In this tutorial, we will guide you through the process of creating a normal plane in SolidWorks. A normal plane is a reference plane that is perpendicular to a selected face or edge. It can be extremely useful when creating sketches or performing certain operations in your SolidWorks models.
Step 1: Open a Part or Assembly
To begin, open the part or assembly file in which you want to create the normal plane. You can do this by either creating a new file or opening an existing file from your computer.
Step 2: Select the Face or Edge
Next, select the face or edge that you want to use as a reference for your normal plane. You can do this by hovering over the desired face or edge and clicking on it with your mouse.
Note:
If you are unsure about which face or edge to select, you can use the different viewing options in SolidWorks to rotate and inspect your model from different angles.
Step 3: Access the Reference Geometry Menu
Once you have selected the desired face or edge, navigate to the “Insert” menu at the top of the SolidWorks window. From there, click on “Reference Geometry” and then select “Plane” from the drop-down menu.
Step 4: Define Orientation
In the “Plane PropertyManager” dialog box that appears, make sure that “Normal To” is selected under “Orientation.” This ensures that your normal plane will be perpendicular to the selected face or edge.
Note:
If you want your normal plane to pass through a specific point rather than just being perpendicular to a face or edge, you can choose “Through” instead of “Normal To.” This allows you to define a specific point through which the plane will pass.
Step 5: Naming and Placement
In the same dialog box, you can give your normal plane a name under “Plane Name.” This is optional but can be useful for easy identification later on.
Additionally, you can specify the distance or offset of the normal plane from the selected face or edge under “Offset.” By default, SolidWorks sets this value to 0, meaning that the normal plane will be coincident with the selected face or edge.
Note:
If you want your normal plane to be located at a specific distance from the face or edge, enter the desired value in the “Offset” field. Positive values will move the plane away from the face or edge, while negative values will bring it closer.
Step 6: Finalize and Create
Once you have defined all the necessary parameters for your normal plane, click on “OK” to create it. You should now see your newly created normal plane displayed in your SolidWorks model.
- TIP: If you need to modify or delete your normal plane at any time, simply right-click on it in the SolidWorks FeatureManager Design Tree and select the desired action from the context menu.
Congratulations! You have successfully created a normal plane in SolidWorks. You can now use this reference plane as a base for creating sketches or performing other operations in your model.
Note:
The steps mentioned above apply specifically to creating a normal plane in SolidWorks. The process may vary slightly if you are using a different version of SolidWorks or working with assemblies instead of parts.
We hope this tutorial has been helpful in guiding you through the process of creating a normal plane. Experiment with different faces and edges to familiarize yourself with this powerful feature in SolidWorks.
Happy modeling!