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Detail View - solid line vs phantom? What is standard?

oharag11

Mechanical
Jun 18, 2015
42
So, I just started using CREO and used the detail view callout tool. I was surprised that the circle drawn was solid. I asked a colleague, but we couldn't figure out how to change this. So, I went to SolidWorks to give it a go. No, SW is solid as well. You can change the line style - though it is buried deep in settings. What I didn't like is it also changed the callout line as well. Weird.

So, I have made detail drawings before - many times, and I never even thought of this issue. I have used CREO, SW and NX. So, from my memory from NX - the Detail View circle was phantom (see attached).

I don't know the ANSI drawing standard, and I tried searching for the allowable line styles for the Detail View circle. Can anyone comment? I'm posting because I want to learn.

So, you'll ask why not keep it solid. So here are my thoughts:
- I would prefer to be able to change this from solid to maybe phantom to designate the circle to be different from physical part lines. Even if I could change the line style of the circle - maybe make it bold that would be something.
- Our machinist just today asked whether the circle was a counterbore or a pocket. Yes, there is a callout flag but I still think the circle needs to be not solid.

Thanks
 

Attachments

  • 2024-11-20 11_01_45-Siemens NX _ Section View, Detail View and 4 more pages - Work - Microsoft...png
    2024-11-20 11_01_45-Siemens NX _ Section View, Detail View and 4 more pages - Work - Microsoft...png
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For the major OEMs I have worked for, the "standard" is to use a phantom line for this kind of callout (when it HAS to be done this way, rather than a more normal section view). Not sure whether that is a take-off from the ANSI drawing standards or not, but given who the OEMs were, I suspect it is.
 
It should be a thicker phantom line. In SolidWorks, it can be set in the drawing templates so it's always there.
 
Look in the .dtl file for:

detail_circle_line_style
Sets the line font for circles indicating a detailed view in a drawing.

You can select any of the above line styles, or you can set any available system-defined or user-defined line font.
Default and Available Settings:
solidfont*, dotfont, ctrlfont, phantomfont, dashfont, ctrlfont_s_l, ctrlfont_l_l, ctrlfont_s_s, dashfont_s_s, phantomfont_s_s, cntrl_font_m_l, intmit_lww_hidden, pdfhidden_linestyle

It should also be available as an option for the drawing after the drawing is created. Note that solidfont has an asterisk, indicating it is the default so if it is not added to the .dtl file it will be rendered as solid.
 

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