SolidWorks 2011 Parts Bible - Matt Lombard [217]
To delete an Alternate Position View, select it in the drawing FeatureManager, and press Delete.
Using a Pre-defined View
Pre-defined Views are discussed in depth in Chapter 14, and are primarily used as views on drawing templates.
Using an Empty View
Empty Views are just that — empty. The reasons for creating an Empty View can include making a view from a sketch, making a schematic from blocks, or combining several elements — such as blocks, sketches, imported drawing geometry, annotations, and symbols — into an entity that can be moved as a group on a drawing.
Using a Custom View
You can create Custom Views by orienting the view in the model document and saving the view. Remember that views can be saved in the View Orientation window, which you can access by pressing the spacebar. Custom Views are placed on the drawing using the Named View functionality.
While not appropriate for showing dimensions, views using perspective are most useful for pictorial or illustrative views. The only way to get a perspective view on a drawing is to save a custom view in the model with perspective turned on. You can access the Perspective option by choosing View⇒Display⇒Perspective, and you can edit the amount of perspective by choosing View⇒Modify⇒Perspective.
Using a Relative View
The Relative View enables you to create a view that does not necessarily correspond to any of the standard orthogonal views or named views. This type of view is very similar to using the Normal To tool. First select the face that is to be presented square to the view, and then select the face that represents the top of the view. When this view type is initiated, SolidWorks opens the 3D model window to allow you to select the faces needed to define the view.
This type of view is particularly useful when a part has a face that is at an odd angle to the standard planes of the part. It is in some ways similar to the Auxiliary View, except that in the Auxiliary View you cannot select which face is the top.
The Relative View has a special function that is important for drawings of multi-body parts. If both faces used to establish the view are from the same body, then all the rest of the bodies in the part can be hidden with an option in the Relative View PropertyManager, which is shown in Figure 15.25. Multi-body modeling is covered in Chapter 19.
FIGURE 15.25
The Relative View PropertyManager
Using the 3D Drawing View Mode
3D Drawing View Mode is not technically a drawing view type. It is a mode that enables you to select faces or edges of the model that may need to be selected for some purpose, but cannot be seen from the orientation of the drawing view. You can invoke the 3D Drawing View Mode from the 3D Drawing View toolbar button, which is on the View toolbar and can be accessed by choosing View⇒Modify⇒3D Drawing View from the menus.
Ironically, this mode does not work for the Relative View, which would be a perfect application for it. Instead, Relative View makes you go to the model window. 3D Drawing View Mode is intended for views such as the Broken-out Section View where a depth must be selected for the cut.
In Figure 15.26, notice the small toolbar above the drawing view. This toolbar is available while the 3D Drawing View Mode is turned on. Clicking OK on the small toolbar turns off the mode and returns the view to its previous state.
FIGURE 15.26
3D Drawing View Mode
Changing view orientation and alignment
Although you may have selected the Top view, and it displays the correct geometry, you may want to spin the view in the plane of the paper, or orient it in a particular way. You can do this using two methods. The easiest way to reorient the view is to use the Rotate View tool on the View toolbar. This rotates the view in the plane of the paper much like it rotates the model in 3D.
Another option is to select an edge in the view and assign the edge to be either a horizontal or