How to Make an Angled Plane in SOLIDWORKS

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An angled plane in SOLIDWORKS is a reference plane rotated from another plane, face, edge, or axis. It is useful for angled sketches, cuts, ribs, holes, loft profiles, and construction geometry that does not line up with the default planes.

Angled plane example in SOLIDWORKS — An angled plane gives you a stable sketch reference at a specific angle.

Create an angled plane

Go to Features > Reference Geometry > Plane.
Select a line, edge, axis, or other reference to rotate around.
Select a plane or planar face as the starting reference.
Enter the angle value.
Flip the direction if the preview points the wrong way.
Accept the plane.

Reference geometry plane command in SOLIDWORKS — Use Reference Geometry > Plane to define the angled reference.

Choose stable references

Use references that are unlikely to disappear later. Default planes, reference axes, and stable sketch lines are usually safer than small model faces that may be removed by edits.

When possible, create the axis or construction line that controls the angle before creating the plane. This makes the model easier to understand and reduces the chance that a later feature edit will break the reference plane.

Selecting references for an angled plane in SOLIDWORKS — The plane is only as stable as the references used to create it.

Sketch on the angled plane

After creating the plane, select it and start a sketch. This lets you create angled cuts, holes, layout lines, or profiles without fighting the default Front, Top, and Right planes.

Sketching on an angled plane in SOLIDWORKS — Start a sketch on the angled plane just like any other reference plane.

Troubleshooting angled planes

The preview points the wrong way: flip the direction or change the selected reference order.
The plane is underdefined: add another reference until SOLIDWORKS can solve it.
The plane breaks later: replace fragile face references with stable planes or axes.
The sketch is hard to orient: use Normal To after selecting the angled plane.

Finished angled plane in SOLIDWORKS — Hide reference planes when they are no longer needed on screen.

For related reference geometry, see how to add a plane in SOLIDWORKS and how to change a sketch plane in SOLIDWORKS.

After creating the angled plane, rename it if it controls an important feature. Names such as “30 degree cut plane” or “rib sketch plane” make the feature tree much easier to review later.

Reference: SOLIDWORKS Help documents reference plane creation using selected model references and angle constraints.