topic Re: Can't Create Sketch on Selected or Highlighted Planar Surface in Fusion Support Forum

Can't Create Sketch on Selected or Highlighted Planar Surface

akerezy — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 14:11:14 GMT

Hi,

I keep running into this issue; I select or highlight a planar surface, then - while the surface is still highlighted or selected - I go to Create -> Create Sketch; and Fusion 360 gets all stupid and wonky on me.

LOOK - I have already (- already taken my valuable time) told the software which surface I want to sketch on. How can it NOT know or understand. Why is it difficult? See attached picture

Somewhat related issue: IF I select a planar surface - on an existing part - that I want to sketch on, but the part is some distance from the origin - then Fusion 360 moves or turfs me over to the origin. Once again..... I have painstakingly spent time to select the surface I want to sketch on; BEFORE - I select Create Sketch.

Is there a way to better communicate with the software so that I DO NOT have recreate a planar surface that I've ALREADY selected? When I am working on a part, is there a way to communicate with the software that create sketch does not mean move me back to the origin?

Very Frustrating and Time Consuming

Thanks For Deeper Insight!!

Betreff: Can't Create Sketch on Selected or Highlighted Planar Surface

g-andresen — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 13:58:34 GMT

Hi,

Is the surface really planar?

Please share the file for reply.

File > export > save as f3d on local drive > attach to post

günther

Betreff: Can't Create Sketch on Selected or Highlighted Planar Surface

akerezy — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 14:09:46 GMT

Hi..... I have attached the file here, and to the original post.

My comment - IF this is not a planar surface - why then, does Fusion 360 let me select it like a planar surface???

Thanks so much for your help!!

Betreff: Can't Create Sketch on Selected or Highlighted Planar Surface

g-andresen — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 14:51:52 GMT

Hi,

1. It´s not a planar surface

2. First create a plane on the curved surface and then create the sketch on this plane

(view in My Videos)

günther

Re: Can't Create Sketch on Selected or Highlighted Planar Surface

akerezy — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 15:18:30 GMT

Thank you so much for the video. It seems so complicated. The title bar of model in the video - is blocking out some of the menu selections you are making, so it's hard to follow. I have never "sliced" a sketch before.

I do wish Fusion would either a) not let me select a surface that is not planar - as it's deceiving - thinking I can sketch on it ...or b) make planar surfaces when selected different from curved surfaces by a different color or something.

Again-I appreciate your help. This is getting rather advanced for me.

Re: Can't Create Sketch on Selected or Highlighted Planar Surface

g-andresen — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 16:14:27 GMT

Hi,

1. If you first call up the Create sketch command and then have to select a planar surface, you will see that non-planar surfaces cannot be selected.

2. follow the timeline in the attached file
3. in the screencast I show an alternative to creating the point on the surface with the option "3D sketch" . *

(view in My Videos)

günther

Betreff: Can't Create Sketch on Selected or Highlighted Planar Surface

jeff_strater — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 17:14:19 GMT

@akerezy - can you clarify this statement:

"why then, does Fusion 360 let me select it like a planar surface???"

What do you mean by "select it like a planar surface"? Are you in the context of a command (such as Create Sketch) that is specifically looking for a planar face? Or are you just in the general selection command (no active command)? You did not supply a video, so we cannot tell. But, how can you expect Fusion to "know" that your intention is to start a sketch after you select a face? ("LOOK - I have already (- already taken my valuable time) told the software which surface I want to sketch on"). You can select a spherical face and try to sketch on it - the behavior will be the same as I expect you are experiencing. Just the fact that this face looks like it might be planar does not make it so.

When not in a specific command, ANY face is selectable. I'm just not clear on what your expectations are.

Betreff: Can't Create Sketch on Selected or Highlighted Planar Surface

akerezy — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 19:47:55 GMT

@jeff_strater - Maybe I don't understand the software; in my simplistic mind; if I click on and/or highlight or select a (truly) planar surface, and then after selecting the surface, I click on create sketch; it "seems" that I am telling the software, I have just selected this planar surface - so this is what I want to sketch on. (let's assume it is truly a planar surface for this discussion)

Perhaps the software doesn't work that way, you must always first click Create Sketch, and then only after you've given the command to create a sketch can you select the surface. But Why? Why can't I click on or select (I'm using these interchangeably here) on a planar surface, and then click or give the Create Sketch command?

Another thought, leveraging the software's existing functionality of highlighting - as you hover over different parts of a project or design, "things" or "parts /pieces" of what you're designing are highlighted. WHAT IF.... the color used in highlighting something varied, based on what the thing is? E.g. - a complete body has one color when you highlight it, while a surface has a different color when you hover over it, while a planar surface has yet a different color when hovering over or selecting it. NOW - the software is communicating back to the user what ("things") it has identified, based on the color. Then..... if, in example above I hovered over and selected what I "thought" somehow was a planar surface, but really was not; I would know that the software is thinking and could see based on the color that the software considers what I hovered over (or selected) was a surface, but not a planar surface. Food For Thought!!!

Finally - mentioned in my "challenging" model, is the fact that many times my parts in my design ARE NOT right on the origin, but rather some centimeters or so away from the origin. I do this because in a single design file, or model - I create several parts that are then assembled. Now..... it seems that every time I use the Create Sketch command, the software throws or moves me back to the origin. This is very frustrating when the part that I am working is several to many cm's away from the origin. This ties back into my first statement; when I select or highlight a planar surface - and then use the Create Sketch command - if the software can "present" the surface I have highlighted or selected - to sketch on, rather than move or throw me back to the origin, it would save hours and hours.....

Thanks for your replying and listening to feedback from users that are not full time mechanical engineers!!

Betreff: Can't Create Sketch on Selected or Highlighted Planar Surface

jeff_strater — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 20:05:57 GMT

"if I click on and/or highlight or select a (truly) planar surface, and then after selecting the surface, I click on create sketch; it "seems" that I am telling the software, I have just selected this planar surface - so this is what I want to sketch on. (let's assume it is truly a planar surface for this discussion)"

This is exactly how it does work. You can pre-select a planar face, and click on "Create Sketch", and it will use that face. However, if the selected face is not planar, it will de-select that face, and prompt you to select one. In the video below, you can see this. First, I select the top (planar) face of the cylindrical body, and then I click on Create Sketch. Because the selected face is planar, the sketch is created on that face. Next, I select the cylindrical face, and click on Create Sketch again - that face is NOT planar, so it becomes de-selected, and you need to select a planar face to create the sketch on.

(view in My Videos)

Re: Can't Create Sketch on Selected or Highlighted Planar Surface

akerezy — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 21:22:08 GMT

@g-andresen Thank you thank you thank you!!!

The problem was that I didn't know, or realize that I could create a tangent to the surface that I "thought" was planar, but it was curved.

Once I got the tangent plane(s) in place to sketch on.... I could handle it.

Thank you - remember - what seems obvious for an expert is sometimes for folks like me.

Betreff: Can't Create Sketch on Selected or Highlighted Planar Surface

akerezy — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 21:40:56 GMT

@jeff_strater Hhhmmmm, well I am glad the software does work such that if you select a planar surface and then create sketch - that it will use the selected surface. Perhaps I messing up or not selecting what are truly planar surfaces.

It seems that so many times when creating sketches on part surfaces, I get thrown or moved back to the origin

Thanks for your help!!

Betreff: Can't Create Sketch on Selected or Highlighted Planar Surface

g-andresen — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 09:11:39 GMT

Hi,

In the screencast you can see that an area (in this case Origin) is preselected depending on the cursor position. If you then click on a non-flat surface, the preselection is automatically used as the sketch plane.
This can lead to incorrect assumptions on the part of the user.
Perhaps a marker for the use of selected surfaces would be useful here, as suggested by @akerezy .

(view in My Videos)

Betreff: Can't Create Sketch on Selected or Highlighted Planar Surface

TheCADWhisperer — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 13:01:31 GMT

@akerezy

You are using non-standard modeling practices, and I predict that you will continue to experience significant frustration following your current modeling practices.

Are you interested in learning best practices, or are you happy to continue with your way of modeling?

Betreff: Can't Create Sketch on Selected or Highlighted Planar Surface

akerezy — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 14:35:21 GMT

LOL.... Thomas Edison and Karl Benz used a lot of non-standard practices as well. And life is so much easier because of it.

There is so much beautiful space in tool, let's not tether ourself to a single origin; in my example (I'm sure there are others), where I make parts that join together - having them spaced out on the screen lets me work on the part cleanly by itself before aligning it to other parts.

Betreff: Can't Create Sketch on Selected or Highlighted Planar Surface

akerezy — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 14:37:36 GMT

Please.... discuss and consider the idea of have different colors display when hovering or highlighting some aspect of the model (surface vs. planar surface vs. body vs. component vs sketch, etc.)

This would be helpful - especially for beginners - because it makes them aware the software considers what they're hovering different than the last thing they hovered over.

Thanks for AMAZING software!!!

Betreff: Can't Create Sketch on Selected or Highlighted Planar Surface

TheCADWhisperer — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 20:31:27 GMT

@akerezy

None of the Construction Workplanes are needed for this simple design.