Projecting 3D Elements onto the View Plane 

This task shows you how to create geometry in the current design view by projecting a 3D element onto the view plane.
Open the Disk2.CATPart document. Select Start > Mechanical Design > 2D Layout for 3D Design to open the layout in the 2D window, alongside the 3D window.

Create a left projection view from the existing front view.

  1. Double-click the left view to activate it.

  2. Click Project 3D Elements in the 3D Geometry toolbar or select Insert  > 3D Geometry Use Edges > Project 3D Elements from the menu bar.
     

  3. Select the element to be projected. For the purpose of our scenario, select the bigger circle in the front view.
     


    The edge is projected onto the left view plane.
     

More about projecting 3D elements

When projecting 3D elements, remember the following points:

  • The element to be projected can be either a 3D face, an edge or a vertex. It cannot be a body.
  • Selecting a face results in selecting its boundary edges.
  • The projected geometry is created in the current view.
  • The projected geometry is not necessarily a single element; distinct elements are created corresponding to each selected edge or vertex.
  • If the selected element is invalid or if the projection is not properly performed, an error message is displayed.
  • Be careful when multi-selecting a mix of 2D and 3D elements to project. In this case, 2D elements are projected only if they are located in the view background; in other words, any 2D element located in the foreground of the view will not be taken into account.