To Create a Feature with Embedded Datums
1. Click
Model >
Plane. The
Datum Plane dialog box opens. You are prompted to select placement references, such as an existing plane, surface, edge, or point, for the datum plane feature.
2. Instead of selecting an existing datum point as one of the placement references, use
Model >
Point and the relevant references to create a datum point.
|  You can create second-level asynchronous datum features by again creating the relevant references for the datum point. |
◦ The References collector of the Datum Plane dialog box shows the datum point as a placement reference for the datum plane feature that you are creating.
◦ The datum point appears as a node on the Model Tree, above the datum plane feature that you are creating and the Insert Here prompt.
| If you click Cancel on the Datum Point dialog box during the creation of the asynchronous datum point, the corresponding node for the datum point is removed from the Model Tree without closing the creation tool of the main feature, that is, the Datum Plane dialog box. |
3. Create an additional placement reference for the datum plane feature, such as another datum plane, using
Model >
Plane and the relevant references. You can again create second-level asynchronous datum features as the relevant references for the datum plane.
◦ The References collector of the Datum Plane dialog box shows the newly-created datum plane as an additional reference for the datum plane feature that you are creating.
◦ The reference datum plane appears as a node on the Model Tree, above the datum plane that you want to create and the Insert Here prompt.
4. Click OK in the Datum Plane dialog box. The Model Tree displays the newly-created datum plane feature in its collapsed state with a (+) sign adjacent to it.
| If you click Cancel on the Datum Plane dialog box, the corresponding node of the main datum plane feature is removed from the Model Tree without deleting its asynchronous datum references. The datum point and the plane that you had created as asynchronous datums or placement references for the datum plane feature, in addition to second-level datums, if any, are not deleted. Instead, they are displayed as nodes on the Model Tree. |
5. Click the plus sign (+) adjacent to the datum plane feature to expand the feature.
◦ The datum point and the datum plane references are displayed as embedded sub-nodes of the datum plane feature.
◦ Second-level asynchronous datums, if any, that you had created as references for the asynchronous datum point and the datum plane references, are also displayed as sub-nodes of the main datum plane.
◦ The embedded datum features have feature numbers that are lower than the feature number of the main datum plane feature.
◦ The embedded datum features are hidden in the graphics window.
| You can also create an embedded datum reference or sub-node by dragging a standalone datum into a feature on the Model Tree. |
6. Select an embedded datum feature on the Model Tree, right-click, and choose
Unhide from the shortcut menu to make the embedded datum feature visible in the graphics window.