How to Switch Which Plane You Are Drawing Solid Works

In this section:

3.1: General
3.2: Point clouds
three.3: Marshal
3.3.1: Origin
3.3.2: Align
iii.iii.3 Reset
3.3.four Axis
3.3.v Flip
three.iii.six Rotate
3.4 Options
3.v Slices
3.5.i Slice from plane
three.five.2 CSV (professional version but)
3.five.3 Vector
three.5.four Outline
iii.5.5 Position slice
3.5.half dozen Airplane from slice
iii.5.7 Step piece
3.six Clipping
three.half dozen.one Clipping in slices
3.7 Shader
3.8 Clash detection
iii.nine Betoken cloud not displayed correctly

3. i Full general

Point Clouds for SolidWorks features a very simple user interface. You'll run across a number of tabs which separate the central controls in the plug-in into logical sections.

In many sections you will run into the ii buttons below:

three.2 Point clouds

The Point Clouds tab in the plug-in, showing all the options listed to the correct.

To add a point cloud to your document, press the + button on the Point Clouds tab and select the VPC file. you'd like to add. When a signal cloud is added and selected in the displayed list, a number of options become bachelor which command the appearance of that point deject. Note that you must select the point cloud in order for those options to work:

Larn more nearly the nuts of loading and editing betoken cloud settings in this video.

3.3 Align

This set up of tools is used to position and rotate the selected point cloud(s) inside SolidWorks.

Notation: using the Indicate Clouds for SolidWorks Drawing Tools withorigin andalign gives authentic point selection with the point cloud(s).

Let's await at each of the different tools in more than detail:

three.three.one Origin

Ensure "point" is selected in the Point Clouds tab when using the origin function. Note the "add" icon shaped like a pencil to the right.

Position a "bespeak" on the selected betoken cloud (if point snapping is required then please ensureindicate is selected from the Point Clouds tab, and click the add icon). Select the newly created point, which will highlight it blueish, and click the origin icon. The point deject volition be moved to X,Y,Z 0,0,0 centred on the selected point.

Learn more about the origin function in this video.

It'southward of import to add a 3D Sketch in SolidWorks before pressing the "add together" button in the plug-in

Selecting your newly created betoken will highlight information technology blue.

Annotation: make certain a SolidWorks "3D Sketch" has been added before using Bespeak Clouds for SolidWorks add icon. Otherwise the points you try to create will not exist displayed and y'all will not exist able to prepare the origin.

3.iii.ii Marshal

Select "Line" from the Indicate Deject tab if you desire to snap your lines to the point cloud. Once again, note the "Add" icon shaped like a pencil

Draw two new axis "lines," one representing X and the other Y, on the selected point cloud. If snapping to the point cloud is required ensure line is selected from the Point Clouds tab, followed past clicking the add together icon. Select both lines (horizontal and so vertical – it won't work the other fashion round), which will highlight them blue, and select the marshal icon. The indicate cloud will transition to align with the new axes.

Acquire more nearly the Marshal role in this video.

Selecting your two centrality lines will highlight them blue.

Annotation: use axis flip and rotate to correct the orientation if the point cloud doesn't align correctly.

3.3.3 Reset

Resets any of the align or origin operations back to the original location/rotation of the point cloud(s).

3.iii.4 Axis

Selects which axis (X, Y or Z) will be afflicted by the flip and rotate operations.

3.3.5 Flip

Flips the selected point cloud(due south) 180° around the centrality you lot have selected.

3.3.six Rotate

Flips the selected point cloud(due south) 90° effectually the axis you have selected.

3.4 Options

The options panel features settings that affect all point clouds.

Lighting – adds dynamic lighting to the scene. The light source is always behind your current position.
Rendering – removes signal deject(south) from the view displays.
Copy – copies the point cloud(s) and backdrop (slices, clips, alignment, origin etc.).
Paste – pastes the contents you've copied into a new SolidWorks Office or Assembly.

Note: perform the Re-create then select or generate a new Office or Assembly before selecting Paste. Otherwise the operation will non work. Watch this video to learn more about copying and pasting.

3.five Slices

Slices are a way to quickly visualise a department through the point cloud(south).

You can define the size of the slice manually, after which the slice is visualised in the viewing window. If no size is selected, Point Deject for SolidWorks will utilize the last defined piece size.

Learn more about slicing in this video.

A slice of a indicate cloud in SolidWorks.

The slice can be moved by using the stepping function. See section three.5.vii for more information.

Notation: It is not possible to have multiple slices enabled at whatever one time.

The Slices tab, showing you all your available slices and their settings.

Each slice has the following properties:

Enabled – turns the slice on/off.
Lock – prevents the slice from being moved.
Colour – selects the color the piece will appear every bit when the highlight choice is ticked.
Name – lets you give your slice a meaningful name to assistance you identify it.
Width – in units of current function or assembly, such as metres or mm.
Stride – the altitude you lot will move through your piece every time you lot employ the step function. See section 3.5.vii for more information.
Clipping – selecting this means that any clipping you will only touch on the points within your slice. Meet section three.6 for more data on clipping.
Highlight – highlights your slice with your chosen color.

At the top of the slice window, you lot'll find an additional button:

In the SolidWorks FeatureManager Design Tree, yous tin can select the plane you wish to piece from.

3.5.i Slice from airplane

Slices through the betoken cloud at the position of the pane you have selected from the SolidWorks "FeatureManager Blueprint Tree" tab. The new slice is added to the Point Clouds for SolidWorks slices tab.

At the bottom of the slice window are seven buttons:

3.5.2 CSV (plane analysis, professional person version just)

Creates a text-based CSV (comma separated values) file containing X,Y,Z, RGB, intensity, classifications, and altitude data (distances are calculated from the centre of the piece outwards in both directions).

3.5.3 Vector

This generates a vector cartoon of your piece. To utilise, brand sure your slice is positioned as required within the signal cloud data, position the view to full screen where possible and squared to the slice, then select vector.

With your piece positioned correctly, pressing the Vector push (bottom correct) will create a vector drawing of your slice.

3.5.four Outline

Used in the aforementioned way equally the vector pick to a higher place, but the resulting drawings will be an outline of the point cloud data within the slice rather than showing a line representing the points.

3.5.5 Position slice

Click direct where to position the active slice within the point cloud.

3.five.half dozen Plane from slice

Generates a SolidWorks airplane from the currently selected piece.

3.5.7 Step piece

The two step buttons at the bottom of the Slices tab permit you to move a step through the currently selected slice. The distance each step takes tin be ready in the Slices tab. The "direction" the step moves in will depend on how y'all take the piece oriented.

three.half-dozen Clipping

The clipping tab in the plug-in.

The clipping tab is used to select areas of point data (called clips) that yous wish to hide or unhide. The 4 master controls of the clipping tools are:

Larn more about clipping in this video.

Selected prune data in a point cloud. As it has been selected, it has turned green.

At the lesser left of the clipping panel are four buttons:

Professional person version users will run across an additional 3 buttons:

Picket this video to learn more than about deleting and copying clips.

As well as creating individual clips you lot tin can group a series of clips into a clip group. For example, y'all may have fabricated a number of clips to isolate a chair in a room. You can select all these clips and create one single clip group past pressing the create prune group button, located in the clipping tab beneath the top box.

Individual clips or prune groups can be applied at any time by either double-clicking them in the list, or clicking the process button opposite the table. This volition make them visible. Note that when loading up a part or assembly, clips are usually not applied and must be practical manually.

There are two delete selected buttons; the i adjacent to the pinnacle window in the clipping tab deletes all individually selected clip(southward), while the 1 in the grouping department deletes all individually selected clip group(southward).

Note: This option does Non unselect all the points in the currently enabled point clouds. For this to happen, select the clear button.

3.6.1 Clipping in Slices

If you perform whatsoever of the clipping actions while you lot take a slice active, only information within that slice will be affected.

For case, you may take a slice cutting through the floor of a room, pregnant but the flooring is visible. Creating a new clip whilst this slice is agile will ensure only data from the flooring is selected.

3.7 Shader

The Shader tab of the plug-in. In this example yous tin see that the shader is pointing directly along the Z axis.

The shader console provides control over the planar shader. The planar shader colours information forth a aeroplane or vector from a given position or offset, and is a great manner of seeing differences in acme on surfaces that might otherwise look apartment.

Once the shader has been enabled you lot can alter its management past changing the X,Y,Z values in the shader tab. If your point deject is aligned to the planes, the Ten,Y and Z values should add together upward to 1, with the value one being placed in the aeroplane direction you wish to shade. If your signal deject is not truthful to the planes so you will demand to starting time the values to marshal the shader (for case, you may have 10 = 0.054, Y=-0.041, and Z=0.998.)

A simpler choice is to marshal the shader to your electric current view direction. Pressing the center icon will gear up the X,Y,Z values for you and prepare the shader "zero" point to your current view position.

The PropertyManager tab in SolidWorks, showing the X, Y and Z values needed for the Shader tab.

The balance of the options in the shader tab are as follows:

Point – useful for positioning the start point of the shader. Use the add point pick (select a point on the bespeak cloud every bit per section: 3.3.i, merely practice not click marshal) to position a point directly at the start position. In one case the bespeak is selected, copy the Ten,Y,Z values from SolidWorks "PropertyManager" into the fields in the Shader tab. Point Clouds for SolidWorks works in metres; you can likewise fix SolidWorks to piece of work in metres to brand this process easier.
Range – sets the distance over which the shader will summate values, in the units the current part or assembly is working in.
Outset – determines the altitude from the shader cipher point to first calculating from. Useful for moving the shader along the axis.
Repeat – how the shader should act in one case it has gone across either the outset or stop location every bit calculated by range + offset. The options in the dropdown include:
- Clench – proceed with outset/terminal colour.
- Stop – don't apply colours across range.
- Repeat – loop through the colours again.
Colours – lets you choose between your own custom colour palette in the shader, or to apply the unabridged RGB hue values.
Alloy – changes how much the true color of the point cloud shows through the shader.

Changing the units in SolidWorks can make information technology easier when working with the plug-in.

iii.eight Disharmonism detection

Disharmonism detection at piece of work in SolidWorks. Each red cross denotes a clash between the Bespeak Cloud and the Meshed Surface

When activated, this role volition detect when point clouds and meshed surfaces come into contact, and the clashed areas volition be highlighted with a red cross.

Turning the disharmonism icon on/off will brandish or remove clashed arears.

Note: visual performance volition be reduced with clash enabled.

Learn more nearly clash detection in this video.

three.9 Point cloud non displayed correctly

There are atmospheric condition that may stop a point cloud being displayed:

Some VPC files are "protected." Protected files disable export functions and users tin can add together an expiry date to the data. Once the expiry appointment has passed you volition no longer be able to view the data.
The point cloud file(s) may have been moved from its original directory location. If this is the case the indicate cloud volition take to re-loaded from its new location, or moved back to its original location.

If your indicate cloud data is not visible, check with the person who provided the VPC file whether they protected and enforced an decease information on the files you were provided.

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Source: https://veesus.com/kb/solidworks-user-interface/