Lesson

 
11

 
 
 
Lesson Objective: In this lesson, we will learn about the Sweep feature.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SWEEP DEFINITION
 
A sweep feature is created by taking a sketched profile and sweeping it along a sketched or
selected trajectory.  The cross-section of the feature along the entire length of the trajectory is
constant.
 
In a later chapter, we will learn all about variable section sweeps, and how you can create
a basic sweep in this feature.  For now, we will concentrate only on the standard sweep
feature.
 
CREATING THE SWEEP
 
To create a sweep, you must use the menu bar, and go to Insert, Sweep.  When you pick on
the Sweep menu, you will get another menu showing all of the different options, as shown
below.
 

 
Unlike the extrude and revolve features that we have already seen, the Sweep feature makes
you decide whether you are doing a Protrusion, Thin Protrusion, Cut, Thin Cut or Surface. 
Once you decide, you can not change it without deleting the feature and starting over.
 
The method for creating the five different types is identical, therefore we will demonstrate this
with a solid Protrusion.  Therefore, we would select the Protrusion menu option.  Once we
do this, we see the following window.
 

We saw a similar window earlier in lesson 8 when we created a datum curve through points. 
We can see in this window that we are currently defining the trajectory for our sweep.  The
menu manager appears just below this, and looks like the following.
 

 
We can either sketch a trajectory (if one does not yet exist), or select an existing set of edges
or datum curves for a trajectory.  We will choose the Sketch Traj option to sketch our
trajectory.  Once we pick this option, we get the next menu.
 

 
In this menu, we are asked to create or select a sketching plane.  This is a different way to
prompt us for this information than we have been used to, but we will see this type of prompt
quite often with some of the more advanced (or less commonly used) features.  In this menu,
the option to select an existing plane is already selected (Plane).  Therefore, we just need to
pick the datum plane or planar surface that we want as our sketching plane.
 
We will pick the TOP datum plane.  When we do this, an arrow appears on the model, as
shown below.
 
In the message window, we are asked to select the direction for VIEWING the sketching
plane.  The menu manager gives us two options, as shown at the top of the next page.
 

 
We can either flip the direction then click on Okay, or accept the current selection by clicking
only on Okay.  We will accept the downward direction for viewing.  Once we do this, the
menu changes once more.
 

 
Here, we are asked to select or create the sketching reference plane and its orientation.  We
will select the Bottom orientation, then pick on the FRONT datum plane on the model.  Once
we do this, we are placed into sketch mode.
 
We will create the following sketch.
 
We notice a yellow arrow on the sketch.  This is the start point for our trajectory.  This sketch
is called an “Open Section”, since some of its endpoints are not touching each other.  In
an Open Section, the start point must be one of the open endpoints of the sketch (as it is
above).  If it is not, you must pick on one of the endpoints with the left mouse button so it
highlights, and then right mouse click and select Start Point.
 
The Start Point represents the location where your profile starts from.  We want it to be on the
straight segment for this example.  Once our sketch is complete, we accept it by clicking on
the blue check mark.  We are then placed into the sketch for the profile that we are
sweeping. 
 
We will create the following sketch for this profile.
 

 
When you sketch the sweep section (profile), there will always be a horizontal and vertical
reference line that forms a “Crosshairs”.  This “Crosshairs” marks the location of the start
point.  If you are not sure how you are looking at the trajectory, I strongly recommend rotating
your model slightly to see.  You can always pick View, Orientation, Sketch Orientation to
return to the sketch view.
 
IMPORTANT! – When you have an open trajectory, you must have a closed section for your
profile for a solid protrusion.  We will see how to handle a closed trajectory in a few minutes.
 
Once you are done sketching the profile, accept this sketch.  All of the elements are now
defined for this trajectory.  We can click on OK from the window to complete the feature.  Our
model now looks like the figure at the top of the next page.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
The symbol for a sweep can be seen by looking at our model tree, as shown below.
 
  
CLOSED TRAJECTORIES
 
In this example, we will show the slight difference in creating a sweep that has a closed
trajectory.  We will start the same way that we did before by going to Insert, Sweep,
Protrusion from the menu bar at the top.
 
We will continue the same way by sketching a trajectory, and then using the TOP datum
plane as our sketching plane, and FRONT datum plane facing towards the Bottom.
 
Our sketch for our trajectory will look like the figure on the next page.
 
 
 
 
 
 

This is a simple closed rectangle.  Once we are done sketching our trajectory and accept our
sketch, we get a different menu option.
 

 
Our two choices are:
         Add In Fcs – Add Inner Faces – This requires you to sketch an open profile, and as
it sweeps around, it connects across all of the open endpoints to form an inner face. 
 This is great for closed picture frames, or other parts where the outside is definitely a
swept profile, but the middle is closed.
         No Inn Fcs – No Inner Faces – This requires you to sketch a closed profile.  There
will be no inner face that results from this.  This would be ideal for an open picture
frame (with no back plate).
 
In this example, we will select Add Inn Fcs, and then click on Done to continue.  We are now
placed into our section for our profile.  We will sketch an “OPEN” section, as shown below.
 

We can see the two endpoints of this sketch.  As the profile is swept around the rectangle,
the top endpoint will connect to itself at all locations across the center of the part, while the
bottom endpoint does the same.  Everything in between becomes a solid mass.
 
When we accept this sketch and click on OK to complete the feature, we can see the
following model.
 

 
 If we made a cross section through the middle, we would clearly see the solid mass that was
created, as shown below.
 

 
SWEEPING SURFACES
 
Sweeping surfaces is no different than sweeping protrusions, cuts, etc.  The biggest
difference is that you don’t need to have a closed section.  If you have an open trajectory or
closed trajectory, you can still have an open profile.
 
The biggest difference is that if the trajectory you are using is the edge of another surface,
you may be asked to Join or No Join.  If you select Join, then you are performing a Surface
Merge at the same time.  If you select No Join, then the new swept surface will be separate
from the surface whose edge acted as the trajectory, and a merge operation will still need to
be performed to get them to be one large quilt.
 
 
 
 
 
SELECT TRAJECTORY
 
We will finish this lesson off with a demonstration of the select trajectory by picking on an
existing curve to create a swept surface.  Let us look again at the following part that we saw
earlier.
 
If you recall, we have a copied curve that makes up the top left edge, the datum curve in the
middle, and the top right edge.  We will use this curve as our trajectory for our surface sweep.
 
NOTE: Sometimes copied curves do not work for regular sweeps if they lie in three
directions.  The curve that we are using here is still a two-dimensional curve, because it is co-
planar with the front surface of our part.
 
We will start the sweep the same way, picking Insert, Sweep, Surface from the menu bar. 
When prompted, pick on Select Traj to select the trajectory.  You will then see the following
menu.
 

Since we are picking a datum curve, we will use the Curve Chain option, then pick on the top
left edge, as shown below.
 
  
When you pick on a single segment of a curve chain, we get a little menu that pops up that
looks like the following.
 

 
If you want the entire curve used as the trajectory, pick on Select All.  If you only want a
certain portion, then select From-To and pick the starting and ending endpoints of the curve. 
We want the entire curve, therefore we will pick Select All.  The entire curve highlights in
blue, and our start point is shown with the blue arrow, as we can see below.
 

 
Now that we have what we want for a trajectory, we click on Done to stop selecting and
accept what we have.  Another arrow appears on the model, as shown below.
 
If you recall when we sketch the profile, there is a horizontal and vertical reference line on the
sketch at the location of the start point.  When you select a trajectory, Pro/ENGINEER wants
to know which way to orient the sketch.  It highlights an adjacent surface or part of the
trajectory selected, and in the message window it says.
 
“Select upward direction of the horizontal plane for sweep section.”  If we click on Okay in the
menu manager, then the front surface of our part will be facing up in the sketch.  You will
want to pay close attention to which surface it is pointing, because it may make it easier or
harder to sketch your profile.
 
We will click on Okay to accept the default direction.  Had there been more than one possible
surface to pick, it would have prompted us to first pick the surface that we are going to face
upwards before picking the direction.
 
With a surface feature, we are given the option to create end surfaces or leave them open. 
The menu that comes up gives us these options, as shown below.
 

 
We will leave the ends open, so click on Done to continue.  We are then placed into sketch
mode to sketch our profile.  We will sketch an open profile (which if you remember was not
allowed for a solid protrusion).  The figure at the top of the next page shows our profile.
 
 
 
 
 
  
We just sketched a straight line at an angle to the vertical reference.  Once we are done, we
accept the sketch then click on OK to complete the feature.  Our model looks like the
following.
 

 
LESSON SUMMARY
 
The sweep tool is used to pass a profile along a trajectory that you either sketch or select.
 
Depending on the section for the trajectory (open or closed), you will have restrictions on
what type of section you can have in the profile.
 
For a closed trajectory, you can add inner faces or leave the part hollow.  For surfaces, you
can also create end surfaces as well.
 
 
EXERCISES
 
Create the parts shown on the following pages.  Use a combination of extrude, revolve and
sweep features where applicable, and create any datum geometry necessary to complete
your model.
 
Dash_Pot_Lifter
 
Basket_Prt (Continued)
 
Open up the Basket part that we started in lesson 8.  Create a swept surface using the inside
trajectory.  For the profile, sketch a line angled inwards from the trajectory by 5 degrees to a
depth of 18 inches, as shown below.
 
 About Sweeps
Create a Sweep feature by sweeping a cross-sectional sketch along one or more
trajectories. You can control the object’s orientation, rotation, and geometry.

Material can be added or removed as the sketch sweeps along the trajectory.
You can add a thickness to the sketch. The geometric representation of the
sweep can be solid or surface.

You can merge the end of a solid sweep to a nearby solid surface without
leaving a gap. You can close each end of a surface sweep if the sketch forms a
closed loop, and the trajectory is open. When you create cut, trim, or thin
features, use the arrows in the graphics window to indicate the direction of the
tool operation.
Sweep trajectories

The main components of the Sweep tool are the trajectories. The sketched
section sits on a frame that is attached to the origin trajectory and moves along
its length to create geometry. The origin trajectory, along with the other
trajectories and other references such as the planes, axes, edges, or an axis of
the coordinate system define the orientation of the sketch along the sweep.
Sweep sketch

The sketch can be constant or variable:

•   constant sketch—The sketch does not change its shape as it is swept along
the trajectories. Only orientation of the frame on which the sketch lies changes.

•   variable sketch—Constrains the sketch entities to other trajectories (pivot

plane or existing geometry) or uses relations with the trajpar parameter to
make the sketch variable. The references to which the sketch is constrained
change the shape of the sketch. Also, defining the dimensioning scheme by
relations (with trajpar) makes the sketch variable. The sketch regenerates at
points along the trajectory and updates its shape accordingly.

When you create a sweep, the sweep sketch type is automatically set to
constant or variable depending on the number of trajectories you select. One
single trajectory sets a constant sweep, and multiple trajectories set a variable
section sweep. If you add or remove trajectories from the sweep feature, the
sweep type adjusts accordingly. However, you can override the default and set
the sweep type manually by clicking   or  .
Sweep frame

The frame is essentially a coordinate system that slides along the origin
trajectory and carries with itself the section to be swept. Axes of the coordinate
system are defined by auxiliary trajectories and other references. The frame
determines the orientation of the sketch as it is being moved along the origin
trajectory. The frame is oriented by additional constraints and references such
as the Normal To Trajectory, Normal To Projection, and the Constant
Normal Direction (along an axis, edge, or plane).

Creo places the sketch in a certain orientation in relation to these references,

and attaches it to a coordinate system that moves along the origin trajectory
and sweeps the sketch.
 About the Sweep User Interface
The Sweep tab consists of commands, tabs, and shortcut menus.
Click Model >   Sweep to open the Sweep tab.
Commands

•  —Creates a solid feature.

•  —Creates a surface feature.

•  —Opens the internal Sketcher to create or edit the sweep cross section.

•  —Removes material along the sweep to create a cut for a solid feature or a
quilt trim for a surface feature.

◦  —Flips the remove functionality to remove material from the opposite side of
the sketch.

•  —Adds a thickness to a sketch to create a thin solid, a thin solid cut, or a thin
surface trim.
◦ Thickness box—Sets a thickness value.

◦  —Switches the thicken direction between one side, the other side, or both
sides of the sketch.

• Quilt collector—Displays a quilt to trim when   and   are selected.

•  —Creates a constant section sweep. Section does not change its shape as it
sweeps along the trajectory; only the orientation of the frame on which the
section lies changes.

•  —Creates a variable section sweep.

Constrains the section to trajectories, or uses section relations with
the trajpar parameter to make the sketch variable. The references to which
the sketch is constrained change the shape of the section. The sketch
regenerates at points along the origin trajectory and updates its shape
accordingly.
Tabs
• References
◦ Trajectories table
▪ Trajectories—Displays trajectories, including the trajectory that you selected as
the origin, and sets types of trajectories.
▪ X—Sets trajectory as an x-trajectory.
▪ N—Sets trajectory as a normal trajectory. Sections are normal to the trajectory
with the N check box selected.
▪ T—Sets trajectory as tangent to Side 1, Side 2, or to a selected surface
reference.
◦ Details—Opens the Chain dialog box to modify the properties of the selected
chain.
◦ Section plane control—Sets how the section plane is oriented (the z-direction of
the sweeping coordinate system).
▪ Normal To Trajectory—The section plane remains normal (perpendicular) to the
origin trajectory throughout its length. The generic (default) sweep.
▪ Normal To Projection—The section plane remains normal to the origin
trajectory as it is viewed along the projection direction. The z-axis is tangent to
the projection of the origin trajectory at the direction specified. The Direction
reference collector activates prompting you to choose a direction reference. No
horizontal/vertical control is required.
▪ Constant Normal Direction—The z-axis is parallel to the specified direction
reference vector. The Direction reference collector activates, prompting you
to choose a direction reference.
◦ Direction reference collector—Displays a plane, an axis, a coordinate system
axis, or a straight entity to define the projection direction when Normal To
Projection or Constant Normal Direction is selected. Flip reverses the
reference direction.
◦ Horizontal/Vertical control—Determines how the frame rotation around the
sketch plane's normal is oriented along the sweep.
▪ Automatic—Orients the section plane in the xy-direction. The direction of the x-
vector is calculated so that the swept geometry is minimally
twisted. Automatic is the default for an origin trajectory without any
referenced surfaces. The direction reference collector allows you to define the
initial section or frame x-axis orientation at the start of the sweep. Sometimes it
is necessary to specify the x-axis direction, for example, for straight line
trajectories or trajectories that have a straight segment at the start.
▪ Normal to Surface—Sets the y-axis of the section plane to be normal to the
surface on which the origin trajectory lies. This is the default option when the
origin trajectory reference is a curve on a surface, one-sided edge of a surface,
two-sided edge of a surface or solid edge, curve created though intersection of
surfaces, or two projection curves. Click Next to move to the next normal
surface.
▪ X-Trajectory—Sets the x-axis of the section plane to pass through the
intersection point of the specified x-trajectory and the section plane along the
sweep.
◦ X direction reference at start collector—Displays the section plane x-axis
orientation at the start point of the origin trajectory when Normal To
Trajectory or Constant Normal Direction is selected,
with Automatic horizontal/vertical control.
• Options
◦ Cap ends check box—Closes each end of a sweep feature. Available for surface
sweeps with a closed loop section and an open trajectory.
◦ Merge ends check box—Connects the ends of a solid sweep feature to a nearby
solid surface without leaving gaps. Available when the sweep section is
constant, when there is one open, planar trajectory, when Normal To
Trajectory is selected for section plane control, when Automatic is selected
for horizontal/vertical control, and when the nearby item includes at least one
solid feature.
◦ Sketch placement point—Specifies the point on the origin trajectory to sketch
the section. The start point of the sweep is not affected. The start point of the
sweep is used as the default location where you sketch the section if Sketch
placement point is empty.
• Tangency
◦ Trajectories—Displays a list of trajectories in the sweep feature.
◦ References—Controls surfaces with tangent trajectories.
▪ None—Disables the tangent trajectory.
▪ Side 1—Sweep section contains a centerline tangent to surfaces on side 1 of the
trajectory.
▪ Side 2—Sweep section contains a centerline tangent to surfaces on side 2 of the
trajectory.
▪ Selected—Manually specify surfaces for tangent centerlines in the sweep section.
• Properties
◦ Name box—Sets a name for a sweep.

◦  —Displays detailed component information in a browser.

Shortcut Menus

Right-click the graphics window to access shortcut menu commands.

• Trajectory—Activates the Trajectories collector.
• Start X Direction—Activates the X direction reference at start collector.
• Placement Point—Activates the Sketch placement point collector.
• Clear—Clears the active collector. You cannot clear the origin trajectory
reference or normal, x, and tangent trajectories.
• Normal To Trajectory—Sets the moving frame to always be normal to a
specified trajectory.
• Normal To Projection—Sets the y-axis of moving frame to be parallel to a
specified direction and sets the z-axis to be tangent to the projection of the
original trajectory along the specified direction.
• Constant Normal Direction—Sets the z-axis of moving frame to be parallel to a
specified direction.
• Automatic—Sets the section plane to be automatically oriented in the xy-
direction.
• Sketch—Opens the internal section Sketcher.
• Constant section—Specifies that the section shape does not change as it is
swept along the trajectory.
• Variable section—Specifies that the shape of the section can be changed as it is
swept along the trajectory.
• Remove—Removes a reference for the selected trajectories collector. You cannot
remove the origin trajectory reference. However, you can replace it by selecting
a new origin trajectory reference in the graphics window.
• Next Surface—Moves to the next normal surface.
   
About Constant Section Sweeps
You create a sweep feature with a constant section by specifying a trajectory
and then sketching a section to follow along it.

1. Trajectory
2. Section
3. Swept feature
 Rules for Defining a Trajectory
A constant section sweep can use either a trajectory sketched at the time of
feature creation or a trajectory made up of selected datum curves or edges. As
a general rule, the trajectory must have adjacent reference surfaces or be
planar.

When you define a sweep, the system checks the specified trajectory for validity
and establishes normal surfaces. A normal surface is the surface whose normal
is used to establish the y-axis of the trajectory. When several surfaces could
possibly be the normal surface, one surface is selected by default. You can
change this surface by clicking the Next button until the desired surface is
selected to be the normal surface.

Depending on the type of chain selected as a trajectory, the following occurs:

• All chain segments reference edges—The normal surfaces are the adjacent
surfaces of the edges. If the edges are two-sided, click the Next button until
the arrows indicate the surfaces and normals you want.
• All chain segments reference entities that belong to a datum curve, created by
referencing surfaces (for example, by using the Projected option)—The normal
surfaces are reference surfaces of the curve. If the curve references two sets of
surfaces, click the Next button until the arrows indicate the surfaces and
normals you want.
• All chain segments reference a sketched datum curve—the normal surface is the
sketching plane of the curve.
• The chain of edges/curves is planar (other than a straight line).
• The normal surface is the plane defined by the chain.

Consider the following special cases:

• If a datum curve and its adjacent surfaces were bent by a toroidal bend feature,
you can use that curve as a trajectory.
• If you extend the chain with Trim at Reference or Extend to Reference in
the Chain dialog box, the system accepts that chain if it is planar.

A sweep might fail if:

• A trajectory crosses itself.
• You align or dimension a section to fixed entities, but the orientation of the
section changes when it is swept along the three-dimensional trajectory.
• An arc or a spline radius is too small relative to the section, and the feature
intersects itself traversing around the arc.
 To Create a Sweep
1. Click Model >   Sweep. The Sweep tab opens.
2. To specify one or more curves to use as references for the trajectory, perform
one of the following actions:
◦ Click the References tab, click the Trajectories collector, and then select chains
of existing curves or edges.
 Hold down the CTRL key to select multiple trajectories. Hold down the SHIFT
  key to select multiple entities in a chain. If needed, click Details to open
the Chain dialog box to select the trajectory segments.
 The first chain you select becomes the origin trajectory. An arrow appears on
the origin trajectory pointing from the trajectory start to the path the sweep
will follow. Click the arrow to change the trajectory start to the other end of
the trajectory.
 To remove a trajectory, right-click and choose Remove. This is valid for any
trajectory except the origin trajectory. To remove an x-trajectory or a
normal trajectory, clear the X or N check boxes to remove the attribute,
then remove the trajectory. You cannot replace or remove trajectories
where tangent references exist.

◦ Sketch a curve asynchronously by clicking   Datum >   Sketch and sketching

the curve. Click   to resume the Sweep tool.
Under the following conditions, the curve is embedded in the Sweep feature.
Embedding the curve makes feature regeneration faster, which is important for
patterns with a large number of pattern members.
▪ Constant sweeps
▪ Normal To Trajectory for section plane control
▪ Automatic for horizontal/vertical control
▪ Default for the x-direction reference at start

   There are additional ways to embed datum features. For more

information, see the Related Links.

3. To change the section type, on the Sweep tab, click   to create a section
whose size and shape remains the same, or click   to create a section whose
size and shape can vary along the sweep

   Unless you specify the section type, it is set automatically when you
begin selecting trajectories. If you select one trajectory, the section type is
 set to constant. If you select more than one trajectory, it is set to variable.
Clicking a section type command overrides the automatic setting.

4. Click   to create a solid sweep, or click   to create a surface sweep.

5. To remove material along the sweep, click  . Click   to flip the side of the
sketch from which material is removed.

6. To give the sweep a thickness, click  , and then type or select a thickness
value. Use   to switch the thicken direction between one side, the other side,
or both sides of the sketch.
7. For surface sweeps that remove material, click the Quilt collector, and then
select a quilt to trim.
8. Click the References tab, and then select items as required:
a. In the Section plane control list, select an option to determine how the section
is oriented (the z-direction of the sweeping coordinate system):
▪ Normal To Trajectory. If you also select Automatic under horizontal/vertical
control, click the X direction reference at start collector and select a datum
plane or datum curve, linear edges, or an individual axis of a coordinate system.
▪ Normal To Projection. Click the Direction reference collector and select a
reference for the projection. Click Flip to reverse the direction.
▪ Constant Normal Direction. Click the Direction reference collector and select
a reference for the projection.
If you also select Automatic under horizontal/vertical control, click the X
direction reference at start collector and select a datum plane or datum
curve, linear edges, or an individual axis of a coordinate system.
b. In the Horizontal/Vertical control list, select an option to determine how the
frame rotation around the sketch plane's normal is oriented along the sweep
(the xy-axis of the sweeping coordinate system):
▪ Automatic—The section plane is automatically oriented in the xy-direction. The
direction of the x-vector is calculated so that the swept geometry is minimally
twisted. For an origin trajectory without any referenced surfaces, Automatic is
the default.

 You cannot orient the sketched section for Automatic for

  straight edges unless they are sketched and X direction
reference at start is specified.

▪ Normal to Surface—The y-axis of the section plane is normal to the surface on

which the origin trajectory lies. This is the default option when the origin
trajectory reference is a curve on a surface, one-sided edge of a surface, two-
 sided edge of surface or solid edge, curve created though intersection of
surfaces, or two projection curves.
▪ X-Trajectory—The x-axis of the section plane passes through the intersection
point of the specified x-trajectory and the section plane along the sweep.
9. To set tangency:
a. Click the Tangency tab.
b. In the Trajectories box, select a trajectory from the list.
c. Under References, select an option to set the sweep section to contain a
centerline that is tangent to surfaces on either Side 1 or Side 2 of the selected
trajectory, or to a Selected surface.
10. Create or retrieve a section to sweep along the trajectory by choosing one of
the following actions:

   In some cases, the sketch snaps to the model geometry automatically,
which could change the resulting geometry. To prevent the sketch from
snapping to the model geometry, perform one of these actions:

 To disable snapping as the default, click File >   Options > Sketcher.

Under Sketcher references, clear the Allow snapping to model
geometry check box.
 To disable snapping for the current action, while the Sketch tab is open,
hold down the SHIFT key while you sketch.

◦ To create a section, click   to open Sketcher. Sketch the section at the cross
hairs at the beginning of the trajectory, then click   OK to close Sketcher.
◦ To retrieve a sketch to use as the section:

1. Click  . Sketcher opens with cross hairs at the beginning of the trajectory.
2. Click Sketch >   File System. The Open box opens.
3. Select a sketch to use as the section, then click Open. The Open box closes.
4. Click the cross hairs. The section you selected appears at the beginning of the
trajectory, and the Import Section tab opens.
5. Change any values in the dialog box to dimension the section relative to the
cross hairs displayed on the trajectory, then click  .
6. Click Sketch >   OK.
A preview of the sweep appears.
11. Click the Options tab, and then select options as required:
◦ To close the ends of a surface sweep, select the Cap ends check box.
◦ To eliminate gaps where the sweep ends merge into an adjacent solid, select
the Merge ends check box.

   Merge ends is available when the sweep section is constant, when

there is one open, planar trajectory, when Normal To Trajectory is
selected for section plane control, when Automatic is selected for
horizontal/vertical control, with Default selected as the x-direction
reference at start, and when the nearby item includes at least one solid
feature.

◦ To select the location along the trajectory to sketch the section, click the Sketch
placement point box, and click a point on the origin trajectory. The start point
of the sweep is not affected. The start point of the sweep is used as the default
location where you sketch the section if Sketch placement point is empty.

12. Click  .