Does anybody know how to create a line normal to a non-planer surface?
I understand this can be done with a plane by adding a point to the plane and then selecting the point and the plane then clicking the insert axis button. There is also a normal tool in the quality group of the measure tab that will display an arrow showing the normal direction of any point on a surface, but I don't know how to turn that into a line that I can interact with.
My current solution works well enough for approximating a normal line at a desired point but is tedious. I use a sketch plan that goes through the point and surface, draw a line that creates a rough derivative of the surface curve on that plan and then draw a line that connects the point with the derivative line at a right angle, rotate the sketch plane 90° along that line and repeat to create an approximate normal line. Alternatively if my point slightly offset from the surface I use a sketch plane that goes through the point and the surface, draw a line from the point to the surface at the spot it creates a right angle with the surface curve, rotate the sketch plane 90° along that line, then draw anoter line that again creates a right angle with the surface to create a line approximately normal to the surface but slightly offset from the point that I desired it to be.
It would be very nice if the insert axis tool where expanded to be able to select a surface and a point on that surface and create a normal to that point.