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The capability to display a cross section of a part or assembly is one of the most important and useful features of SpinFire Ultimate. Mechanical designers look at cross sections in order to better understand the structure of a part and hidden components in an assembly.

The Section menu on the 3D Document Toolbar lists the commands available for cross-sectioning planes.
 

 Enable Section

Enable/Disable Section turns cross sectioning on/off. A cross-section plane shows the model as if it has been cut straight through.

By default, the Enable Section command will show a single plane; the section is transparent and you can see into the model. (See also Working with Cross Sections.)

 Flip Section

By default, a cross-sectioned model will be visible on one side of the plane and invisible on the other (see also Cut Material, below). The Flip Section command enables you to switch between these two views.

Default section (single plane) Default section flipped

 Single Plane

By default, the Enable Section command will show a single plane. Use the Two Plane and Three Plane commands for more cross-section options. The most recently selected command is displayed on the 3D Document Toolbar. (See also Working with Cross Sections.)

Single plane cross section

 Two Planes

By default, the Enable Section command will show a single plane. Use the Two Plane and Three Plane commands for more cross-section options. The most recently selected command is displayed on the 3D Document Toolbar. (See also Working with Cross Sections.)

Two plane cross section

 Three Planes

By default, the Enable Section command will show a single plane. Use the Two Plane and Three Plane commands for more cross-section options. The most recently selected command is displayed on the 3D Document Toolbar. (See also Working with Cross Sections.)

Three plane cross section

 Define...

By default, the cross-section plane will be bounded by the YZ axis that passes through the (0,0,0) point of the global coordinate system. Use the Move, Position, Orient, and Settings options (tabs on the Define Section dialog box) to precisely define other viewpoints and settings. (See also Working with Cross Sections.)

  • Movement - Move or rotate an enabled plane a certain number of units along its axis.

 Position

By default, the cross-section plane will be bounded by the YZ axis that passes through the (0,0,0) point of the global coordinate system. Use the Move, Position, Orient, and Settings options (tabs on the Define Section dialog box) to precisely define other viewpoints and settings. (See also Working with Cross Sections.)

  • Position - Choose a point the plane will intersect. Specify a point by entering its coordinates in the X, Y, and Z fields, or click the Pick button to specify the point in the scene directly.

 Orient

By default, the cross-section plane will be bounded by the YZ axis that passes through the (0,0,0) point of the global coordinate system. Use the Move, Position, Orient, and Settings options (tabs on the Define Section dialog box) to precisely define other viewpoints and settings. (See also Working with Cross Sections.)

  • Orientation - Orient the plane with respect to a specified element. Alignment may be specified by entering vector values in the X, Y, and Z fields, or by choosing an option from the drop-down menu.

 Settings

By default, the cross-section plane will be bounded by the YZ axis that passes through the (0,0,0) point of the global coordinate system. Use the Move, Position, Orient, and Settings options (tabs on the Define Section dialog box) to precisely define other viewpoints and settings. (See also Working with Cross Sections.) 

  • Settings - Use these options to change default color settings, show/hide section planes, and "cycle" through 1-, 2-, and 3-plane sections and viewpoints.

 Cut Material

Cut Material - Show/hide model on one side of the section cut. By default, the Cut Material function is enabled for a section plane, which means that a cross-sectioned model will be visible on one side of the plane and invisible on the other.

You can also turn off Cut Material for just selected parts or subassemblies (see Assembly Object Context Menu).

 Show Section Planes

Show Section Planes - Show/hide the cross-section plane(s). The cross-section plane normally appears as a transparent gray rectangle.

See Settings, above, to change the default color.

 Show Profile Edges

Show Profile Edges - Show/hide profile edges. The section profile is an outline of all the points on the model that intersect with the section plane—by default, it is outlined in red.

See Settings, above, to change the default color.

Note

If you wish to see just the profile outline, without any of the related geometry, select Cross-Section from the Standard Views options in the Views browser (see Controlling the View).

 Show Profile Faces

Show Profile Faces - Show/hide profile faces for the entire scene; by default, Show Profile Faces is enabled.

See Settings, above, to change the default color.

 Projection Mode

Enable/disable parallel projection plane. To view the projected plane, enable sectioning and then select the Projection Mode option from the Sectioning menu on the 3D Document Toolbar.

 Projection Area

The Projection Area function enables users to easily calculate the area of the projected plane. The projected surface area is very useful in sheet metal forming applications to calculate the necessary press tonnage.

To calculate the projection area, enable the cross section and then select the Projection Mode option from the Sectioning menu on the 3D Document Toolbar. The Projection Area command becomes active, and can be accessed from the Sectioning menu or the section context menu (right-click menu).

Control of the projection plane is similar to that of the cross-section plane.

Warning

When the projected area is calculated, only the portion included in the plane will be used to calculate the surface area. So if the part falls off of the plane, be sure to move the plane such that the entire part is shown on the projection plane.

 Align

The Align submenu lets you choose a YZ Plane, XZ Plane, or XY Plane and then pick a point on the model for the plane to intersect.

 Place By

The Place By submenu offers the following commands for defining a plane:

  • 3 Points - A plane defined by three points you select on the model.
  • 2 Points - A plane that is perpendicular to a line defined by two vertices you select on the model. The initial plane will pass through the first vertex you select.
  • 2 Screen Points - A plane that is parallel to the line defined by any two points you select in the viewport. The two points do not have to be vertex points and do not have to be on the model. The initial plane will pass through the two points you select.
 Export to DXF...

Export the section cut data to a .dxf file.

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