Plane Selection dialog box

Use the Plane Selection dialog box anywhere in Mastercam when you are prompted to select a plane. Most often, this happens when you choose to set the Cplane, Tplane, or Gview to a named plane.

When the dialog box appears, a list of planes displays, showing the plane name, origin, and work offset number. The origin is expressed from the main system origin in view coordinates (the default), or world coordinates. Whether the origin is shown in view or world coordinates is controlled in the Display options drop-down menu of the Planes Manager.

Choose Select in the dialog box to select a plane by clicking its gnomon the graphics window.

You can simplify the gnomon in the graphics window by hiding some planes. Go to the Planes Manager and clear the X from the Display column to turn off a plane's display. For example, you might choose to turn off the display attribute for the standard system planes, so that you can easily see your own user-defined planes.

X coordinate

Defines a plane that is parallel to the YZ plane at a specific X coordinate that you enter in the text box.

Y coordinate

Defines a plane that is parallel to the XZ plane at a specific Y coordinate that you enter in the text box.

Z coordinate

Defines a plane that is parallel to the XY plane at a specific Z coordinate that you enter in the text box.

Select point

Click to return to the graphics window to select a coordinate for the X, Y, or Z fields. When you select the point in the graphics window, Mastercam copies the point's coordinate into the appropriate field. For example, if you use Select point next to the X field, Mastercam places the selected point's X coordinate into the X field.

Construction Depth

Select to save the active construction plane in the viewsheet.

Line

Defines a plane based on a line that you select. Mastercam calculates a plane that is coplanar with the selected line and perpendicular to the current Cplane. The line cannot be perpendicular to the current Cplane.

Three points

Defines a plane using three points that you enter in the graphics window.

Entities

Defines a plane using existing entities in the graphics window. You can define the plane using one of the following selection options:

  • A flat entity, such as a 2D spline, an arc, a solid face, or any other single entity that lies in only one plane.
  • Two lines that lie in the same plane. The lines do not have to intersect, but they cannot be collinear. The order in which you select the lines is important. The first line you select determines the X positive direction and the construction depth (Z). The second line that you select determines the Y positive direction.
  • Three points that are unique and are not collinear.

Normal

Defines a plane that is perpendicular to a line that you select. Mastercam defines the plane at the end closest to the location where you select the line.

Named plane

Defines a plane at the current Z depth using a predefined construction plane that you select from the Plane Selection dialog box.

Flip direction

Reverses the direction of a solid chain or operation (for example, extrude, rotate, draft) or a trim or fillet surface, as indicated by a direction arrow in the graphics window.

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