Creating a Custom Detailed View in SolidWorks

CREATING A CUSTOM DETAILED VIEW

When a part is modeled in SolidWorks it exists as a virtual object as per Figure 1.

Figure1:

That information is traditionally conveyed to manufacturing by means of an engineering drawing.  The parametric nature of the Solidworks software allows for modifications of the part model to instantly update the part drawings.  Furthermore, more complex assemblies may have their Bills of Material updated on the fly.  An example of a simple engineering drawing is shown in Figure 2 (dimensions removed for clarity).

Figure 2:

Traditional use of the detailed view allows for a circular cut out and enlargement of the viewing section.  In some cases it is beneficial to create a custom or modifiable shape that will suit the geometry of your part.  In this case I have chosen a simple rectangle for illustration purposes.  Please bare in mind that any closed contour will work as well.  Begin by sketching your contour around the section you would like to detail as shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3:

Once the sketch is complete, select the “View Layout” tab and select “Detail View”.  This will create a detailed view based on the contour that you sketched.  In this case the detail view is a rectangle instead of the default circle as shown in Figure 4.

Figure 4:

This trick will help you save space and work with better formatting in your engineering drawings.