Solidworks View Planes in Drawing

If you have utilized SOLIDWORKS Reference Geometry (planes, axes, coordinate systems, etc.), y'all may have once idea to yourself, why exercise I accept two 'Normal to' icons when I right click my reference plane in the Feature Tree? (meet Effigy 1)

Effigy ane. The 'Flip Normal' (top) and the 'Normal to' (lesser) commands in the right-click card

The truth is, these commands are quite unlike. You are familiar with the standard 'Normal to' command:

Figure 2. The 'Normal to' command

Merely this icon is the 'Flip Normal' command:

Effigy three. The 'Flip Normal' command

This command reverses the normal of the airplane to the contrary side. In SOLIDWORKS, every reference plane has 1 side that is designated as the master normal. All sketches on the primary normal have a right and a left. Technically, every plane has two normals—one on each side, only just as with a slice of paper, if we sketch something on 1 side and we view it from the opposite side, the shapes are reversed. To better sympathise how this works in SOLIDWORKS, consider this instance:

We have a part with a simple dominate:

Figure four. Two uncomplicated extrudes

(FYI this 'R' was created with lines and arcs. Sketched text cannot be copied.)

Let'southward say we did the following:

1. Add together a reference plane (Plane1) starting time from the front face up of Boss-Extrude1 foursquare extrude.
2. Edit the absorbed sketch of Boss-Extrude2, drag-select all entities in the sketch, and hit Ctrl+C (or Edit, Copy).
3. Select the reference plane Plane1, start a new sketch, then striking Ctrl+V (or Edit, Paste).
4. Exit the sketch.

This is what we should have:

Figure 5. Copied sketch on reference airplane Plane1

To u.s., this 'R' looks correct. The arcs of the 'R' are on our correct as we look at it from the front view. Observe that the reference plane'south name (Plane1) is at the top-left of the aeroplane. This means that nosotros are looking at the primary normal or the "front" of the aeroplane.

Now I volition invoke the 'Flip Normal' control by right-clicking the reference aeroplane Plane1 and selecting the 'Flip Normal' icon. If we remain on the front view, this is now what we volition see:

Figure six. The normal flipped on Plane1

Detect that the arcs of the 'R' are at present on our left every bit we wait at information technology from the front end. Another interesting annotation: the name of the reference plane (Plane1) is now at the top-right of the aeroplane. This means we are now looking at the secondary normal or the "back" of the airplane. If we view this sketch from the dorsum view we see this:

Figure 7. View from the back

From the back view, the 'R' looks correctly oriented. The arcs are on our right. The 'Flip Normal' control flipped Plane1 to the opposite side. Think of it as flipping over a piece of paper to the opposite side. All sketches created on the front of the paper will look backwards to united states of america when we flip the paper and look at the opposite side.

Hopefully, this cleared upwardly the mutual misunderstanding of the 'Flip Normal' command. If this dislocated you farther, a simple pull a fast one on should aid:

1. Hold upwardly your left hand with your arrow finger and thumb in the shape of the letter of the alphabet 'L' side by side to the monitor. This is your left, and it will always be your left, no affair how the part or assembly is rotated.
2. When you look at a reference airplane, if the name of the plane is in the top-left corner, you are looking at the primary normal, meaning all sketches will be oriented left-to-right according to your hand. If the name is in the top-correct corner, you are looking at the secondary normal, and if you lot paste a sketch, it volition await backward. You will demand to flip the normal of the plane using the 'Flip Normal' command.

Remember, a plane is like a piece of newspaper. Happy modeling!

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Source: https://www.goengineer.com/blog/flip-plane-normal-solidworks

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