I am starting a drawing exercise from a textbook. The base feature is a rectangle, drawn in the XZ Plane, 300x150mm, extruded 25mm.
By default the extrusion would be upward, leaving the sketch at the bottom. Why?
My instinct is to have the sketch on the top so I can draw additions directly on it.
Solved! Go to Solution.
Solved by blair. Go to Solution.
When creating the extrusion you can click the direction arrow to flip the direction.
You take control of the software for your design intent.
Hi! The default direction is just a choice. It has to be persistent and predictable. The default Extrusion direction is consistent with the normal direction of the sketch plane, i.e. right-hand rule cross product of X and Y of the sketch (opposite to the direction when you look at the sketch). The user can flip the direction at will. If the behavior you see is different from the above description, I would like to take a look at the case. Thanks!
It goes way back, Up is in the Positive direction. In buildings, you have a Floor Plan, everything is in the Up/Positive direction. Footings, for buildings are in the Up/Positive direction.
You can work in the negitive direction, doesn't really matter too much for most applications.
Hi johnsonshiue
I am afraid I do not understand this at all:
"... right-hand rule cross product of X and Y of the sketch (opposite to the direction when you look at the sketch)."
Would you mind explaining this to someone who doesn't (yet) speak Inventor?
Thanks
Hi blair
Hmmmm!
I was just thinking back to the days (of yore) when I did woodwork at Elementary School.
I always did my marking out on the top of the piece of wood. When I marked something out on the bottom of the piece of wood, the bottom became the top.
I think that idea is older than munti-storey buildings, and I feel it is more relevant to 3D-modelling for mechanical parts. BTW: I wasn't aware that people use Inventor for architectural drafting. Personally, I would be inclined to stick with CAD for that.
Hi! The right-hand rule is a simple way to determine the direction of a cross product. Simply make sure four fingers of your right hand (except the thumb) point in X-axis direction. Then fold the four fingers to Y-axis direction. Now, the thumb-up direction should be Z-axis direction, which is also the normal direction for XY plane.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-hand_rule
Thanks!
Really?
Simply make sure four fingers of your right hand (except the thumb) point in X-axis direction. Then fold the four fingers to Y-axis direction. Now, the thumb-up direction should be Z-axis direction, which is also the normal direction for XY plane.
You must have a very mobile wrist. I compare what you say here to the axis icon in Inventor
and I would have to be a contortionist. Even then it only works palm-up!