Datums

Save a plane, axis, or point to model against — and come back to it.

A datum is a named plane, axis, or point saved with your project to model against. Unlike a work plane picked from a face, a datum persists — it survives a save and reload, you can keep several, and it can sit where no face does: offset away from a surface, or angled to it. That is what makes off-axis work practical. Activating a datum makes it the work plane, so new shapes seat on it, dragging slides within it, and the Sketch tool draws on it. Datums are an aid only: they never enter booleans and never export. Lock one to protect its numbers from an accidental edit, or hide it to get it out of the way.

1. Open the Datums panel from the right sidebar.
2. Pick a face with the Work plane tool first if you want to start from the model, or leave it on the build plate.
3. Set an Offset to place the datum away from that face, and a Tilt to angle it.
4. Choose Plane, Axis, or Point, then create it — it is saved with the project.
5. Click a datum to make it the active work plane, or use Sketch here to draw on it directly.