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Moving an exsiting work plane


Big_D

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I have a plane that I created as a midplane between two parallel planes in a part. This part is constrained in an assembly via this plane. I want to move (offset) this existing plane along the x-axis. How do I do this? My reasoning is so that I don't have to reconstrain the part in the various assemblies it is in. I hope this is logical. Thanks.

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Your question is logical, but your plan is ... questionable.

 

As JD already noted, a work plane created as the middle plane between two parallel planes will always be in that middle place. The only way to move it will be to move one of the planes that was used to create it, and I suspect that will cause you more problems than it will fix.

 

The other part of your plan, though ... if I understand it correctly:

 

1. You want your work plane to be contained within a part file.

2. You want to use this part in multiple assemblies.

3. You want to use this plane to constrain the part in those assemblies, using the same constraint in each assembly.

4. You want to adjust the position of the plane within the part, on a per-assembly basis, to control the position of the part within the assembly.

 

Did I get all that right?

 

If so, you're going to run into problems with part 4, because any change you make to the position of the work plane within the part file will propagate through to ALL the assemblies that use that part.

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Thank you Bishop. Your assumptions were correct except for number 4. I was not going to change it individually, it would be universal. The other constraints (in other assemblies) already existed and I didn't want to have to recreate them if I created a new properly placed plan. My work around (as you refer to "The only way to move it will be to move one of the planes") was to redefine the plane in question and choose different end planes for the split. What I was really hoping for is some "offset" feature for the plane itself. I'm good now. Thanks to all.

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If you'd created the plane in a different way, you'd be able to offset the plane. If, for instance, you'd just clicked the Work Plane button and then dragged to put the new plane down, you'd be able to right-click and choose "Edit Dimension," and adjust the positioning of the new plane. Here, though, since you've created the new plane midway between two existing planes, you can't do that.

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I beg to differ with the other responses. You can redefine the existing plane no matter if it was created with the Midway between Two Parrallel Planes command, or one of the other commands.

 

Simply select the workplane, right click, select Redefine Feature, and select the new geometry needed to redefine the work plane. You can select a face, and set a distance, or select two new faces for the midway technique, select two perpendicular faces and set an angle, etc...

Edited by ecshclark
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I beg to differ with the other responses. You can redefine the existing plane whether is was created with the Midway between Two Parrallel Planes command, or one of the other commands.

 

Simply select the workplane, right click, select Redefine Feature, and select the new geometry needed to redefine the work plane. You can select a face, and set a distance, or select two new faces for the midway technique, select two perpendicular faces and set an angle, etc...

 

 

 

Why don't you try that sometime on a work plane that's got a bunch of sketches and features based on it, see how well that works out for you? Just because you CAN do it doesn't mean it's going to give you good results.

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Sorry, I should have prefaced my response with "Using the following technique may cause a bunch of other problems, and blow your part and assembly into a jumbled up mess. Proceed at your own risk." But it is possible that the plane is only being use as reference, maybe as a faux base origin node. In this case redefining the plane may be the simplest resolution. I don't know, as I do not have the part, or assembly to determine the best method to resolve their problem. If redefining the plane doesn't work out, well... that's what's undo, or close without saving is for. But to say a plane cannot be redefined is simply untrue. :)

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