How to precisely measure while working on a work plane?

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Create a family and place it on any floor plane. You can dimension to its center reference planes, no problems.

But how do you dimension to those references when you place the family on an oddly angled plane? Measure tool doesn't work at all in 3D, and dimensioning to families references stops working. I can dimension to family geometry, but not to its center reference.

Here's a gif of what I'm talking about:

https://i.imgur.com/KhOPoHp.gifv

In case your're thinking "you know the dimensions, just subtract it"... This is just an example, I have a strange family and I really need to be able to dimension to references which I placed in the family (yes, they are strong references, dimensioning to them in plane views works.).

[RDAOU]

Unable to open the link you posted .... but based on the description I assume that the following should work

• Set the work plane to that surface then place dimensions... 
  • In 3D view you can only capture/snap to Surfaces (See GIF 1)
  • In Orthogonal Projection views you will be able to capture the reference planes (See GIF 2)

 

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@RDAOU wrote:

Unable to open the link you posted 

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Let's see if I can upload gifs directly to forum...

That is exactly what I'm talking about! But is there a way to measure along the slanted plane? When you need to place something X units from the top/bottom of the face. If I need the center of family in my simple example to be 200 units from the top. Measured along that face, not in plane view.
(Btw. measuring it along the slanted plane also doesn't seem to work even in plane views. By the end of gif2 you tried it and it didn't catch on to table center reference, and it doesn't work in my example either.)

[RDAOU]

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In 3d no... check the second gif closely it captures only 1 ref plane (the second not because the plan is not orthogonal to it)...

To measure to reference planes u need to be in a view which is orthogonal to the ref planes...See GIF Below what I meant

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@RDAOU wrote:

To measure to reference planes u need to be in a view which is orthogonal to the ref planes...See GIF Below what I meant

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Whoa, how do you create those sections that are exactly "perpendicular" to the face?!

I had a similar idea with elevations:

[RDAOU · Accepted solution]

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Place the section vertical in elevation view then rotate or align to the face..

NOTE: If you want to do it all in 3D...Add 2 Model lines (with a visibility parameter or on a subcategory which you can switch on off)

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@RDAOU wrote:

NOTE: If you want to do it all in 3D...Add 2 Model lines (with a visibility parameter or on a subcategory which

you can switch on off)

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Da*n, now that is an elegant solution! 🙂 Thank you!

[ToanDN]

Instead of using Measure tool, you can draw a temporary model line of the surface or workplane and it will show the measurement.