Extrusion Confusion

[Anonymous]

I’m creating a topo graphical map using splines to create the terrain.  Each feature is composed of hundreds of spline points creating the shape of each feature.  At one point the process of cutting away from the block material stops working properly.  Here is the process and the fail location.

• Created a block around the map using sketch and extrude process
• Extruded each individual section of the topo map to different depths.

All is good until the process reaches the last several depths.  At that point, the extrusion action stops cutting away from the block and begins to extrude adding material from some floating location over the block instead of cutting it away.  When I chose a value of .5" the extrusion is correct and cuts away from the block (from the floating location not the block surface).  It's almost as if the extrusion needs to reach the block before material is cut away.  Also, when the value is too small to reach the block, the extruded material added from a point floating in the air over the block.  Once the value reaches the block, it begins the cut away process as expected with the added floating material no longer present.

— Thanks,

Tim

[Anonymous]

I believe I figured it out.  It looks like the block body was off the sketch plane.  Is there an easy way to get it back in place without eyeballing the location?

Thanks,

Tim

[etfrench]

The align command should do that for you.  Select the face then the plane.