Auxiliary views for those strange angles

I rarely used auxiliary views.  Every once in awhile, parts defy orthogonal projection.  These are when auxiliary views are useful.  In those cases, auxiliary views are generally projected from some perpendicular surface.  But once in awhile, there’s a part that defies even this, having no flat surfaces from which to project.  

In the example below, there is a feature that cuts through a part at an odd angle.  There is no flat surface into which it cuts.  Normally, in SolidWorks, the direct view of this cut could be shown by using the Auxiliary View tool and selecting a perpendicular surface from which a view may be projected.  Here, there is no such flat surface.  SolidWorks does support these kind of oddball scenarios.  

In this example, we are still going to make use of the Auxiliary View tool.

1. Add a side view of the part.

2. Sketch a line onto the view. 

3. Add relations to the sketch line to make it perpendicular to the feature that is to be detailed.

 

4. Pre-select the line and then chose the Auxiliary View tool from the Drawing toolbar or at Insert pulldown menu>Drawing View>Auxiliary. 

5. A preview will appear attached to the mouse cursor.  Move the cursor in the direction that will be projected and click to place the view.  Depending on the version of SolidWorks, some further adjustment may be necessary to show the view arrow and other details with certain perferences.

Author: fcsuper

As a drafter, mechanical designer and CAD engineer, I've been in the mechanical design field since 1991. For the first 8 years of my career, I was an AutoCAD professional. I utilized AutoLISP and many other AutoCAD customization features to streamline drafting activities for 6+ drafters and designers. I authored several custom functions, one of which was published in the March 1997 issue of Cadalyst Magazine. Since 1998, I've been used SolidWorks non-stop. I've worked to utilize the SolidWorks' user environment to simplify drafting and design activities for 20+ engineers. I've created this website to provide current information about SolidWorks from a variety of contributors. More recently, I am now employed by Dassault Systemes as SOLIDWORKS Sr. Product Definition Manager to improve drawing, annotation and MBD related areas.

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