Section analysis view

Post here for help on using FreeCAD's graphical user interface (GUI).
Forum rules
and Helpful information
IMPORTANT: Please click here and read this first, before asking for help

Also, be nice to others! Read the FreeCAD code of conduct!
Post Reply
geobruce
Posts: 48
Joined: Sat May 19, 2018 9:34 am

Section analysis view

Post by geobruce »

Hi

I recently got the courage to move to freecad from fusion360, and from the moment I got the spreadsheet working for parametric modelling. I'm getting comfortable with it.

But there is one thing I can't find:
Section analysis view, when you want to see a cut view from your model real quick like in this video: https://youtu.be/htJWiWYxqk0?t=11s
I found you can split a body but this hadn't the desired result, also I found you could do it in the drawing bench.
But I want something you could use just as easy as the ruler: just select a plane and how deep you want to slice through it and see the cross section.

I suspect this is already a feature but I can't find it.

Where and how can I find this?

Thank you very much.
User avatar
ppemawm
Veteran
Posts: 1240
Joined: Fri May 17, 2013 3:54 pm
Location: New York NY USA

Re: Section analysis view

Post by ppemawm »

geobruce wrote: Sat May 19, 2018 9:41 am But I want something you could use just as easy as the ruler: just select a plane and how deep you want to slice through it and see the cross section.
View->Clipping plane
"It is a poor workman who blames his tools..." ;)
User avatar
bejant
Veteran
Posts: 6075
Joined: Thu Jul 11, 2013 3:06 pm

Re: Section analysis view

Post by bejant »

Hi geobruce, and welcome! I don't know of a FreeCAD tool does what is shown in the video. It would probably be a nice tool to request in the bug tracker.

You can use the Part WB > Cross Section tool:
Image
but the cross-sections it creates are 2D sections and don't update if they are moved, and the result is probably not what you want.
20180519a.png
20180519a.png (39.83 KiB) Viewed 13661 times
20180519.png
20180519.png (10.54 KiB) Viewed 13661 times

You could also position a large Cube over a portion of the shapes:
20180519b.png
20180519b.png (17.15 KiB) Viewed 13661 times
then use a Boolean Difference to subtract the Cube from those Shapes, resulting in what we call "Cuts":
20180519c.png
20180519c.png (12.04 KiB) Viewed 13661 times
Moving the Cube will cause the Cuts to update, but they do not update in real time.

You could probably do something with a Part Design WB > Datum Plane but I suspect the result is also not what you want (I simply haven't tried that yet).

20180519a-017-sections.fcstd
(32.36 KiB) Downloaded 50 times

OS: Ubuntu 16.04.4 LTS
Word size of OS: 32-bit
Word size of FreeCAD: 32-bit
Version: 0.17.13522 (Git)
Build type: None
Branch: releases/FreeCAD-0-17
Hash: 3bb5ff4e70c0c526f2d9dd69b1004155b2f527f2
Python version: 2.7.12
Qt version: 4.8.7
Coin version: 4.0.0a
OCC version: 7.2.0
Locale: English/UnitedStates (en_US)
User avatar
bejant
Veteran
Posts: 6075
Joined: Thu Jul 11, 2013 3:06 pm

Re: Section analysis view

Post by bejant »

ppemawm wrote: Sat May 19, 2018 3:07 pm View->Clipping plane
Thanks, I didn't think of that (you posted while I was playing around with my model). What I don't like is that it shows the model as being hollow (I already put in a ticket for that).
geobruce
Posts: 48
Joined: Sat May 19, 2018 9:34 am

Re: Section analysis view

Post by geobruce »

ppemawm wrote: Sat May 19, 2018 3:07 pm
geobruce wrote: Sat May 19, 2018 9:41 am But I want something you could use just as easy as the ruler: just select a plane and how deep you want to slice through it and see the cross section.
View->Clipping plane
thank you this is what I was looking for, when I look at my object with the clipping plane it's empty on the inside. Is there a way to make it solid?
thanks
User avatar
ppemawm
Veteran
Posts: 1240
Joined: Fri May 17, 2013 3:54 pm
Location: New York NY USA

Re: Section analysis view

Post by ppemawm »

geobruce wrote: Sat May 19, 2018 3:51 pm when I look at my object with the clipping plane it's empty on the inside. Is there a way to make it solid?
If you search the Help Forum with 'clipping plane' you will eventually find this wmayer 'trick':
https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic. ... ane#p34648

In the preferences under Display > 3d view you can enable a backlight and define a different color. If you now select your shape and change its Lighting property from "Two side" to "One side" the inner color changes. However, you still have the shading effect. If you again go to the preferences and switch off the backlight the inner becomes totally black.

Or, you can also use Arch=>ArchSectionPlane, although not as convenient if working in PartDesign.
"It is a poor workman who blames his tools..." ;)
geobruce
Posts: 48
Joined: Sat May 19, 2018 9:34 am

Re: Section analysis view

Post by geobruce »

ppemawm wrote: Sat May 19, 2018 5:03 pm
geobruce wrote: Sat May 19, 2018 3:51 pm when I look at my object with the clipping plane it's empty on the inside. Is there a way to make it solid?
In the preferences under Display > 3d view you can enable a backlight and define a different color. If you now select your shape and change its Lighting property from "Two side" to "One side" the inner color changes. However, you still have the shading effect. If you again go to the preferences and switch off the backlight the inner becomes totally black.
Thank you, this helped a lot, I'll record a video of it to help other people too.
Bance
Veteran
Posts: 4186
Joined: Wed Feb 11, 2015 3:00 pm
Location: London

Re: Section analysis view

Post by Bance »

Perhaps you should look at this thread:-

https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=28338

HTH Steve
User avatar
NormandC
Veteran
Posts: 18587
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2010 9:52 pm
Location: Québec, Canada

Re: Section analysis view

Post by NormandC »

Very nice Fusion360 feature!

May be relevant as a workaround, Macro_cross_section
dbecad
Posts: 80
Joined: Fri Mar 16, 2018 11:10 pm

Re: Section analysis view

Post by dbecad »

NormandC wrote: Sun May 20, 2018 3:37 pm May be relevant as a workaround, Macro_cross_section
To be noted, this macro does not works with parts and bodies placements, I'm working on an update because I needed the cross-section mechanism for another project.
Cheers
Post Reply