CAD Model Views and Checks

Zoom, pan, and rotate change your view of the model

Zoom changes how large the model appears. Pan shifts it across the window. Rotate orbits the view so you can inspect another side. These viewing operations do not resize the part or move an assembly component.

Use zoom to fit to recover the whole model, zoom to window to enlarge a boxed region, and zoom to selection when you need a selected detail. Mouse buttons, modifier keys, and wheel direction depend on your device and control preferences. Check those settings instead of assuming two platforms use the same gestures.

Use Onshape's view cube or SOLIDWORKS view-orientation controls to return to a known direction. The axis triad helps you keep track of model directions while orbiting.

Normal to looks straight at a selected plane

Front, rear, top, bottom, left, and right are standard model directions. Normal to a planar face or sketch plane means looking along a direction perpendicular to it. An inclined face can therefore have a normal view that is different from every standard view.

Isometric, dimetric, and trimetric are angled parallel-projection views. The three principal axes have equal foreshortening in isometric, two equal in dimetric, and three different in trimetric. Perspective adds apparent size change with distance; turn it off when comparing parallel projected shapes.

Viewing direction is separate from drawing layout

A standard view tells you where you look from. First-angle or third-angle projection tells you where that view belongs on a drawing sheet. Explore the geometry in Orthographic Projection and the Glass Box. An angled model view is useful for recognizing shape but is not a substitute for dimensions.

Choose a display style for the edges you need to inspect

Keep the viewing direction fixed while comparing styles. Shading shows surfaces; edge settings decide which boundaries you can see. Labels differ between platforms, so read the option's effect.

Shaded without edges

Filled surfaces emphasize overall form without drawn edge outlines.

Shaded with edges

Filled surfaces plus visible edge outlines make face boundaries easier to follow.

Hidden lines/edges removed

An unshaded view shows visible edges and leaves concealed edges out.

Hidden lines/edges visible

Concealed edges are also shown, distinguished from visible edges. Useful for finding geometry behind the front surface.

Wireframe

Shows the edge framework through the model without opaque shaded faces. Overlapping edges can make depth difficult to read.

Onshape also provides translucent display and shaded display with hidden edges. Translucency lets you see through faces; hidden-edge display highlights concealed boundaries. Neither removes material.

Find the view options in vendor help

Onshape camera and render options links to navigation and display controls. Current browser controls can separate shading choices from hidden-edge choices; older outlines may list them as combined styles.

A model section view reveals the inside without cutting the part

Use a section view in the model window to clip away the near portion visually. Choose a plane or planar face, set the cut position and direction, and inspect the exposed interior. Turn the section off afterward to see the complete model again.

A viewing section does not create an extruded cut feature. It also does not automatically create a documented section view on a drawing sheet. See Onshape Section View help for the available section controls.

Mass needs material density as well as geometry

Assign a material to the intended part or body before relying on mass properties. A color or metallic appearance alone is not proof that the material density is correct. Check which bodies or components are included, the units, and any overrides before accepting mass or center of mass.

For a uniform solid, mass = density × volume. A correct volume with the wrong density still gives the wrong mass. Center of mass describes how mass is distributed; it need not lie inside the solid material of a hollow or curved part.

Material assignment and mass-property help

See Onshape material assignment, Onshape Mass Properties, and SOLIDWORKS Mass Properties for selection and override controls.

Choose a display style Check normal to Check a section Check mass Check a selection