Drawing (Detailing)
Mechanical drawing is an essential part of CAD modeling
because it is the two-dimensional substitute of three-
dimensional model on a paper (i.e., in two-dimensional
space).
Engineering Drawing is also called mechanical drawing,
production drawing, or multiview drawing. It contains
necessary views of the model to describe the product
completely with dimensions, notes, sections, and bill of
materials. Also, it includes a title box that may contain part
name, drawer, inspector, company name, part number, and
scale.
PROJECTION
General
Projection
Details
Auxiliary
Revolved
VISIBLE AREA
Full
Half
Partial
Broken
SECTION
Full
Half
Local
Aligned
Types of Views
1. Create a Drawing File
• File > New > Drawing > type in “shaft-support-2” as model as
shown below
• Click “Empty with Format” and select “a.frm” that is close to A4
size typewriter paper. Try other forms for differences. The
empty A-frame drawing file is opened.
Drawing Window
• Layout > General
• OK (for No Combined State)
• Pick a point at near upper right corner on the graphics window
(GW) to place a 3D view
• Drawing View dialog appears. Change Default orientation to
Isometric > OK. User can double click the view to bring it
back.
2. Add a View
• General > check “Do not prompt” > OK
• Pick a point for front view
• Default orientation = User Defined > pick FRONT for Model
view names > Apply
• Scale > Custom Scale > enter a proper value > Apply (to see
the change and repeat) > Close
3. Add More Views
• While the front view is being selected, Model Views/Projection
> place the top view > pick the front view again > Projection >
place the right side view
• Change to Hidden Line for Display Style and turn off DP’s and
CS > zoom in and out by scroll button to refresh GW. It now
appears as
• Unselect Lock View Movement > pick a view and then move
the mouse over to see the move cursor. Move the view
holding down the mouse. The note for scale can be moved
too. The drawing may appear now as
4. Move Views
There are shortcut menus that can be accessed by right clicking
the mouse.
• The first short cut menu pops up when the mouse is over a
view and right clicked,
• the second after a view is clicked (selected) and then right
clicked, and
• the third one pops up when the mouse is right clicked over a
position in the drawing other than view areas.
• The last one appears when Drawing Models menu is clicked.
When done, click Done/Return.
Shortcut Menus
Annotate tab
• Click Show Model Annotations menu to bring up the dialog
below.
5. Show Dimensions
• Click a view to display dimensions and bring up all dimensions
in the dialog. Alternatively, pick a feature one by one.
• Check dimensions to keep in the dialog or in the drawing >
Apply (finish the current view)
• Repeat this for all other views.
• User can preselect a view first and then Show Model
Annotations.
Moving Items from One View to Other View
• Items like dimensions on the drawing can be move to other
views. Pick an item > right click > Move item to View > pick a
new view. Try moving the small hole diameter in top view to
front view.
Drawing
Dimension - New References
Alternatively, the dimensions can be added one by one.
1. Entity > pick on an entity > middle click to place the dimension
2. You may pick two entities to place dimension between them.
3. For dimensioning between circular entity and others, use
Center. Use other menus below in similar ways.
• The dimensions can be rearranged
by Clean Dimensions > pick a view
> pick dimensions > OK
• Apply in the Clean Dimensions
dialog
• Change the Offset and Increment if
the result is not satisfactory by
[click Select in the dialog > pick
the view > OK > Apply > Close].
• Snap Lines may still appear as
shown above. Move the mouse
around to highlight them and pick >
delete them by Delete key if
necessary.
6. Clean Dimensions
1. Line up dimensions in the figure above by [pick the dimension
20 > ctrl + pick another dimension 50 > click Line Up
Dimensions ]. Repeat this for other dimensions as needed.
2. More options for dimension can be found. Double click the
diameter dimension to bring up Dimension Properties dialog
as below > click the button Flip Arrows > click Move and move
the selected dimension (this can be done simply on the
window by clicking the dimension and hold-moving it) > also
click other tabs, Dimension Text and Text Style, to see more
options.
7. Line Up Dimensions and Dimension
Properties
• Create a new dimension from a small hole to larger hole by
[click Dimension > Center > pick both holes on the
circumference > click MMB at the desired place for dimension
> Horizontal > Return
• Delete the unnecessary dimension 70 by [pick the dimension
> RMB (hold down) > Erase > click any point in the window].
• Now, line up two dimensions 15 and 55 as before. Now, the
dimensions may appear as
8. Create and Erase Dimensions
• Note that any dimensions can be moved to another view by
[pick the dimension > RMB (hold down) > Move Item to View >
pick another view]
Annotate tab
• Add Note > No Leader / Enter / Horizontal / Standard / Default
> Make Note > pick a position in the drawing > in Note
Properties dialog, enter the text > Done > Done (to finish). Text
Symbol can be used.
• To modify a note, double click it to bring up Note Properties
dialog below > edit the note > Text Style tab > change font,
size, and color > OK
• Drop down Annotations > Balloon Note > With Leader/other
default options > Make Note > click an edge belonging to the
feature for note > MMB at position to place > enter the note >
MMB (CR) > MMB (finish)
• MMB to continue with another note
9. Add Note
• Show Model Annotations
• Click Model Datum tab as below
• Pick a view > check datums to keep in dialog or in drawing >
MMB or Apply (finish the current view)
• Repeat this with other views.
• In the following drawing, the datum axis was added in all
views.
10. Show Model Datums
- Drawing
• Start a new drawing
• Add the front view with a scale.
Repeat to add the top and right-side
views.
• Annotate tab > Model Datum /
Model Datum Plane > enter a name,
select Display and Define
11. Datum Planes
• Define the datum plane (ex., through an axis and
perpendicular to a plane in edge view)
• DP can be deleted only in the part (not in drawing).
Alternatively, the current DP’s can be used. Pick FDP in the top
view > RMB > Properties > change Name to ‘A’ and select
Type as shown below > OK
• Modify some options
for the current drawing
by File > Prepare >
Drawing Properties >
Detail Options >
Change.
• Other options may be
changed like
drawing_text_height,
dim_text_gap, and
gtol_datums.
12. Changing Options for Drawing File
• The Part file also
has options [File >
Options >
Configuration
Editor]
• Add tol_display and
set the value to yes
or no to display the
tolerances or not.
• Note that to display
tolerances,
tol_display of
drawing file option
must be first set
yes.
- Changing Options for Part File
13. Tolerances and Surface Finishes
First, change the display option for tolerances.
To change the types of tolerance dimensions, double click the
dimension to bring up the dialog and select the type.
Surface Finish symbol can be inserted by [Insert > Surface Finish
> Retrieve > Generic > Open > Standard > Open > Entity >
Normal > pick an edge for surface > enter a surface finish in
micro inches]
Geometric tolerances are used to control the form and/or location
of geometric features. In the following illustration a position
tolerance is introduced.
1. Insert > Geometric Tolerance
2. Click Position Tolerance > Select Axis for Type in Reference
To Be Selected > click Select Entity > pick on the axis of the
hole on the right in the top view > select Dimension in
Placement To Be Placed > pick on the diameter dimension (to
which the geometric tolerance symbol will be attached)
14. Geometric Tolerances
3. Click the tab Datum Refs > click Primary > click Select for
Basic > pick the datum plane A in the view > repeat this for
Secondary and select the datum C > repeat for Tertiary and
select the datum B.
4. Click the tab Tol Value > enter 0.002 for Overall Tolerance >
select MMC for Material Condition
Help: MMC (Maximum Material Condition) is one of three terms
used to specify the limits of size of a part when applying
geometric tolerances. The other two terms are LMC (Least
Material Condition) and RFS (Regardless of Feature Size).
For example, a shaft is at MMC when it has the largest
diameter and a hole is at MMC when the diameter is smallest.
RFS indicates the tolerances apply to a geometric feature
regardless of the size and it may range from LMC to MMC.
5. Click the tab Symbols > check Diameter Symbol
6. Ok (close the dialog). The final drawing may appear as
- Removing Annotations
Annotations including tables can be erased or deleted.
• Select correct ribbon like Annotate for dimensions or
Table for tables, then right click the annotation in DT
(drawing tree) > Delete or Erase
15. Tables and Hole Tables
Tables are used to collectively show non-
graphical data in drawings. One of
uses is BOM (bill of materials).
Another is component list in
assembly file.
• Table tab > Table > select the size >
pick a position to place in DW (drawing
window).
• Add Column/Row > click a inside table
line to add to next .
To create a hole table, let’s convert one of the smaller holes into
UNC threaded hole. In part file, Edit Definition > fill in as
below > Done
Hole Table
Hole Table requires a coordinate system with x-y axes aligned
with hole placement surface. Create a local coordinate
system at the front left corner as shown below.
Back in drawing file, Hole Table > Create > Hole > select the local
coordinate system in the view that shows the hole placement
surface (i.e., x-y axes) > select a position for top left corner of
the hole table > Done (see the previous slide that has both
table and hole table)
16. Section View
First create the section on the model by [View > Manage Views >
View Manager > Sectons tab].
Using Previously Created Section in the Model
1. New > enter a name > CR
2. Choose options like Planar or Offset (for angular or linear) /
Single > Done
3. For Single, pick a plane.
4. For Offset, pick a plane for SP > MMB
5. Pick References if not completely placed > Close
6. Sketch an offset cutting line > OK (sketch)
7. Select the Clipping direction > Done (section)
7. Options > Show Section
8. Close (view manager).
Creating New Section in the Drawing
A. Full Aligned Xsec
1. Add views first
2. Double click the view for section
3. Sections > 2D Cross Section
4. The sections created before appear. New sections can be
also created. Select the section B created before in the model
5. Choose Full for Sectioned Area > Apply
6. The section view appears as below. No good practice !!
7. Back in Drawing View dialog as below, Full(Aligned) > pick
the axis of rotation > OK
The section appears correctly as below.
1. Double click the top view (to bring up the view dialog)
2. Sections > 2D Cross Section
3. [+] > Create New
4. Offset / Both Sides / Single > Done
5. Enter the section name > CR
6. Now, user is given 3D model in another window > select the top of
the plate for the sketch plane > Okay > choose Bottom and pick the
front face as the sketch reference plane
7. Sketch lines as below (make sure to cut through the part)
8. Alternatively, Coincident can be used between the datum axis (rotate
to see it) and the line
9. OK (Sketch)
B. Full Offset Xsec
8. Back in Drawing View dialog, Apply to see. Close it.
- Adding Cutting Line Arrows
C. Partial Xsec
1. Add View > View Type: Projection / Full View / Section / No
Scale > Done
2. Xsec Type: Local / Total Xsec > Done
3. Pick a position in the drawing to the right of the top view
4. Add Breakout / Show Outer / Choose Xsec > Create > Planar
/ Single > Done
5. Enter a section name > CR
6. Pick on the vertical datum plane RIGHT that runs through the
center of the cylinder > pick on the top view to be sectioned >
pick a position for center of the view on the section view (see
below) > (do not click Spline tool) > sketch an open spline
around the center point > click MMB (to finish) > Done > Done
7. To bring back the menu manager, pick a view and use RMB
to select Properties > Boundary
8. Now, use any of the menus; Mod Breakout (pick the outline >
draw a new spline), Add Breakout, Del Breakout, Move Ref
Pnt (move the reference point like section center point),
Show Outer, and Erase Outer.
D. Half Section View
Everything is same as the steps in full section except the
following.
1. Select Half View for section type
2. Pick a reference plane (bold line in top view below) that
divides the section into two sections and then select the side
shown by arrow (in section view below) by Flip if necessary.
E. Revolved Section View
1. As in the previous sections, add front and top views.
2. Add View > View Type: Revolved / Full View / Section / No
Scale > Done
3. Pick a center point on the front view where the revolved
section is to be placed
4. Click the front view as the parent view
5. Create > Planar/Single > Done > Enter a section name > CR
6. Pick on the RIGHT datum plane that runs through the center
of the part (You may create a datum plane if needed here)
F. Broken Section View
This view is used to remove part of the section in the middle for
sectioning of long or large model. The procedure is same
except the specification of two vertical and/or horizontal lines
to remove middle portion.
Note that if the view type is Projection, the view cannot be created
in the direction that shows up full in the parent view.
Otherwise, an error message appears as “Number of
vertical/horizontal break lines must be 0”.
1. Add View > View Type: General / Broken View / No Xsec /
Scale > Done
2. Pick a center point in the drawing where the section is to be
placed
3. Enter a scale > CR
4. Orientation dialog appears. Click FRONT for the front view >
click TOP for top view > OK (close the dialog)
5. Add/Vertical > click two points on the view to select reference
points to add break lines (see below)
6. Done. The two broken portions appear in joined form (see the
second figure above)
7. Pick the line at the joint of both pieces which share spline
sketch and direction
8. OK (do not click Done)
9. Sketch (already selected) > sketch the broken line in the view
(it’s a spline) > once done, click middle mouse button > OK >
Done
10. Add dimensions using Show/Erase dialog for features one by
one > Accept All > Close
11. The dimension can be created between two centers. Click
Dimension menu in the tool bar > Center > pick two circular
arcs one each on both sides > click middle mouse button to
finish where the dimension to appear > Horizontal (for
dimension orientation) > OK
12. Moving Broken Subviews. The broken subviews can be
moved individually except the upper left view which can be
used to move all broken subviews together.