Dips > Planes and Intersections > Planes

# Add Plane

The Add Plane option allows the user to graphically add a pole / plane to a stereonet plot (Pole, Scatter, Contour or Major Planes plots).

NOTE: planes created with the Add Plane option in Dips are referred to as USER PLANES, to distinguish them from MEAN PLANES calculated from Sets.

To use Add Plane:

1. Select Add Plane from the toolbar or the Select menu.

2. Move the cursor over the active view. When the cursor is INSIDE the stereonet, an arc or "great circle" representing the plane corresponding to the cursor location (pole) will appear. Note that various right-click options are available at this point (see below for details).

3. The cursor coordinates are always visible in the status bar. When the plane / pole is at the desired orientation, click the LEFT mouse button INSIDE the stereonet.

4. A dialog will appear, allowing you to modify the graphically entered orientation (if necessary), and also provide ID, labeling and visibility information (see below for details).

5. Enter the necessary information, and select OK. The plane / pole will be displayed on the plot, according to the visibility settings chosen.

Plane ID

The Plane ID must be an integer greater than zero. Each Plane ID must be unique (i.e. two ADDED PLANES cannot have the same ID).

Plane Label

The Plane Label is an optional descriptive label, which can be made visible / invisible with the checkbox provided.

Plane Orientation

If the graphically entered orientation is not correct, then simply enter the correct values in the dialog. NOTE: The format of the orientation coordinates in the Add Planes dialog will depend on the current Convention in effect:

- If the Convention is Pole Vector, then you must enter Trend / Plunge coordinates of the pole vector representing the plane.

- If the Convention is Plane Vector, then you must enter plane vector coordinates (e.g. Dip / DipDirection or Strike / Dip).

Visibility

With the Visibility checkboxes, you can display:

- Pole Vector only

- Plane only

- Pole Vector and Plane

- ID and / or text Label on pole / plane

- Daylight envelope corresponding to plane

NOTE: the visibility settings that you choose in the Add Plane dialog can be modified AT ANY LATER TIME in the Edit Planes dialog.

Right-click menu

While using Add Plane, the following interactive graphical options are available in the right-click menu:

- Daylight Envelope – this will display a moving Daylight Envelope corresponding to the moving plane.

- Pole Snap – this will "snap" the pole vector of the plane, to the pole nearest to the cursor location. Only applicable on a Pole Plot.

- Line – this will display a moving line through the center of the stereonet, which follows the cursor. Note that this line is NOT added to the plot when you add the plane, it is a temporary graphical aid only. If you wish to add a line to the plot, use the Add Line option.

- Cancel – this will escape from the Add Plane option. The Escape key can also be used.