3D Local Cross Section Drawing View

[ptc-170698]

WF5, Creo Elements/Pro5

How can I create a 3D drawing view (e.g. isometric), that has a small "breakout" section to show components inside the assembly?

[TomD.inPDX]

You can section parts selectively with include and exclude. You can also section using zones. These two methods seem to be completely different and each has their pro's and con's. You might look this up in the help pages.

I don't know the WF5 interface so I cannot show the steps, but yes, it can be done. You will not always get the section to show when modeling, but it is there for drawings.

There are limitations; I have found a section will fail if it doesn't go through the entire part within the assembly.

[TomD.inPDX]

...and welcome to the forum

[ptc-170698]

Thanks Anton,

What I got out of the help pages is that you can only show a 3D section if you create it as a 3D section in the model, and that only works with zones. (I want to show a section in the drawing view that is not parallel to the drawing plane.)

And if I show a 3D section, it doesn't allow me to choose the section area - like in a local 2D section view, where I can sketch a spline.

I am not sure if I understand the zone use correctly (I have never used it before). But if I want to show the whole assembly I think the zone has to encompass the whole assembly?

I have to look into the include/exclude story, see what that does.

Maybe I should explain better what I'm trying to do: Let's say my assembly is a box, that has components inside. The drawing view is an iso view or any view, that is not parallel to the drawing plane. I want to cut a little hole through the front wall (sketched spline), that would make some components inside visible.

[TomD.inPDX]

The little hole concept is nice but not a technique that PTC employs readily.

In general, -"all"- sections are technically 3D "model" cross sections regardless of how the dialogs spin it. Simply put, be prepared to create any section in the model if you want reliable consistent results.

The "breakout" sections are a little different. They work with view boundaries to deal with the spline and visibility. I am not sure, but you might be able to combine a 3D section with the breakout section. I haven't gone into it that deeply to really understand the limitations.

Zones work with planes in the 3D model. Really, I see no rhyme or reason behind the dialog except that you use "and's" and "or's" to change the quadrant. Some programmer must have come up with this because there is nothing intuitive about this functionality.

You could always do an assembly cut in the box but then you have it for all time (in next level assemblies) because it becomes part of the master rep. If you have the luxury of creating an intermediate assembly for the drawing, you could use this intermediate assembly to cut a hole in the box for the one view you need it for. Most people consider this very messy from a data management standpoint.

If a consistent and common technique is required in your line of work, then indeed, you want to learn more about this. I find that 3D sections in Pro|E to be cumbersome and often unreliable.

[ptc-170698]

Yes, I totally agree with you on all your points!

Maybe someone else has another idea...

Btw, as I am new to forums in general, how do you monitor what you might want to answer? Do you keep the webpage open, or can you get emails when any new discussion was posted? How does that work? Thanks.

[TomD.inPDX]

It depends on the updates you want. By default, you get notified of your discussions but I think you can get all the discussions in email. It is best to do this for particular groups that interest you. Me? I just monitor the site and get emails for discussions I have replied to.

[Dale_Rosema]

Same here.

[Dale_Rosema]

Could you create a plane that "breaks" the corner of the box and defined angles and the use it to cut the cross section on the ISO view?

[TomD.inPDX]

Okay, finally got it to work with a combination of things (the thing I wasn't sure about).

1st let me clear up a few other things I noticed:

3D sections are created from zone sections only and you cannot exclude or selectively include parts from the assembly (bummer!).

You can include all, include selected, or exclude selected parts from planar or offset sections.

Offset sections not extruded through both direction cannot be displayed in 3D assemblies but will show as a section in drawings.

Okay, so as Dale alluded to, make a wide open planar or offset section of the outside box and include -only- the box in your parts selection (not sure how WF5 does this but hope you get the point)

When you create the view, select this new section but change the "full" to "local" which lets you specify a center and lets you sketch the spline. once you complete this view definition or edit the properties thus, you will have the results you were looking for.

Here are some samples:

offset section with internal parts excluded. Cannot be shown in shaded mode.

Same offset section extruded only upward; cannot see this in model mode.

Zone section placed in drawing (3D section) and can be shaded, but you cannot exclude components.

...and last but not least; a planar section with "local" option

[TomD.inPDX]

I suppose this deserves a video... considering I can't seem to remember exactly how to do this when I need it.

Ulrich, please let me know if your version is similar or if you have the older WF 5 (true WF) interface.

...remember to set the video quality to full screen HD for the full surround video experience

Note some of the subtleties in the video such as how the view was created and the section plane dragger. You could nearly section the entire box as long as the background remains for the internal view of the section spline.

Also note the spline cut is straight into the box, so you get no box "thickness" perspective. I show two ways to define the spline. The second pass lets you see the internals for a more accurate spline.

[ptc-170698]

Antonius, thanks for your efforts! Good job on that video!

Also Dale, thanks for the tip off!

One thing though, I cannot do it in WF5. I can choose which components get hatching, but I don't think I can exclude them from the section. In the help it says something about including/excluding components, but when I search the help for it, nothing comes up!? I have to look into it some more.

The other thing is: I would like to have the breakout on the face of the "box", as it is not really a box but a square- conduit frame with components inside. (Yes, I know, I ask for too much...)

BTW, how do you set the video quality in flashplayer?

[TomD.inPDX · Accepted solution]

If I assume correctly, the old method of excluding components from a cross section is in the drawing cross section edit dialog. You can exclude components there (same dialog as changing the hatch pattern). When you regenerate the drawing, the component you excluded will come back "whole".

That is not a flash player. CamStudio creates AVI files. They have a flashplayer option, but in my preferred version, it doesn't work (V2.6 beta). I have mine set to the Radius Codec for better shade quality. Otherwise, it is pretty much out-of-the-box. I will say that the You-Tube conversion is much better than this forum's compiler (Dan? can you do something about that?)

Back to the section, however; I would still say that you can do what you want with the local section with the extra step of "restoring" the components that get section unintentionally. The logic is simple... if you wrap your mind around it... you rip off a big chunk of the box (container) and the only place that it is actually missing is inside the "local" spline. Edit the hatching in the drawing and exclude the components in the box.

[ptc-170698]

Antonius, yes, it worked! I was able to do what I wanted.

You have to play with the orientation and slice it just right.

It's not quite right and should be easier with a 3d view, but it's a do-able workaround (what else is new..).

And I found the exclude options in the drawing menu like you said.

Thank you very much, Antonius, Dale, for the solution!

[TomD.inPDX]

Happy to help

Glad it worked out... even if it took a bit of perseverance.

[Dale_Rosema]

... and a good sense of humor.

[ydroval]

Hello,

I know this is quite an old post but I try my chance.

We are on CREO 4.0

I need to create a local 3D section on a shaded view of a drawing.

I tried the zone section based on a quilt.

This works almost perfectly ... except that I can only get the interior of the quilt. Even if I change the orientation of the zone, it does not change the result.

Does anybody know if this is a bug or if there is a special trick to make it work ?

Thank you in advance

[Dale_Rosema]

A little different approach than creating a section view. In some of my products, I have to show the packaging of the parts. What I do is have specific exploded views so that I can show the parts "outside" the box. In the drawings, though, the views are 2D, so they still look like they are in the box. This could be another solution.

Packaging_side - exploded view shown

Packaging_Side exploded view on left and Packaging exploded view on right:

[TomD.inPDX]

Nice trick, Dale

[Dale_Rosema]

Thanks. I could not figure a better way to get rid of a bunch of hidden lines and clean up the drawing view tremendously.