Draft SelectPlane
Draft SelectPlane |
Menu location |
---|
Draft → Utilities → Select Plane |
Workbenches |
Draft, Arch |
Default shortcut |
W P |
Introduced in version |
- |
See also |
Draft WorkingPlaneProxy, Draft ToggleGrid |
Description
The Draft Workbench features a working plane system. A plane in the 3D view indicates where a Draft shape will be built. There are several methods to define the working plane:
- From a selected face.
- From three selected vertices.
- From the current view.
- From a preset: top, front, or side.
- None, in which case the working plane is adapted automatically to the current view when you start a command, or to a face if you start drawing on an existing face.
Shapes created on different working planes
Usage
The SelectPlane button is present in the Draft Tray toolbar, which only appears in the Draft and Arch workbenches.
Without element selected
- Press the SelectPlane button, or use Draft → Utilities → SelectPlane from the top menu, or the keyboard shortcut W then P
- Select the offset, the grid spacing, and the main lines
- Select one of the presets: XY (top), XZ (front), YZ (side), View, or Auto.
Once the plane is set, the button will change to indicate the active plane Top, Front, Side, Auto, d(0.0,-1.0,0.0).
With element selected
- Select a face of an existing object in the 3D view, or hold Ctrl and select three vertices of any object. introduced in version 0.17
- Press the SelectPlane button, or right click and select Utilities → SelectPlane.
The plane will be created aligned to the face of the object, or to the plane defined by the three vertices.
Options
- Pressing any of the buttons will finish the command.
- Press the Top (XY) button to align the working plane with the XY plane of the global coordinate system.
- Press the Front (XZ) button to align the working plane with the XZ plane of the global coordinate system.
- Press the Side (YZ) button to align the working plane with the YZ plane of the global coordinate system.
- Press the Align to view button to align the working plane with the current 3D view. If the Center plane on view checkbox is unchecked the working plane origin will match the origin of the global coordinate system, else it will match the center of the current 3D view.
- Press the Automatic button to automatically align the working plane with the current 3D view whenever a Draft command requiring point input is started. This is equivalent to pressing the Align to view button before using the command.
- The Offset defines the perpendicular distance between the calculated plane and the actual working plane.
- Check the Center plane on view checkbox to put the origin of the working plane in the center of to the current 3D view. This option really only makes sense if the Align to view button is used.
- Select a vertex in the 3D view and press the Move working plane button to move the working plane so that its origin matches the position of the selected vertex.
- The Grid spacing defines the distance between grid lines.
- The Main line every value determines where main grid lines are drawn. Main grid lines are slightly thicker than normal grid lines. For example, if the grid spacing is
0.5 m
and there is a main line every20 lines
, such a line will occur every10 m
. - The Grid extension value determines the number of grid lines in the X and Y direction of the grid.
- The Snapping radius is the distance at which Draft Snap Grid detects the intersections of grid lines.
- Press the Center view button to use the origin of the current working plane as the center the 3D view.
- Press the Previous button to reset the working plane to its previous position.
- Press Esc or the Close button to abort the command.
Notes
- It can be useful to align the 3D view with the selected Draft working plane. For example after switching the working plane to Front you may want to switch to the Front view as well.
- The grid can be toggled with the Draft ToggleGrid command.
- Draft WorkingPlaneProxies can be used to quickly switch between working planes.
Preferences
See also: Preferences Editor and Draft Preferences.
- The grid settings in the task panel as well as several other grid settings are available as preferences: Edit → Preferences... → Draft → Grid and snapping → Grid.
- The Snapping radius can also be changed on-the-fly (see Draft Snap) or by changing: Tools → Edit parameters... → BaseApp → Preferences → Mod → Draft → snapRange.
Scripting
See also: Autogenerated API documentation and FreeCAD Scripting Basics.
If the Draft Workbench is active the FreeCAD application object has a DraftWorkingPlane
property which stores the current Draft working plane. You can access this property and apply transformations to it:
# This code only works if the Draft Workbench is active!
import FreeCAD as App
import FreeCADGui as Gui
doc = App.newDocument()
workplane = App.DraftWorkingPlane
v1 = App.Vector(0, 0, 0)
v2 = App.Vector(1, 1, 1).normalize()
workplane.alignToPointAndAxis(v1, v2, 17)
Gui.Snapper.toggleGrid()
Gui.Snapper.toggleGrid()
It is also possible to create planes independently of the Draft working plane. This can be useful for calculations and projections:
import WorkingPlane
my_plane = WorkingPlane.plane()
v1 = App.Vector(0, 0, 0)
v2 = App.Vector(1, 1, 1).normalize()
my_plane.alignToPointAndAxis(v1, v2, 17)
projection = my_plane.projectPoint(App.Vector(10, 15, 2))
print(projection)
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- Draft Tray: Select plane, Set style, Toggle construction mode, AutoGroup
- Snapping: Snap lock, Snap endpoint, Snap midpoint, Snap center, Snap angle, Snap intersection, Snap perpendicular, Snap extension, Snap parallel, Snap special, Snap near, Snap ortho, Snap grid, Snap working plane, Snap dimensions, Toggle grid
- Miscellaneous: Apply current style, Layer, Manage layers, Add a new named group, Move to group, Select group, Add to construction group, Toggle normal/wireframe display, Create working plane proxy, Heal, Show snap toolbar
- Additional: Constraining, Pattern, Preferences, Import Export Preferences, DXF/DWG, SVG, OCA, DAT
- Context menu:
- Layer container: Merge layer duplicates, Add new layer
- Layer: Activate this layer, Select layer contents
- Text: Open hyperlinks
- Wire: Flatten
- Working plane proxy: Write camera position, Write objects state
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