This document provides instructions for aligning a part using planes, lines, and points as datums in a CAD system. It describes establishing a level plane as the primary datum, rotating to a secondary line datum, and setting origins on a tertiary point datum to fully define the coordinate system. It concludes with steps to verify the alignment by probing at the origin and moving along each axis to check the coordinate directions.
This document provides instructions for aligning a part using planes, lines, and points as datums in a CAD system. It describes establishing a level plane as the primary datum, rotating to a secondary line datum, and setting origins on a tertiary point datum to fully define the coordinate system. It concludes with steps to verify the alignment by probing at the origin and moving along each axis to check the coordinate directions.
This document provides instructions for aligning a part using planes, lines, and points as datums in a CAD system. It describes establishing a level plane as the primary datum, rotating to a secondary line datum, and setting origins on a tertiary point datum to fully define the coordinate system. It concludes with steps to verify the alignment by probing at the origin and moving along each axis to check the coordinate directions.
v2011 Alignment Review Plane / Line / Point Alignment Theory Video (Click button to play). Example Alignment Plane (Datum A) Line (Datum B) Point (Datum C)
Datum A (Primary Datum): Plane Datum B (Secondary Datum): Line Datum C (Tertiary Datum): Point
Alignment Procedure: Level 1. Measure a Plane on Datum A with at least 3 points in a triangular pattern and then press Done on the jogbox.
2. Open the Alignment Utilities dialog box (Insert > Alignment > New).
3. Make the dialog selections as shown.
a. Pick the Level Feature. b. Select the vector direction. c. Push the Level button. Alignment Procedure: Rotate 4. Measure a Line on Datum B from left to right and then press Done on the jogbox..
5. Open the Alignment Utilities dialog box (Insert > Alignment > New).
6. Make the dialog selections as shown.
a. Pick the Rotate Feature. b. Select Rotate to: XPLUS (the line direction).
c. About: ZPLUS (the Level direction). d. Push the Rotate button. Alignment Procedure: Origins 7. Measure a Point on Datum C and press Done on the jogbox..
8. Open the Alignment Utilities dialog box (Insert > Alignment > New).
9. Make the dialog selections as shown.
a. Pick the Point b. Check X c. Push Origin d. Pick the Line e. Check Y f. Push Origin g. Pick the Plane h. Check Z i. Push Origin Alignment Verification 10. Open the Probe Readout Window remember the shortcut key.
11. Position the probe (ruby tip) at the approximate location of the origin. Observe the X, Y and Z values in the Probe Readout Window are approximately zero.
12. Move the probe along the X axis of the part and observe the X values in the Probe Readout Window count positive.
13. Move the probe up in Z and observe the Z values in the Probe Readout Window count positive.
14. The direction of the Y axis follows the right hand rule as shown.
Ctrl W + Rotate Direction Level Direction This third direction is forced mutually perpendicular to the two previous direction vectors based on the right hand rule. pc dmis pro cad cad++ v2011 End of Alignment Review