Point to Plane Distance Calculator

    Calculate the perpendicular distance from a 3D point to a plane, with signed distance, orthogonal projection, and plane built from coefficients or three points.

    Target point
    Plane coefficients

    Distance from a point to a plane

    Search intent for point-to-plane distance is direct 3D analytic geometry: enter a point and a plane, then get the shortest perpendicular distance and the foot of the perpendicular.

    d is the perpendicular distance from point (x0, y0, z0) to plane Ax + By + Cz + D = 0.

    Signed distance and projection

    • Ordinary distance is always nonnegative.
    • Signed distance keeps the side of the plane relative to the chosen normal direction.
    • The projection point is the closest point on the plane.
    • If the plane is entered by three points, the calculator first builds its equation.
    A zero normal vector or three collinear plane points do not define a valid plane.

    Examples

    PointPlaneDistance
    (0, 0, 3)3
    (1, 2, 3)x + y + z -0
    (0, 0, 0)x + y + z -about 0.5774

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Sources and References

    Calculations are based on the listed reference sources. Links open in a new tab.

    Updated:

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