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Drawing projection European vs American how to configure?

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benmat

Mechanical
Jul 15, 2003
1
CA
Hi all,

I'm using Solidworks 2001 plus and when I generate a drawing the 3 views are always projected in the European standard. How do I configure Solidworks to get American projection style instead?

Thanks in advance.
 
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RMB the sheet and go to the properties of the sheet. Then pick Third angle instead of first. Save that to your drawing template and you won't get the problem again.

Best Regards,

Scott Baugh, CSWP[wiggle][alien]
3DVision Technologies
faq731-376
When in doubt, always check the help
 
It's in the sheet properties. Right-click the sheet icon in the drawing tree and select Properties. Here are the raio buttons to toggle between 1st angle and 3rd angle. You may want to change this on your template.

Another sound idea is to include projection info in your title block. I use the projected truncated cone symbol.

[bat]I may make you feel, but I can't make you think.[bat]
 
"Another sound idea is to include projection info in your title block. I use the projected truncated cone symbol"

Isn't this a standard symbol to explain which standard projection we use? ;-)

Cyril Guichard
Mechanical Engineer
 
I don't know if the projected truncated cone symbol is part of a standard. I use it because I don't want to depend on people actually knowing the difference between the terms "first angle" and "third angle".

[bat]I may make you feel, but I can't make you think.[bat]
 
People that deal with drawings and are in an engineering environment should understand the difference between first angle and third angle projection without a symbol. The cone symbol is used for those sales and marketing guys, but yet they don't care how the drawing looks as long as it's clean and the customer understands it. I think the symbol is also used for over seas as well.

The symbol is a standard in ANSI I believe. I was taught in college to use this symbol on all drawings, but since I have been out I have only used it in my first job. Now on my third I haven't used it in years.

[cheers],

Scott Baugh, CSWP[wiggle][alien]
3DVision Technologies
faq731-376
When in doubt, always check the help
 
per SBaugh:
People that deal with drawings and are in an engineering environment should understand the difference between first angle and third angle projection without a symbol. The cone symbol is used for those sales and marketing guys

[soapbox]
One major pet peeve of mine is engineers and drafters who have not caught on to the fact that their design information has an audience that goes far beyond the walls of the engineering department. This audience may include non-technical people and non-English speaking people.

It usually doesn't take much extra effort to make a drawing that is technically sound and also relatively easy to navigate and read.

I've said it before elsewhere: the purpose of a drawing is to clearly communicate design information.

[bat]I may make you feel, but I can't make you think.[bat]
 
Kudos to TheTick.

My last company manufactured parts in US, Asia and Europe. We put the projection angle on all our drawings because we were never sure which division would manufacture that part next.

Better safe than sorry and eating the costs.
 
Sorry, Scott. You weren't the target of my rant. You were more like the guy handing me the arrows.

[bat]I may make you feel, but I can't make you think.[bat]
 
"The symbol is a standard in ANSI I believe. I was taught in college to use this symbol on all drawings...

I do believe so as well. I tend to agree that a good drafter should know which standard is used on a draft, but I also agree that we need to keep in mind some people just can't understand drafts easily.

Cyril Guichard
Mechanical Engineer
 
While I agree with you 100%, Scott, sadly today there are far too many people in the engineering world who have no clue what first and third angle projection means. And ya know, I think the proliferation CAD system in general is very much to blame for that...... oh, well - that's progress I suppose. No longer do we have Engineers, Designers and Drafters, etc. We now have that odd breed of "CAD operators"(?) (Oh, that was Draughters to you Brit's - or some thing like it - it's been so long since I was a Brit, that I forget how you spell it.)

Hmm.... just noticed something (see end of sentence above). How about a handle like "One-Eyed-Jack" .-) Sorry, just my wierd sense of humor.

3/4 of all the Spam produced goes to Hawaii - shame that's not true of SPAM also.......
 
It's getting late - I should read my garbage before I hit the post button. I did not mean to suggest any of you folks are actually Brits or that there is anything with being of that persuasion.

3/4 of all the Spam produced goes to Hawaii - shame that's not true of SPAM also.......
 
JNR:

It may be late and you may be tired, but there is wisdom in your post.
[soapbox]
Back in the early days, CAD was a promising new tool that would put amazing design power in the hands of engineers. Now, most engineers don't do CAD. Worse yet, designs are often left in the hands of the fastest modelers, not necessarily the hands of the most qualified designers.

[bat]Good and evil: wrap them up and disguise it as people.[bat]
 
OT, but I wonder why most engineers do not use CAD tools. For that matter I wonder what most engineers actually do.
 
In the automotive biz, the normal automotive engineer is called a program manager or program engineer. Most of their time is taken up coordinating product development stages, using gant charts, etc...

Designers still come up with initial designs, send it to FEA and use FEA feedback to tweak the design. You may get some input from the engineer.

automotive designer
 
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