About 3D Outputs  

This topic provides more information on 3D outputs. The following topics are discussed:
 

3D Planes

  This topic discusses 3D planes.

You can create as many 3D planes as needed from a design view. 3D planes can be created:

  • from any line contained in a design view, in a part layout (a CATPart document).
  • from a line which is already included in other 3D planes or profiles (in other words, any 2D geometry can be included in several 3D outputs).

3D planes can be used to create:

  • Part Design or Generative Shape Design features.
  • 3D profiles on a plane parallel to the view support plane. For more information, refer to Creating a 3D Profile.

You cannot create 3D planes:

  • in isometric views (because they are not design views).
  • in a product layout (i.e. in a product representation).

When creating 3D planes, remember the following points:

  • You can only create a plane parallel to the support plane of the current view.
  • The 3D plane is associative to the line you select when creating it: if the line is modified, the support plane will be recomputed when updating the plane (by exiting the 2D Layout for 3D Design workbench or using the Update 3D Profile command) to reflect the modifications.
 

3D Profiles

  This topic discusses 3D profiles.

Within a design view, only part of the geometry is needed for defining part: for those elements that do not need to be defined as part, a 2D definition is sufficient. 3D profiles enable you to specify the geometry you want to output in 3D.

You can create as many 3D profiles as needed from a design view. 3D profiles can be created on the support plane of the view, as well as on any plane parallel to the view support plane. You can use an existing plane, or define a parallel plane on the fly during the 3D profile creation.

You cannot create 3D profiles for geometry contained in isometric views (because they are not design views).

3D profiles:

  • can be created for any 2D geometry contained in a design view, in a part layout (a CATPart document).
  • can contain 2D geometry which is already included in other 3D profile or plane (in other words, any 2D geometry can be included in several 3D outputs).
  • can be updated independently of the layout. During an update operation, a given 3D profile is only impacted when the 2D geometry is modified.
  • have their own graphic properties, independent from the graphic properties of the 2D geometry which makes up the profile.
  • let you expose in a part a set of connected curves or a set of points.
  • can be used to create Part Design or Generative Shape Design features.
  • can be created within a Part Body, regardless of hybrid design setting. On this point, 3D profiles are similar to sketcher output profiles.

You can edit a 3D profile by right-clicking it from the specification tree and selecting Profile definition. This command is only accessible in the Part Design and Generative Shape Design workbenches.
 

Miscellaneous Remarks about 3D Outputs

  This topic makes a number of remarks that are common to 3D planes and 3D profiles.
  • Of all elements created from 2D geometry in 2D Layout for 3D Design, only 3D profiles, 3D planes and 3D axes belong to the current part body.
  • Note that 3D profiles, 3D planes and  3D axes  are created under the current part body only when working in a hybrid design environment, that is when the Enable hybrid design inside part bodies and bodies option is selected in Tools > Options > Infrastructure > Part Infrastructure > Part Document tab (which is the case by default). Otherwise, when this option is not selected, 3D profiles, 3D planes and 3D axes are created in geometrical sets or ordered geometrical sets.
  • Use-edges cannot be used as input geometry to create 3D profiles, 3D planes or  3D axes .
  • When you right-click a 2D line from the specification tree or the geometry area, in the active 2D layout design view, a contextual menu appears from which you can launch the Selected object > 3D Profile and possibly the Selected object > 3D Plane commands.
  • When you right-click a point from the geometry area in the active 2D layout design view, a contextual menu appears from which you can launch the Selected object > 3D Axis command.
  • The 3D Profile command is available on any 2D geometry in the view.
  • The 3D Plane command is available only on a 2D line.
  • Deleting a 3D profile does not delete the original 2D geometry in the layout. A 3D profile can only be deleted from the Part Design and Generative Shape Design workbenches.
  • Deleting the 2D geometry used as input when defining a 3D profile in a view (which can only be done from the 2D Layout for 3D Design workbench) prevents the 3D profile from being re-built.
  • It is not possible to paste a non-isolated profile/plane in the As specified in Part document format, but only in the As Result format.
  • Powercopy is not available for 3D profiles.