Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
using voids. As stated earlier in the chapter, having many voids in families,
or having overly detailed families, can negatively affect file performance.
For some families, it may be tempting to use void forms to define the
required clearance space around mechanical and electrical equipment.
There are other methods to define these spaces without burdening your
projects with void geometry. For more information on creating clearance
spaces within families, see Chapter 19, “Creating Equipment.”
Reference Planes and Lines
When you begin to create a solid, it is important to understand how the
current view will affect the orientation of that solid. When you click one of
the buttons on the Forms panel of the Home tab, you will be taken into
sketch mode for the solid. A contextual tab appears on the ribbon with
tools for generating the sketch, or shape, of the solid. The view you are
in determines the plane for the sketch, and the depth of the solid will be
perpendicular to the sketch plane. If you are working in a file that contains
multiple planes that are parallel to the current view, you can select a plane
to which you can associate the extrusion by clicking the Set button on the
Work Plane panel of the contextual tab. From the Work Plane dialog box
that appears, you can choose the desired plane from the drop-down list that
shows only named reference planes, as shown in
Figure 17.16
.
Figure 17.16
Work Plane dialog box
If you choose a reference plane that is not parallel to the current view, the
Go To View dialog box will appear after you click OK in the Work Plane
dialog box. The Go To View dialog box, shown in
Figure 17.17
,
offers views
that exist in the family file that are parallel to the selected reference plane.
