Chapter 21: Working with Drawing Views
Once you create the loop, you can click the Detail View toolbar button and place the view. The
view is automatically scaled by the factor set at Tools ➪ Options ➪ Drawings ➪ Detail View Scaling.
By default, this scale is set to twice the parent view scale, but you can reset the default to whatever
you like.Detail circle drawn in-line
A faster way to complete the Detail View is to simply click the Detail View toolbar button without
pre-selecting or pre-drawing the loop. This activates the Circle sketch tool immediately, which
activates the view as soon as you bring the cursor over the view, so that when you draw the circle,
it is sure to be in the view rather than on the sheet.Alternatively, you could swap the circle tool for an ellipse or spline; this works just as well, but
offers more flexibility. Regardless of the sketch tool, when you close the loop, SolidWorks prompts
you to place the view. The workflow for this in-line method is better than the old-school pre-
drawn loop technique.Editing a Detail View
You can edit a Detail View by dragging the circumference of the detail circle to a new diameter,
dragging the center of the detail circle to a new location, or by selecting Edit Sketch from the detail
circle right mouse button (RMB) menu. This method enables you to edit sketch relations or other-
wise edit the sketch that you used for the detail. When you are done with the sketch, you can use
the Confirmation Corner to click OK.You can delete Detail Views by selecting and deleting the detail circle. Deleting the detail circle
gives you the option to delete the resulting view as well as the original sketch. Also, deleting the
Detail View gives you the option to delete the detail circle and the original sketch.Section View
Section Views in SolidWorks offer many options, such as Default Section View, Partial Section
View, Aligned Section View, and Editing a Section View.
Default Section View
The Default Section View has the same in-line and pre-drawn optional techniques as the Detail
View, as well as the same advantages and disadvantages.Section Views may have a straight line that may go through the center of a cylindrical feature. Even
though you are in a drawing and not in a model sketch, you may still benefit from model sketching
techniques. For example, to draw a straight vertical line through the model shown in Figure 21.7,
in the images on the left, you can hover the cursor over a circular edge to wake up the center, and
then pick up the inference lines to the center. Another technique is to show the temporary axes
(using the View menu), just sketch the line, and then assign a sketch relation in the same way that
you would in a feature sketch. This technique is shown in the images on the right.