Project in the Measure command?

[CelticDesignServices]

(see attached)

I have what seems like an odd, but needed request here. I have an engineer that is looking for a way to measure between two lines that are not co-planar, but he wants the measurement in a specific plane.

Basically he wnats to be able to select a plane or line, then be able to select the second plane or line and have the tool automatically "project" it to the plane of the first selection and give the angle in that plane.

Ref the attached - the purple lines are in the XY plane, the blue line is not, but he wants to measure the angle from the X axis to that line but in the XY plane as seen by the green line that was manually projected to that plane.

Without having to manually create a sketch and project the entities that need to be measured (this example is an extremely simplistic one), how can this be done? Measurements in this way need to be done in numerous complex angles.

He's claiming Catia, Pro/E and of course, SW can all do this "project" within the measure tool. I figured if that's indeed the case, Inventor sure be able to.....JD, you're the resident expert on SW & Inventor....do you know what I'm refering to?

[mrattray]

Like this?

[CelticDesignServices]

Yes, to a point I believe.

Care to explain the process?

[mrattray]

I just brought up the measure tool, selected measure angle, selected the x axis from the browser tree and selected the edge.

[CelticDesignServices]

Funny, cuz that doesn't seem to do the same for me:

[CelticDesignServices]

OK, I stand semi-corrected on this.

I've found if the entity has an end point on the same plane as the first selection of the measure command, it gives the non-planar measurement I've shown, but if I select an entity that is not making any connection to the first selected entity, it then produces the result you show in your example.

Anyone know the logic behind this result?