src/Mod/Assembly/App/AssemblyUtils.cpp

@@ -164,6 +164,39 @@ DistanceType getDistanceType(App::DocumentObject* joint)
     auto* obj1 = getLinkedObjFromRef(joint, "Reference1");
     auto* obj2 = getLinkedObjFromRef(joint, "Reference2");
 
+    // Datum planes (App::Plane) have empty element types because their
+    // sub-name ends with "." and yields no Face/Edge/Vertex element.
+    // Detect them here and classify before the main geometry chain,
+    // which cannot handle the empty element type.
+    const bool datum1 = type1.empty() && obj1 && obj1->isDerivedFrom<App::Plane>();
+    const bool datum2 = type2.empty() && obj2 && obj2->isDerivedFrom<App::Plane>();
+
+    if (datum1 || datum2) {
+        if (datum1 && datum2) {
+            return DistanceType::PlanePlane;
+        }
+
+        // One side is a datum plane, the other has a real element type.
+        // Ensure the datum (plane) side is Reference1 for consistent
+        // convention (face/plane first), matching the existing swap logic.
+        const auto& otherType = datum1 ? type2 : type1;
+        if (!datum1) {
+            swapJCS(joint);
+        }
+
+        if (otherType == "Vertex") {
+            return DistanceType::PointPlane;
+        }
+        if (otherType == "Edge") {
+            return DistanceType::LinePlane;
+        }
+        if (otherType == "Face") {
+            return DistanceType::PlanePlane;
+        }
+        // Unknown element + datum plane → best-effort planar
+        return DistanceType::PlanePlane;
+    }
+
     if (type1 == "Vertex" && type2 == "Vertex") {
         return DistanceType::PointPoint;
     }