How to Add Section View in SolidWorks Drawing Quickly

To add a Section View in a SolidWorks drawing, open your drawing, click on the Section View tool in the Drawing toolbar, then select the cutting line on the parent view to define the section. Confirm the section direction and placement, and SolidWorks will generate the section view automatically.

Syntax

The Section View tool in SolidWorks drawing follows this usage pattern:

• Activate Section View tool: Click the Section View button in the Drawing toolbar or from the Insert menu.
• Select parent view: Choose the drawing view where you want to create the section.
• Draw cutting line: Click to define the start and end points of the cutting line across the parent view.
• Set section direction: Choose which side of the cutting line to display in the section.
• Place section view: Click to position the new section view on the drawing sheet.

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Section View Tool Usage:
1. Click 'Section View' button
2. Select parent view
3. Draw cutting line
4. Choose section direction
5. Place section view

Example

This example shows how to add a vertical section view cutting through the center of a part in a SolidWorks drawing.

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1. Open your SolidWorks drawing file.
2. Click the 'Section View' button on the Drawing toolbar.
3. Click on the parent view to activate it.
4. Draw a vertical cutting line by clicking two points across the view.
5. Confirm the section direction by clicking the arrow pointing to the side you want to show.
6. Click on the drawing sheet to place the new section view.
7. The section view will display the internal features cut by the line.

Output

A new section view appears on the drawing sheet showing the internal cross-section of the part along the cutting line.

Common Pitfalls

• Cutting line not crossing geometry: The section line must cross the part geometry in the parent view; otherwise, no section is created.
• Wrong section direction: Selecting the wrong side of the cutting line can show an empty or incorrect section.
• Placing section view off sheet: Make sure to place the section view within the drawing sheet boundaries.
• Using section view on non-solid views: Section views only work on solid model views, not sketches or annotations.

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Wrong way:
- Draw cutting line outside the part geometry
- Place section view off the sheet

Right way:
- Draw cutting line crossing the part
- Place section view clearly on the sheet

Quick Reference

Step	Action
1	Click 'Section View' tool
2	Select parent view
3	Draw cutting line across geometry
4	Choose section direction
5	Place section view on sheet

Key Takeaways

Use the Section View tool from the Drawing toolbar to start creating a section view.

Draw the cutting line so it crosses the part geometry in the parent view.

Select the correct side of the cutting line to show the desired section.

Place the new section view clearly within the drawing sheet boundaries.

Section views help visualize internal features by cutting through the model.