How can we make Section Views awesome in Onshape?

fastwayjim

I'm sure you guys are working on it, but I'd like a bit more control over the section itself. RMB in context menu allows full hatch control (tied to material is awesome), solid fill, color options, etc. Also, need the ability to do multiple sections in multiple planes...

shashank_shirodkar

@AndyMorris Yes, red colored sections for detection of interference are awesome! But it would be great if we know the value of area intersected between the parts. Is it coming in next update?

Thanks!
Shashank

traveler_hauptman

@Shashank_Shirodkar‌ I'm curious about what you are doing that makes the area of the intersection valuable?  I know I'm looking forward to being able to select elements on the face of a section for measurement.

caradon

traveler said:

@Shashank_Shirodkar‌ I'm curious about what you are doing that makes the area of the intersection valuable?  I know I'm looking forward to being able to select elements on the face of a section for measurement.

Quite valuable for figuring out compression ratios of o-rings, gaskets...
Indeed, analytical sections would be incredibly useful.

Dries

brucebartlett

I will just be happy to be able to measure point to point on the section face.

Jim_Anders

How about right-clicking on an object to remove it from the section scope?

scott_harris

Dries... With respect to your comment about being able to change the hole interactively while you are in section view... You can do this now. While in the section view state, simply select "Final" while you are editing the sketch and you will be back in the section view reflecting any changes you make to the sketch as they happen.

3dexter

Improvements to the section view in Onshape:

1. I would like to have the numeric control in the section view.

2. Being able to get references on vertices, edges and faces with the measuring tool.

3. Being able to choose which bodies will be affected by the section view.

4. Being able to perform views of sections in more than one plane.

5. If able to save the section view and uses it there in the drawing.

6. Highlight interference, and information on it.

7. Being able to access the Section View tool to select a plane or face and by clicking the right mouse button to have the section view option.

8. Highlight the edges of the section view, making thicker. (similar to SpaceClaim)

nav

Hi Guys amazing CAD. In section view I would like to see reference planes in assembly as well, some assemblies don't´feature planar faces in the plane I want to create the section view so it does not work without them, Thanks.

scott_harris

Hi Nicolas,

You can create a mate connector anywhere and use it (instead of a plane) to create a section view. Simply create the mate connector in the assembly or part studio using move to locate it with respect to existing geometry. Select the mate connector then hit the section view tool. You will still be able to use the handles to drag it as well.

nav

Thanks @Scott, I´ve tried your method it works, but because the handles don't have a snap feature is difficult to set a specific cut specially using the angle handles.

_Ðave_

Problem I.m having is that when looking directly perpendicular to the section plane I can't grab the arrow and adjust  the section towards or away relative to my perspective view. 

ales_1

I would like to view "normal to" section view.
What about sketch on the section view? Plane automatically created.

andrew_troup

driesvervoort_caradon said:

<big Snip> What's nice about the SC implementation, as a visual representation tool:

• <another snip>
• automatic line font for section 'edges': thick, dark and same hue as the sectioned part. Nice!
• <another snip>

All of these points make SC section views very attractive for use in presentations.

Onshape has actioned most of the suggestions from this excellent discussion, to their great credit, but not (at least, not yet) the heavier line font for outlines on the section plane.

Personally I think these should remain black (or at least have that option as a setting) rather than adopting the part colour as Dries suggests, but the current thin lines (which are actually dotty when they silhouette against white space) definitely make the sectioned face more wraith-like than I would prefer. The cut face should leap out of the page, not retreat into it.

A minor further point: hatching tends to look best when it's roughly midway between horizontal and vertical. At present in Onshape, it seems there is a preference for the opposite tendency: the hatching is often roughly horizontal or vertical. Once again, this reduces the visual impact, and makes the sectioned faces look as if they were produced by some very junior hand. 

The attachment below (which shows full size when clicked on) might help illustrate what I'm talking about, when compared with the classy (and punchy) view above, from SpaceClaim.

andrew_troup

Another minor point * in the screen grab from Onshape, in my last post:

The hatch spacing is quite random, even for the circular pins which are all the same diameter. It seems to me there should, at minimum, be a consistent relationship between the area of the cut face and the spacing of the hatching.

* (most individual aesthetic considerations are minor, but many small things add up to a big one)

3dexter

I agree with @andrew_troup.

The tool "section view" of SpaceClaim is perfect, it is a great inspiration for Onshape!

I miss a numerical control for the cutting depth!

The idea of view "axis" in the section view is very interesting. I really miss not being able to create and view "axis" in Onshape!

christian_29

Here are a few more items on my prioritized wishlist for section views.

1. enable more than one plane to create a section view.  Select the planes and then select Section View.
2. allow to project section curves to sketch.
3. allow which parts are section viewed. By default you section view all but then I can select parts that should be sectioned.

alin_1

kevin_quigley said:

Andy, section views are great but what would be killer would be to define a section view and automatically create a sketch on that cut plane that allows editing of existing features. This would be similar to the way Spaceclaim handles direct editing in sections, but parametrically.

Like live planes in SW?

shashank_aarya

Following could be few improvement points while creating section views

1) Provision of giving some angle or offset value in triad manipulator:-
Now we can freely drag the manipulator to rotate or offset in section. But in most of the cases we need to see the section details precisely in defined areas. e.g. suppose a mate connector is created to see a section view and for some reason I also need to see the section through offset plane at 30 mm distance from initially created mate connector. In this case currently I have to create another mate connector at same distance. Similarly for angular sections I have to create another mate connector at defined angle. So, provision of numeric input will help in this case.

2) Ability to change the angle of hatching lines for every part in section

3) Cross-section measurements such as thickness, radius should be possible in measurement tool

carl_rudd

I would like to see the ability to get these measurements from any surface including a surface created by a section cut. 

Essential:
- Centroid
- Area
- Moment of inertia (2nd moment of area) about defined coordinate system
- Moment of inertia about principal axes and principal axes angle
- Polar moment of inertia

Nice to haves:
- Torsional Constant
- Shear Center
- Radius of gyration

Narayan_K

Hi,I would like to see a option "flip" in section view.so that can change the section view to other side without rotating the manipulator..
Presently we have to rotate the manipulator or take the section view from other side...

paul_howard263

The ability to create a detail view of a section view in needed. And of course we need to be able to dimension in these views.

florian

I work a lot with moving sections through the whole body. As we do a lot of rapid manufacturing our internal geometries are wild but important.

I'd like the ability to be able to move through the model (normal to section) when the view is normal to the section. Currently there's just the modifier as circle but it does not do anything. E.g.:

• Grab and move up to move the section plane deeper
• Move down to move the section plane higher

PeteYodis

@paul_howard263 What you reference is on the 2D drawing side, whereas this thread was dealing with sectioning in the model.  Detail views of section views is being worked on for the drawing side.

_Ðave_

Yes, being able to scroll the section up or down while viewing perpendicular to the section would be great. Currently I have to constantly rotate to grab the handle and move then rotate back to view.

florian

florian said:

I'd like the ability to be able to move through the model (normal to section) when the view is normal to the section.

Moving through sections when viewing them in normal view is possible now – kind of. As in the 2016-05-06 update the new manipulator has in input field wich is scrollable when the mouse hovers over it:

• Create a section
• Make the view normal
• Select the section and hover over the input field
• Scroll your mouse (all onshape mouse wheel modifiers work)

That's how to scroll a section in normal view. @_Ðave_ you might like this as well…

_Ðave_

Yes, this would work great if the scroll incrementation was finer.

Thanks
_Ðave_

lni64

Now that we have got improved section views it would be great to be able to save the state of it (i.e. orientation and origin). For me the most logical would be to save the section information together with  named views.

brucebartlett

I'd like a way to be able to access and cancel the section view a little easier than the view cube drop down. A quick key or even a section view icon as part of the view cube may work.

edit 
Shift + 8 is the current quick key, bit of a stretch but might have to start using this. 

3dcad

brucebartlett said:

..
Shift + 8 is the current quick key, bit of a stretch but might have to start using this. 

I would like to see something innovative with hotkeys to avoid these finger stretches..
In some other thread we talked about single hotkey to popup quick-menu near to mouse pointer, that would be brilliant idea for section view trigger too.