Set up sketch planes and the model browser

Choose a plane for a sketch

Enter Sketch mode and pick an origin plane, an existing saved plane or a flat body face. Origin planes are labelled X · YZ, Y · XZ and Z · XY. Their U/V coordinates define the drawing directions.

Hover over the model to highlight a valid flat face, then click it to create or select its sketch plane and start drawing. You can do this directly in the viewport without opening the sidebar’s face picker. Visible plane tiles remain selectable; curved faces cannot be used as sketch planes. If the inspector was collapsed, choosing a plane keeps it collapsed.

Use Look at plane for a straight view. Orbit sketch lets you inspect the drawing in 3D. Each plane keeps its sketch source and can hold a reference image. Use the browser to switch between them.

Create a parallel plane from another plane

1. Finish the current sketch and choose Plane in the Custom Solid 3D header.
2. Use Offset plane and choose Reference plane from the dropdown, in the model or in the browser.
3. Enter a nonzero Plane offset (mm). Positive follows the preview arrow; negative goes the other way.
4. Choose Create plane after checking the location.

The reference can be an origin plane or any saved plane. Hidden planes are still available by name in the dropdown, and you can create a plane before any bodies exist. A new plane gets its own sketch; the reference and its drawing remain in place.

Use Pick a face instead to base a plane on a flat solid face. In an existing work-plane panel, Use offset plane creates a parallel drawing plane from the current reference. Cancel or Escape discards a pending plane preview.

The offset arrow appears while previewing an offset and disappears after creation. It shows the positive offset direction. To create another position, make a new offset plane.

Create a plane at an angle around an edge

Use an angled plane for a sloping bracket, a profile at a specific angle or an additional section for a loft. The selected straight edge acts as a hinge: the plane rotates around it while the edge stays fixed.

1. Finish the current sketch or solid operation. In 3D mode, choose the bordered Plane button, then At angle.
2. Hover over and click a straight solid edge or a visible sketch line. Construction lines can also serve as hinges. Eligible edges highlight under the pointer; use Choose another hinge to change the selection.
3. Choose Zero-angle reference. For a solid edge, the list offers adjacent flat faces and compatible saved planes. A sketch line suggests its own sketch plane.
4. Enter Plane angle (°), choose a preset or drag the purple rotation handle. The translucent preview, highlighted hinge and angle label show the result before creation.
5. Choose Create plane or press Enter. Cancel or Escape discards the preview.
6. Select Sketch on plane to draw on the new plane. Finish the sketch and use Push/Pull or another modelling tool as usual.

At 0°, the new plane passes through the hinge and is parallel to the chosen reference. The reference can be elsewhere in the model, but its orientation must be parallel to the hinge. Choosing a different reference changes where the angle starts.

Angles run from −180° to 180°, including zero. Negative values rotate in the other direction; Reverse angle changes the sign. Dragging uses whole-degree steps, or 0.1° with Shift. Type a value for finer precision. Presets include 0°, 30°, 45°, 60° and 90°.

This construction uses straight solid edges or sketch lines. Arcs, splines and circular edges cannot act as its hinge. Show hidden sketches or construction lines before trying to select them.

The created plane becomes visible and active, and the rotation handle disappears. It stays fixed if the original body or sketch changes. You can create an offset plane from it when you need a parallel copy.

Recognize visible and active planes

Saved visible planes have a faint fill and a labelled border. Face-plane borders extend slightly beyond the face to make them easier to distinguish from body edges; this display padding does not move the sketch.

The active work plane is purple and marked Active. A small status in the viewport’s bottom-right corner shows the number of visible planes and the active plane’s name. Visibility and activation are separate: hiding an active plane adds (hidden) to the status. Finishing a sketch releases its drawing plane; select a saved plane to make it active again.

The Plane button has a white background and visible border, with purple hover and keyboard-focus feedback. It stays highlighted while the plane-creation panel is open.

Prepare profiles for Loft

Create a first closed profile, finish its sketch, then add offset planes for the remaining profiles. Name the planes or sketches so their order is obvious. Their actual positions define the loft.

Rails may need sketches on other planes that intersect those profile boundaries. Plan the reference layout before drawing the rails; see Loft.

Read and manage the browser

Reference planes, Sketches and Solid bodies are separate groups. Green eyes indicate visible items; red crossed-out eyes indicate hidden ones. Hover a name for details and use its row menu for rename or delete.

Origin planes cannot be deleted. Removing a custom plane with a sketch asks to remove both. Other saved planes keep their positions. Body edits and moves also leave existing sketch references at their saved positions; this is not a dependent feature tree.

Undo plane and Redo plane control plane creation during the current session. Undo the sketch on a plane before undoing that plane. Save .strek to retain committed planes, their positions, editable sketches and bodies; session undo history is not restored when reopening a file.

Distinguish the plane tools

The Plane control inside Custom Solid creates these saved sketch planes. The general toolbar’s Plane Tool provides temporary construction and stopper references for other placement workflows. Section view is the control for visually cutting through a building.

These guides use English control names. The Norwegian workspace labels the same controls with their Norwegian equivalents.