Construction Plane

Use the Construction Plane tool to create custom reference planes in your design. There are many use cases for creating a Construction Plane. Some examples include:

• Creating a plane at the desired location for a new sketch.
• Creating a plane that can be used as a mirroring plane.
• Creating a cutting plane for splitting bodies or making sectioned views.

Planes are infinite but are represented in the design space with a size based on how they are defined.

To learn more about the Construction Plane tool, explore the sections below.

• Creating a Construction Plane
• Construction Plane types

For general information regarding construction geometry, see Understanding construction geometry.

Creating a Construction Plane

To create a Construction Plane:

1. Go to Add > Construction Plane.
   💡Tip: For other methods of accessing this tool, visit: Accessing tools.
2. Select Type and choose a construction plane type.
3. Select appropriate references for the type of plane you chose (for details, see Construction Plane types).
4. Select Done.

You can use Shapr3D's Adaptive User Interface as a shortcut for creating some construction plane types. To make use of this shortcut, pre-select an element in your design that will be used to define the plane, then select Add Plane from the customized menu at the left. After defining the plane, click in an empty area of the design space to complete the command.

Construction Plane types

You can define a Construction Plane in several different ways. Select the type of construction plane you want to define from the Type menu. The tooltip at the top of the design space will provide you with directions on what you need to do to create the type of plane you have chosen. To learn more about the specific type of construction planes, explore the sections below:

Offset from Face

Use the Offset from Face type of construction plane to create a plane that is offset from an existing planar element. Follow these steps to create this type of plane:

1. Select a face, plane, or closed sketch.
2. Select Next.
3. Define the offset distance for the new plane using these methods:
   • Drag the arrows
   • Enter a distance value into the dimension label.
     

Parallel to Face at Point

Use the Parallel to Face at Point type of construction plane to create a plane that is offset from an existing planar element and located at a selected point. Follow these steps to create this type of plane:

1. Select a face, plane, or closed sketch.
2. Select Next.
3. Select an existing point or select anywhere in the design space to define a point where the plane will be located.
4. Optional: Drag the point to reposition the plane. The point will snap to the grid, sketch geometry, or body geometry. 

Through Edge at Angle

Use the Through Edge at Angle type of construction plane to create a plane that is rotated about a selected linear element. Follow these steps to create this type of plane:

1. Select a linear edge, axis, or sketch line.
2. Select Next.
3. Define the angle to position the plane using these methods:
   • Drag the arrows
   • Enter an angle value into the dimension label.
     

Perpendicular to Edge at Point

Use the Perpendicular to Edge at Point type of construction plane to create a plane that is perpendicular to a linear element located at a selected point. Follow these steps to create this type of plane:

1. Select a linear edge, axis, or sketch line.
2. Select Next.
3. Select an existing point or select anywhere in the design space to define a point where the plane will be located.
4. Optional: Drag the point to reposition the plane. The point will snap to the grid, sketch geometry, or body geometry. 

Through 3 Points

Use the Through 3 Points type of construction plane to create a plane that is defined by three selected points. Follow these steps to create this type of plane:

1. Select existing points or select anywhere in the design space to define the three points for the plane.
2. Optional: Drag the points to reposition the plane. The points will snap to the grid, sketch geometry, or body geometry. 

Midplane

Use the Midplane type of construction plane to create a plane that is centered between two selected planar elements. You can select faces, planes, or closed sketches to define this type of plane.

Perpendicular to Curve

Use the Perpendicular to Curve at Point type of construction plane to create a plane that is normal to a curve at a selected point. Follow these steps to create this type of plane:

1. Select an existing curve, such as a curved edge or sketch curve.
2. Drag the point that is generated to position the plane as desired.
   

For more information on this tool, check out the Construction Plane tutorial on our website.