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screen plane, working plane, layer plane....sheesh.


grant_PD

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Can all of this planar stuff get simpler? If I'm working in a screen plane, can't things I draw be a "3D" Polygon by default? Layer plane? That's a working plane that snaps to the layer Z...so that's a 3d plane in isometric, but a layer plane AND a screen plane if I'm in plan view....

It's too much. All planes should be 3d, all drawn objects should be 3D and set to whatever working plane I'm on. If there's a way to set that please let me know.

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Grant,

???Set the drawing mode to Layer Plane. It's in a menu at the top of the drawing window between the Layers and Saved Views menus. Now when you draw you'll be drawing on the Layer Plane, regardless of your view.

???Also, if you want to draw on a 3D layer that already has 2D Planar objects on it, double click on one of the 2D Planar objects and its 3D plane will become the active Working Plane. Select you tool, and make sure the Drawing Plane menu says "Working Plane". Now when you draw you will be drawing on that 3D Plane, regardless of your view.

???To set a 3D working plane, use the Working Plane tool to place a working plane on the face of a 3D object.

HTH,

Raymond

(From the home of Super Bowl XLV - better suited for the Winter Olympics this week)

Edited by MullinRJ
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Yes Grant, WPs always been a point of confusion for me, despite using them constantly.

Now up pops Ray with something else to baffle me . . . .

Thanx Ray!

:)

Peter, i hope you're right in suggesting we are at an intermediary stage along the development of a simpler more practical WP tool . . . . .

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It may say 'working plane' at the top but it doesn't always mean it.

I often have to re-select the 'working plane' more than once when using the '3D move' command to move an object with respect to the working plane.

The object often moves relative to the ground plane even when it says 'working plane' at the top of the window.

..it's all too confusing.

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The object often moves relative to the ground plane even when it says 'working plane' at the top of the window

Guy, Can you reproduce it? If so, would you describe what you are doing when it happens?

The Gnd Plane is one of the default Working Planes. It's possible the Working Plane is getting changed by something you are doing, so the menu may be displaying correctly. More info would help dispel some of the confusion.

Raymond

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Thank you MullinRJ!! Best discussion to date of using Layer Plane features.

But I'm still cranky about it.

Is the Layer Plane an "assumptive" feature intended for the biggest VW user base - architects? The assumption being that layers are used almost exclusively to represent levels/stories in architectural models? (How many times in this forum are Layers described to new users as building levels? Lots!)

Layer Plane would not be (such) a confusing concept in that scenario. Although implementation is still dicey.

I use layers for many things. None to date are building levels/stories.

My user experience with Layer Plane/Screen Plane is not good. Pilot error and inexperience with the feature are part of it. But developer intent is unclear. Why do I need or want it (if I'm not modeling multistory buildings)? What is improved by its inclusion? VW seems to change or default to layer plane, even after I set to screen plane, to no advantage. Or the choice is gray when I need to change it. Clicks and view changes required to get it active and change it back to desired mode. Why? I may eventually understand why and learn a work flow, but for now, I add to the chorus:

Sheesh!

-B

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My "excitement" about this started when I was doing one of my standard moves: creating panel molding on a wall. My first experience went like this:

-selected the wall face and created the working plane.

-drew the rectangle as a path.

-drew the profile and extruded along the path.

-then, when wanting to adjust the profile along the path, I noticed that the profile was seen in relation to the working plane and was able to rotate it with certainty to the position I wanted it to be (I had view other objects while editing groups selected).

It was an ideal situation and left me waxing poetic about the improvements VW had made.

Then, I tried to replicate the process. I was unable to align the path and the profile, because somehow I had created the path in 3d, but the profile was in the screen plane, and no way to make it 3d without having it jump to somewhere else. Then when trying to align it I was unable to see the relationship to the extrude along path. Frustration ensued.

I'm sure this is all operator error. But it seems to me that the best possible workflow for me at this point is to always select a working plane, even in situations where I normally wouldn't. Hence my request that the switch from screen plane to 3d plane be a big switch, like one can set it so that all objects created in the screen plane default to a certain color or something to that effect.

As to layer planes, I'm not sure what to do with them. The power of layer Z height is not one that I take advantage of. In production design, our 2nd stories and flown objects are not considered unique enough to be separated out in that fashion. 2nd stories are built as a unit connected to the first story, and flown objects are constantly changing their height.

I hope that clarifies my initial rant about this subject.

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It was an ideal situation and left me waxing poetic about the improvements VW had made.

Then, I tried to replicate the process. I was unable to align the path and the profile, because somehow I had created the path in 3d, but the profile was in the screen plane, and no way to make it 3d without having it jump to somewhere else. Then when trying to align it I was unable to see the relationship to the extrude along path. Frustration ensued.

I'm sure this is all operator error.

Know exactly what you mean Grant. Trying to make use of experience gained in previously successful EAaP results and finding that for some reason it doesn't work is annoying to say the least. It would be helpful if the necessary use of layer and plane use was included in the help guides for EAaP and HOW to make use of the combo of these two Tools.

This may have been recently addressed in 2011, but my frustration from lack of support on many fronts makes me avoid the poorly explained VW Help solutions, especially where the correct combo is forgotten about.

Like Benson, always greatful for Ray's input, but still cranky about it(the tool, not Raymond!)

:)

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That's another one of my gripes! i often find after taking the effort to create the path in one view for EAaP(so it fits requirements) e.g. horizontal/front view, when(if needed later) i go to to edit the path the orientation is changed to vertical.

Does anyone know how to prevent this change? or even why it happens? Is it the WP link i've got wrong?

As for the why, in cases of fitting a compound curved skin over a frame . . . . will use of layer or screen plane remedy this?

:confused: :confused:

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Hi Raymond

I select a working plane, then the object and then the 3D move command.

The object then moves relative to the ground plane. So I undo the move and then go to the top of the screen to the drop down menu where there is a tick against the working plane and re-highlight the working plane and re-move the object. The object then moves correctly.

Is it me..!!!!

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