Sectioning (3D only)

This section contains the following information about Sectioning in 3D only:

About Sectioning

When Sectioning

How to Create a Section Cut

How to Modify the Section Cut Position by Specified Increments

Sectioning provides you the option to create sections of a part and position that part to your specifications. Section cuts provide access to the internal features of a part.

When creating a section cut a grid is created using Normal Constraints with X, Y, Z axis for location.

The grid can be:

• translated or rotated with the Edit Position commands

• located by defining three points anywhere on the part. using the Position by 3 points command

The section cut can be:

• inverted by selecting the Invert Normal command

• returned to its original position with the Reset Position option

• modified by specific coordinates and translated or rotated by specific increments.

You can create section cuts of your documents.

1. Click the Section button.
   The Sectioning Definition dialog box appears.
   A section cut of the document is created.
   
   

2. To specify the orientation of the grid, click the Normal constraint radio button corresponding to the desired orientation axis (X, Y or Z).

3. To translate the grid, click and drag.

4. To rotate the grid, click any arrow manipulator and drag.

5. To translate and/or rotate the grid by specified increments, click the Edit Position button. See Modifying the Section Cut Position by Specified Increments below.

6. To define a section cut by three points of your own choice, click the  Positioning by 3 Points button and select the three points anywhere on the loaded objects.

7. To invert the normal line, click the Invert Normal button.

8. To return to the original section cut, click the Reset Position button.

9. To have the orthogonal view, click the Result tab and click the Orthogonal View button.
   
   

10. To exit the Section functionality and to leave the Section Cut grid in the viewer, click the OK button.

11. To exit the Section functionality and to remove the Section Cut grid from the viewer, click the Cancel button.
    

You can translate and/or rotate the section cut by specified increments using the Edit Position dialog box. You can also designate the section cut position explicitly by entering the x, y, and z values.

1. Click the Edit Position button.
   The Edit Position dialog box appears.

Modifying the section cut position by explicitly specifying coordinates

2. In the Origin X text-entry field, enter the desired x coordinate.

3. In the Origin Y text-entry field, enter the desired y coordinate.

4. In the Origin Z text-entry field, enter the desired z coordinate.

Translating the section cut position by increments

5. Enter the Increment value (in millimeters) in the text-entry field of the 
   Translation group box.

6. Click the +Tu and -Tu buttons to translate the section cut along the x-axis,
   click the +Tv and -Tv buttons to translate the section cut along  the y-axis,
   click the +Tw and -Tw buttons to translate the section cut along the z-axis.

Rotating the section cut position by increments

7. Enter the Increment value (in degrees) in the text-entry field of the 
   Rotation group box.

8. Click the +Ru and -Ru buttons to rotate the section cut around the x-axis,
   click the +Rv and -Rv buttons to rotate the section cut around the y-axis,
   click the +Rw and -Rw buttons to rotate the section cut around the z-axis.

Exiting the Edit Properties dialog box

9. Click the Close button to exit the dialog box.
   

When you load large models and are using the grid for visualization purposes, the interval between lines of the grid will be adjusted as necessary to fit the entire model in the viewing space. Therefore, the interval might not correspond to the interval specified in the Settings. (If you zoom in close enough that the specified interval can be used, the grid interval will automatically revert to the specified value.)