Section 4 : Visualization

Section 4 : Visualization

In this section you will learn different modes for visualizing on part.
SolidWorks has several isometric views, and it allows you to see the interior and exterior of the
part at the same time and using sections, transparency, and other.
The principal tools are:
• Zoom : to In/Out, to Fit, to area
• Rotate-Pan
• Preview view
• View Orientation
• Section view
• Display style
• Edit appearance
These tools are located at the top of the interface, on the workspace, figure 4.1.

Zoom to fit Edit appearance

Zoom to area Section view Display style

Preview view View orientation

Figure 4.1 Heads-up view toolbar

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4.1 Zoom
In this sub-section you will learn how to zoom.
You can access the tools used for visualization by right-clicking anywhere in the work space as
shown in figure 4.2.

Tools menu

Figure 4.2 Tool menu

Choose “Zoom In/Out”, then left-click on the part, and drag the mouse up or down to zoom in or
out.
If the visualization of the part becomes too large, click on “Zoom to Fit”. This will resize the
graphics window to include everything that is shown in the model.
The tool “Zoom to Area” allows you to zoom an area, when you drag the diagonal of a rectangle in
the display area, the display resizes to fit it.
The border size around the fit area is fixed and cannot be adjusted, figure 4.3 shows the part after
a zoom to area visualization.

Figure 4.3 Zoom to Area

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4.2 Rotate-Pan
In this sub-section you will learn how rotate the part.
Right-click on the work area and choose “Rotate view”, figure 4.4.

Figure 4.4 View tool

This functionality enables you to orbit around the part using the left mouse button.
If you select “Pan”, you can scroll the view flat to the screen by dragging the mouse.

4.3 Preview view

You can click Preview view in the view toolbar, as shown in figure 4.1, to preview the views that
you used before.

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4.5 Section view

In this sub-section you will learn how to view a section of the part.
In the view toolbar (Figure 4.1) click on the icon “Section view”. An automatic preview will be
visualised (Figure 4.5). In the properties window (Section view), you can set which section plane
you want to use, and the position (distance and angle) of your section with respect to the principal
plane.

Section plane

Select the plane

Distance and
angle than the
principal plane

Figure 4.5 Preview Section

Figure 4.6 shows the preview of a section using top plane as reference plane.

Figure 4.6 Preview section

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Hit enter to confirm your section view, figure 4.7.

Figure 4.7 Section

If you want to go back to your original visualization, click again in the icon the section icon, and the
whole part will be visualised.

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4.6 View orientation

In this sub-section you will learn how to use different views to visualise your model.
Click on the icon “View Orientation”.

Normal to

Figure 4.8 View Orientation

You can choose different view, top, isometric, trimetric, dimetric, left, front, right, back, bottom,
normal to.
Figure 4.9 shows a model left view.

Figure 4.9 Left orientation

The view “Normal to” is important when you draw for example a sketch in 3D part.
Select a surface by clicking on it, then click on “normal to”, and the part will be visualised from a
perspective that is perpendicular to the selected surface.

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4.7 Display style

In this sub-section you will learn how to use different display styles.
Click on the tool “Display Style”, to choose from different display types.

Shaded with Edges

Hidden lines visible Shaded
Hidden lines removed

Wireframe

Figure 4.10 Display Style

The most common used is “Shared with edges”, where the model is displayed with shading, and
the edges are also shown.
Use “Shaded”, to display the model with shading, but without edges (Figure 4.11).

Figure 4.11 Shaded

“Hidden Lines Removed”, displays the model edges without the shaded faces.
Edges that are hidden by the part are removed from the display, figure 4.12.

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Figure 4.12 Hidden Lines Removed

“Hidden Lines Visible”, displays the model edges without the shaded faces.
Edges that would be hidden are displayed in as segmented lines.

Figure 4.13 Hidden Lines Visible

“Wireframe”, displays the models edges without the shaded faces, no edges are hidden.

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Figure 4.14 Wireframe

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4.8 Edit appearance or RealView

In this sub-section you will learn how to change the appearance of your model by using different
rendering effects.
Click on “Edit appearance” locate in the view tool bar or “RealView” in task pane.
In old version of SolidWorks there is a RealView, in this case to change the colour is necessary
right-click on the part and click on “Appearance Callout”, then choose the colour of the part or the
face.

Edit appearance or RealView

Figure 4.15 Edit Appearance or RealView

You can change the colour of the part, or only a surface, example as shown in figure 4.16.

Figure 4.16 Different colour

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You can choose different appearances for you part, figure 4.17.

Figure 4.17 Appearances

Click on appearances (colour)/legacy/metals/gold and choose the type of gold, figure 4.18.

Figure 4.18 Appearance gold

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Other appearances are available, e.g. metal, glass, plastic, etc.

When you click on Edit Appearance, then “Advanced” you can change many aspects, for example
the illumination.

Illumination

Figure 4.19 Colour-Illumination

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