Geometric Features

Most Surface tools, and many Profile tools, can output features that Feature tools can take as input to produce measurements. These features are called geometric features. Feature tools use these entities to produce measurements based on more complex geometry. (For more information on Feature tools, see Feature Measurement.)

Gocator’s measurement tools can currently generate the following kinds of geometric features:

Points:  A 2D or 3D point. Can be used for point-to-point or point-to-line measurements.

Lines: A straight line that is infinitely long. Useful for locating the orientation of an enclosure or part, or to intersect with another line to form a reference point that can be consumed by a Feature tool.

Planes: A plane extracted from a surface. Can be used for point-to-plane distance or line-plane intersection measurements.

Circles: A circle extracted from a sphere.

The following tables list the tools that can generate geometric features. (Tools that can't generate geometric features are excluded.)

Geometric features generated by Surface tools

Tool	Point	Line	Plane	Circle
Bounding Box	X
Countersunk Hole	X
Edge	X	X
Ellipse	X	X
Hole	X
Opening	X
Plane			X
Position	X
Segmentation	X
Sphere	X			X
Stud	X
Volume

The Circle geometric feature currently cannot be used by any of the built-in Feature tools.

Geometric features generated by Profile tools

Tool	Point	Line
Area	X
Bounding Box	X
Circle	X
Intersect	X	X
Line	X	X
Position	X

The Feature Intersect tool can also produce an intersect point. Script tools do not currently take geometric features as input.