How can we make Section Views awesome in Onshape?

Tony_C_

Jim_Anders said:

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

I'd rather it be the opposite and have me selecting what I do want to section. 

But yeah, having the ability to choose what parts are sectioned would be a plus.

Craig_Sink

This thread may be old, but I have a request for section views.

Would be helpful to be able to do 1/4 section. Currently as with most CAD systems, the 3D modeling section will do a 3/4 section, but not the 1/4, i.e. only 1/4 of the part is cut out.

I've done this kind of section with an assembly cut (in SolidWorks), but even that's a lot of extra work.

1/4 Section

Greg_Keosayian

When section viewing a large assembly, one tends to zoom in and then would like to continue dragging the section view further however the arrow is stuck in the original location and you have to zoom out to grab it. It would be nice if the section view arrow stays with you as you zoom around while investigating. 

Otto_DeRuntz

SAVE Section Views in a Section View Tab would be most helpful.
Every time I work on a part or an assembly, I find myself recreating the same section views again and again.
This seems like a pretty simple and basic feature that I don't understand why it is not there!

I am brand new to Onshape, coming from Creo, and maybe I need to get better at using mate connectors, but Planes are so much easier to create a section view from, so I would add, having the ability to Create and Save Planes in an Assembly would help.

eric_pesty

Otto_DeRuntz said:

SAVE Section Views in a Section View Tab would be most helpful.
Every time I work on a part or an assembly, I find myself recreating the same section views again and again.
This seems like a pretty simple and basic feature that I don't understand why it is not there!

I am brand new to Onshape, coming from Creo, and maybe I need to get better at using mate connectors, but Planes are so much easier to create a section view from, so I would add, having the ability to Create and Save Planes in an Assembly would help.

Saving section view could be useful... There are a couple of workarounds I use though:
- If you enable section view without any pre-selection, it defaults to the last section view used, which often helps.
- What I like to do if I need different section views regularly is to just open multiple tabs of the same part/assembly and have the different sections in their own tabs. This way you can just switch tab or if you have a big screen have your section views in separate browser window(s)

Unless you work only with "organic" shapes, I find there is "usually" something easy to pick for a section view in an assembly and don't miss the planes (remember you can pick any cylindrical/conical face for a section)... In the rare case there isn't, adding a mate connector on the origin is a fairly easy fix. 

martin_kopplow

I was just visiting a guy who is still on a CAD system I used in the past and we discussed a few design details. This reminded me on how an awesome section view actually works.

• With section view tool open but nothing selected, a click on any vertex creates a section view through that vertex parallel to screen plane. That is super useful in discussions.
• Selecting a line, axis or two points creates a section view that svivels around these. Also super useful when talking all sorts of bearings and gearboxes.
• Selecting three vertexes creates section plane though these three vertexes.
• Selecting any axis (or line) and one vertex creates a section view along the axis and through the vertex or point.
• Selecting any rotational object (cylinder, cone, …) sections along it's axis in the closest parallel default workplane (X,Y,Z) if no third reference (Vertex, point, ..) is specified.
• Section views have an option to view them in screen plane.
• Each section view has an "up to" option, so you can move any section plane parallel up to e.g. an axis of a hole, bolt, corner or sphere centre or any point, vertex mate or such.
• Section views have an option to dim everything behind the section plane to make the section itself more visible.
• Sketches have an option to automatically create a section view while sketching (including the super awesome dimming option). This is extremely helpful while working in crowded models and speeds up sketching quite some.
• Section views have a means of immediately converting them into a sketch with all intersecting geometry becoming selectable as a sketch reference (You just hit "Sketch" while in a section view).
• Geometry that intersects the section plane (Faces, edges) can be edited (E.G. Move Tool, Offset Tool, mates and conditions, driving dimension). Tricky, but useful.
• Section views have an option to automatically switch sides, as you rotate the model. It makes little sense to section view the back side. This considerably speeds up model handling in meetings.

Well, even though Catia is much worse, now I have been reminded of this, it appears to me there's actually still a long way to go for Onshape section view management to eventually win the Awesome Section View Batch.

Can we please branch this into an enhancement request?