Section Views part 2

Alin Vargatu pointed out that I left out some options on my initial review of Section Views in SolidWorks.

Graphics Only Section is an option I can’t test or demo because I’ve got a computer that’s at least 8-9 years old. Maybe more. Never upgraded the video card. Yes, I know, I need to fix that, but I don’t really have a need to upgrade at this point.

Graphics Only Section limits some of what you can do with section views (cut faces are not selectable), but for large assemblies it may make sense for visualization, if not for actual working/selecting geometry.

Graphics Only Section, as the name implies, is not actually cutting 3D NURBS geometry, it’s just cutting the display data, which is much faster, but limiting in what it can do. For those people who get worked up about zero thickness geometry errors in section view, this is the way around that problem

The section caps seem self-explanatory. Each section plane can create caps (cut surfaces) with a different color.

Section by Component or Body can leave certain components (parts or subassemblies in an upper level assembly) or bodies within a part unsectioned while the rest of the part/assembly is sectioned. In the below image, the bicycle frame is not sectioned.

Transparent Section Components is one of my all-time favorites. In the past, to get this effect, you had to make copies of parts, make the copies transparent, and section them opposite one another. It was a pain. But now, as you can see above, instead of merely cutting away sectioned parts, the sectioned area becomes transparent. Very cool. It would be even cooler if you could make the transparency any display style (such as wireframe).

Visualization is truly one of the coolest things you can do with CAD models, and SolidWorks section views are really powerful. Whether you use these tools for management show-and-tell, design reviews, assembly illustrations, or marketing materials, the results are highly useful, especially for parts and assemblies with a lot of interior detail.