To rotate your view of a plane 90 degrees in Solidworks, you can utilize the view rotation functions.
In Solidworks, rotating a view allows you to change your perspective of the model, including planes, without altering the geometry itself. The provided reference highlights a specific method for achieving 90-degree rotations of your view.
Rotating Your View in 90° Increments
Based on the provided information, the most direct way to achieve a 90-degree rotation of your view is by using a keyboard modifier while rotating.
Here's how you can do it:
- Initiate View Rotation:
- Click Rotate View on the View toolbar.
- Go to View > Modify > Rotate.
- Alternatively, you can typically drag the pointer or use the middle mouse button to free-rotate the view without explicitly selecting the command first.
- Apply 90° Increment: While rotating the view using one of the methods above (dragging with the pointer, middle mouse button, or arrow keys), hold down Shift. This action will constrain the rotation to snap in 90° increments.
Reference Information: "Click Rotate View (View toolbar) or View Modify Rotate then drag the pointer . Drag with the middle mouse button. Press the arrow keys. Hold down Shift to rotate in 90° increments."
This technique is useful for quickly switching between standard orthogonal views relative to your current orientation or for precisely aligning your view to see a plane from a specific angle like 0°, 90°, 180°, or 270°.
Understanding View Rotation vs. Plane Rotation
It's important to note the distinction:
- Rotating a View: Changes how you see the model and its components, like a plane. This is a temporary visual change and doesn't affect the model's geometry or the plane's orientation in 3D space. The method described above rotates your view.
- Rotating a Plane (Feature): Changes the actual orientation of the plane feature within the 3D model. This typically involves editing the plane's definition in the FeatureManager Design Tree, often by changing references, offset distances, or angle constraints relative to other geometry. The provided reference does not describe how to rotate a plane feature.
Therefore, if your goal is simply to look at a plane from an angle that is 90 degrees different from your current perspective, rotating the view using the Shift key method is the relevant action described in the provided reference.
