Plane Tool

A Plane is a flat surface on which you can sketch. They are used to create more complex shapes and can be defined in a number of ways:


Click on the Plane icon:

The following dialogue box should open:

CATIA's predictions of which plane to use can be frustrating. To deactivate it, click the green padlock.

Offset From Plane

Creates a plane which is offset from the reference plane:
Ticking the Repeat object option after OK allow the user to create more offset planes, with each plane separated from the initial plane by a multiple of the offset value:


Parallel Through Point

Creates a plane on a reference plane and point:


Angle / Normal to Plane

Creates a plane at given angle with respect to the reference plane:


Through 3 Points

Creates a plane which passes through 3 points:


Through 2 Lines

Creates a plane which passes through 2 Lines. If the lines are not co-planar, it will be buit on the second line. This can be avoided by ticking "Forbid non coplanar lines" :


Through a Point and a Line

Creates a plane which passes through a point and a line:


Through Planar Curve

Creates on the same plane as a selected curve:


Normal to Curve

Creates a plane normal to the selected curve. By default the plane is created at the mid-point. To select a different part, create a point on the curve and select it as the reference:


Tangent to Curve

Creates a plane tangent to the selected curve. By default the plane is created at the mid-point. To select a different part, create a point on the curve and select it as the reference:


Equation

Creates a plane by inputting an equation. It should be in the standard form Ax+By+Cz=D. The user can also select a point to replace D as the distance away from the origin:


Mean through Points

Creates a plane through the mean of at least 3 selected points. The user can edit the plane by removing or replacing one or multiple points: