Referentievlak

Referentievlak is a term used in Dutch-language technical contexts to denote a fixed plane that acts as a baseline for measurements, orientations, and alignments within a coordinate system. The referentievlak may be a real physical plane, such as a surface on a workpiece or a reference datum laid down on a lab bench, or an abstract plane defined mathematically by its orientation and position. In both cases it provides a reference against which points, lines, and rotations are defined.

Formally, a referentievlak is characterized by its plane equation, a normal vector and a point on the plane, or by three non-collinear points. Its primary role is to establish a datum: a stable, repeatable reference frame relative to which coordinates are measured and transformations are described. The term is not universally standardized and usage varies by field.

Applications include engineering geometry, computer-aided design and manufacturing, geodesy, and robotics. In CAD, the referentievlak is often the primary datum plane from which part features are defined; in surveying, it can represent a horizontal datum; in robotics, it may define the base plane for a coordinate frame.

Related concepts include datum plane, reference frame, coordinate system, and plane fitting.