Projecting and trimming entities on a solid, surface, or region

You can modify a solid, surface, or region by projecting geometry onto it. For example, you can project holes drawn on a different plane onto a three-dimensional mechanical part and automatically trim the holes from the part.

You can project points, lines, arcs, circles, ellipses, 2D and 3D polylines, splines, and helices onto a three-dimensional solid, surface, or region using a direction that you specify.

To project entities onto a solid, surface, or region

   1   (Optional) To trim the resulting projection from the three-dimensional entity, choose Auto Trim ():

    On the ribbon, choose Draw 3D > Auto Trim (in Curves).

    On the menu, choose Modify > 3D Operations > Auto Trim.

Use a system variable.
Set the SURFACEAUTOTRIM system variable to 1 to automatically trim projections from three-dimensional entities.

   2   Do one of the following to choose Project Geometry ():

    On the ribbon, choose Draw 3D > Project Geometry (in Curves).

    On the menu, choose Modify > 3D Operations > Project Geometry.

    Type projectgeometry and then press Enter.

   3   Select the entities that you want to project, and press Enter when done.

   4   Select the surface, solid, or region onto which you want the selected entities to be projected, then press Enter.

   5   Specify the direction by choosing one of the following:

    View Creates a projection based on the current view.

    UCS Creates a projection along the z-axis of the current UCS.

    Points Creates a projection along a path between a start and end point that you specify.