case, object snapping must be enabled).
To set the working plane to a planar face:
In a 3D view, click the tool and mode.
As the cursor moves over the underlying geometry, a preview of the working plane displays, and the planar face that it's aligned to is highlighted. Click to set the origin of the working plane.
