[Solved] - Datum Planes - Reversed Hole Direction

[JeffM]

Hi,

I'm having issues with hole directions. When I wasn't following best practice and sketching on object faces I had no real problems, now I'm sketching on offset datum planes I sometimes have an issue with holes. This is using the Part Design workbench.

If I draw a sketch and pocket, sometimes I need to reverse direction to get the pocket to go in the right direction. If I use the 'Hole' facility there is no option to reverse the hole.

I've just spent a few minutes with a cube trying to draw on the 'upper' face of a datum plane and the 'lower' face.The sketch simply re orientates, the sketch ends up effectively the same and the hole can't be produced. Sometimes it seems I get it right, sometimes I don't.

This is basic stuff and having used Freecad for a few months now I should be able to sort this out, but it seems I've got a logic gap somewhere. Can somebody point the obvious out to me please.

Many thanks,

Jeff

OS: Windows 10
Word size of OS: 64-bit
Word size of FreeCAD: 64-bit
Version: 0.18.4 (GitTag)
Build type: Release
Branch: releases/FreeCAD-0-18
Hash: 980bf9060e28555fecd9e3462f68ca74007b70f8
Python version: 3.6.6
Qt version: 5.6.2
Coin version: 4.0.0a
OCC version: 7.3.0
Locale: English/UnitedKingdom (en_GB)

[Reynard1066]

As QUEEN would say, "Its a kind of magic".

Both Pocket and Datum Plane dialog boxes have a reverse check box in them. Experiment with them.

Reynard

[Bance]

Try to provide a file, a simple case explaining the problem is adequate.

Edit the plane and set map reversed to true, see if that does the trick?

[JeffM]

Thank you Bance/Reynard1066,

There is no 'Hole Direction' option that I can see in the 'Hole Parameters' configuration tab, but having first produced the hole I found the option to reverse the direction under the 'Property' tab.... I should have looked there first.

Would it be a sensible addition to the 'Parameters' tab, if not already in 0.19?

Cheers,

Jeff

[Reynard1066]

Ahhhh! That Hole. I was thinking pocket.

Yes, a reverse check box would be nice to have.

[Reynard1066]

Since we are on the subject of Plane direction, something that confuses me is that if I create a datum plane on the XZ world plane I would expect the datum plane normal (Z) to follow the remaining world (Y) but it does the opposite. There is probably a very good reason for this, like "it's too late to change it now".

Also for those using datum planes: a pad follows the direction of the normal (local Z), a pocket (or hole) goes in the opposite direction.

[Bance]

if I create a datum plane on the XZ world plane I would expect the datum plane normal (Z) to follow the remaining world (Y) but it does the opposite.

This has been discussed before, for XZ the normal is -Y, for ZX the normal is +Y.