What is the point of grounding a workplane?

[shastu]

I have a situation in which I would like to ground a work plane that was created at the time of an extrusion made within an assembly.  In other words, it was created automatically by Inventor when the Extrusion was created, but it is allowed to float so when used in other assemblies and made flexible, the work plane floats way off into space instead of staying where I want it.  So I thought to myself, I will just ground the work plane.  I did and it shows that it is grounded but it still floats off into space.  See video:

[blandb]

Grounded work planes appear when a feature has been deleted, but another feature was dependent upon a face of the deleted feature. Its grounded because there is no relation to anything. So the grounded work plane has been added in place for the face that the next feature was started on...Make sense?

For example, just make 3 extrusions based the face of the previous and then delete the middle feature, and you will see a grounded work plane appear.

[shastu]

I think you may have missed my point.  I am wanting to ground that work plane, but even after I ground it, I can still move it around.

[blandb]

Spin the model, I bet it is just a planar move, you are not changing the elevation. Same as offsetting a work plane in a part and grounding it. It is fixed via elevation, but I can still move it along its plane

[shastu]

Yes, I am aware that it is moving within the plane, but I grounded it.  Grounded should not allow it to move in any direction.  When I ground a part, even if it doesn't have any constraints I can't move it in any direction.  I would think that a work plane should be the same way.

[Frederick_Law]

The plane didn't move.

A plane extent to infinity in both directions.

Turn on "Auto Resize".

[shastu]

Yes, I get that.  If you are going to stick by that then that confirms the Title of this post.  What is the point of grounding a work plane?  It doesn't do anything.  I get the exact same behavior before and after I ground it.  See picture:  I am trying to avoid the yellow plane from floating away like in the picture.  That work plane is from the assembly I showed in the video which is in the dead center of the assembly that you see in the picture now attached.  So I don't believe the "auto-resize" is an option in the assembly of a sub-assembly, but I may be wrong.  Hopefully that makes sense.

[blandb]

Right click on the grounded plane What do you see?

[Frederick_Law]

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@shastu wrote:

If you are going to stick by that then that confirms the Title of this post.  What is the point of grounding a work plane?

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blandb already answered that.

[Frederick_Law]

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@shastu wrote:

So I don't believe the "auto-resize" is an option in the assembly of a sub-assembly, but I may be wrong.  Hopefully that makes sense.

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Don't believe anything.

Just test and see.

[shastu]

See attached.

[shastu]

If it is possible I don't know how to do it so I can't just test and see.  I know how to use the "auto-resize" within the assembly itself, but when that assembly is used inside of another assembly, from that assembly, there is no way I know of to "auto-resize" the work plane of an assembly within.  When I do the "auto-resize" within the assembly itself, it just changes the size of the work plane, but it still is moving where I don't want it in the assemblies that it is used in.

[blandb]

What is the purpose of the plane? The plane appears to be a centerline place on the threaded rod? Or, are you using this grounded plane to mate the threaded rod to? Is the plane even Necessary for the design? Can you not just use the assembly Origin planes? We don't know your design intent, but the plane kind of seems irrelevant? Or is all this just as an example?

[shastu]

If you relook at the video that was attached to the original post, you will see Extrusion 1 just underneath the Origin of the main assembly.  This is to represent what happens in the real world.  The threaded rod gets assembled into the u-joint assembly.  Then after the thread is in place a hole (extrusion 1) is drilled both through the threaded rod and the u-joint and the dowel is then placed in that hole.  I used the origin plane of the threaded rod, but it automatically creates the additional work plane.  I did not create the work plane on my own.  See video.  As far as your statement about the assembly Origin Planes, that would eliminate the extra work plane, but that does not always work because the parts you are machining after the assembly is assembled may not even be near the assembly origin.

[Frederick_Law]

You're working inside a sketch.  Exist the sketch first.

[Frederick_Law]

Right click on the plane and select Auto-Resize to turn it on.  It'll have a check mark when it's on.

It works in part and assembly.  Works on part and assembly inside an assembly.

[blandb]

@shastu I understand what you are saying, its just the way it is lol...I use these for cylinders and clevis, but I never really paid any attention to it until now. I think the developers were just thinking grounded as in place (not to move in elevation), but not to restrict movement along the plane or size of plane. Yes, auto resize does make it stretch the the extremes of the assembly. Which can be annoying for these. But in all fairness it is already "grounded" via the flush constraint with the threaded rod...so, ticking the grounded box doesn't really do anything. 

[shastu]

See the attached video.  I can auto-resize within the assembly but it still does not resolve the problem.  The plane ended up moving to a different location but it is still not where it should be which is centered with the threaded rod.

[shastu]

Thanks for your efforts in all of this.  It took a lot more than I thought it would to get my question verified.  

[Frederick_Law]

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@shastu wrote:

See the attached video.  I can auto-resize within the assembly but it still does not resolve the problem.  The plane ended up moving to a different location but it is still not where it should be which is centered with the threaded rod.

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Create the plane in the threaded rod file.  Auto-Resize there.

The plane should not be much bigger then the threaded rod and it'll stay that way in assembly.

Attach your files.

We still have no idea what you try to.