Having the functionalities to make users view their drawings from different perspectives using different options adds to Solidworks’s excellent features, making it a great CAD tool. Answering the question, what are the different views used in Solidworks drawings? There are about five standard view options for your drawings in Solidworks. Generally, the standard views are, by default, made available in the Solidworks application. The standard views you can use for your drawing include the Standard 3 View, the Model view, the Relative view, the predefined view, and the Empty view. The use of all the types of standard views will be covered in this guide. 

Also, there are the derived views. As the name implies, the derived drawing views are derived from other views that are already available, either from standard views or from other previously derived views. The derived views also add to the different views in Solidworks drawings. They are best for specific view mode that is detailed by the user based on the best form of viewing needed in the user’s drawing.

How to Use the Different Views in Solidworks Drawings

Starting with the Standard views, I would guide you on accessing the different types of view options.

Standard 3 View

As for the Standard 3 view, a part or assembly is created with three associated default orthographic (front, right, left, top, bottom, and rear) views presented simultaneously. To use the Standard 3 View option, go to the Insert and then choose the Drawing View option. The front, right, and top orientations of the part or assembly are utilized to determine the view orientations. The view orientations cannot be altered and are fixed.

Concerning the front view, the top and side views, they are fixedly aligned. The side view can move horizontally, and the top view may move vertically. The front view connects the top, side, and rear perspectives. Select Jump to Parent View by right-clicking on a top or side view.

When creating a new drawing document, establish a Standard 3 View as follows:

Open your new drawing. From the PropertyManager of the Model View, Select a document under Open documents for Part/Assembly to Insert, or click Browse to find a document under that section. Click *Front, *Top, and *Right after selecting Create multiple views under Orientation. As an alternative, you can pick annotation views. Click Done button

The Model View

Based on a predetermined view orientation, Model View generates a single view. When you start a new drawing or add a model view to an existing drawing, the Model View PropertyManager window displays. From the list of view names in the model document that appears in the Orientation dialog box, you choose an orientation for the view. The choices for this include:

• “Standard views,” of course, include Front, Top, Isometric, and so on.
• “Annotation views,” an “A” appears on the view icon.
• “Current Model View” is available only for open models and only until you place the view.
• Finally, all the “Custom views” you’ve namely saved. Even if the chosen view orientation only shows a partial zoomed-in view, the full model is visible.

Exploded Views in Drawings

An existing exploded assembly view can be used to produce an exploded drawing view. The real view is a model view, which is often oriented isometrically.

An exploded drawing view can be made by:

Firstly, create a new configuration in the assembly before creating an exploded view. An exploded view displays an assembly’s parts dispersed but arranged to demonstrate how they will fit together when put together. By choosing and dragging components in the graphics area, you may build exploded views by initiating one or more explode phases.

In the drawing: you can use the orientation required for the exploded view to insert a model view of the assembly. 

Then, you can access the Properties options by right-clicking the drawing view.

Select Show in exploded or model break state from the Configuration information drop-down menu in the Drawing View Properties dialog box.

Alternatively, you can right-click any of these drawing views and select Show in Exploded State to show them in an Exploded state.

Select Show in exploded or model break state under Reference Configuration in the Drawing View PropertyManager.

Model Break Views Within Drawings

Create configuration-based 3D break views, also known as interrupted views, of a model for certain drawing views using the Model Break View tool.

Traditional break shapes can be used to produce break views in an isometrically oriented model, including precise depictions of pipe breaks. This enables isometric drawing views and angled components to break properly.

Within a drawing, to show a model break view, choose the model’s drawing view if it has a model break view.

Then, select Show in exploded or model break state under Reference Configuration in the Drawing View PropertyManager.

Alternately, select Properties from the context menu when you right-click the drawing view. Select Show in exploded or model break state under Configuration information in the dialog window, and then click OK.

Relative to Model View

A Relative to Model View is an orthographic (front, right, left, top, bottom, and rear) view that is determined by the orientation of two orthogonal faces or planes in the model. This view type allows you to override the default view for the first orthographic view in a drawing.

The Projected View tool may then be used to produce more orthographic views.

The full part or assembly is displayed in the resultant relative view for standard parts and assemblies. In the case of multibody parts (like weldments), just the chosen body is utilized.

Predefined Views

To choose the orientation, position, and scale of views on a drawing template, you can utilize predefined views, such as named views. Using Insert Model in the PropertyManager, you may afterward add the model or assembly reference. A drawing document with preset views can be saved as a document template.

Empty Views

To create geometry that might not be seen in the component or assembly but is necessary for the drawing, use empty views. To blank views, you may add comments, dimensions, and area hatch. Drawing documents can have empty views that you can insert. To add a blank view:

In the drawing toolbar, select Empty View or select Insert > Drawing view> Empty.

To position, the view, click on the graphics area.

Click OK after setting the parameters in the PropertyManager.

Conclusion

While there are still a few more to it, like the use of empty views or derived views, this article has given enough useful information on what are the different views used in Solidworks drawings. You can practice these views or perhaps create drawing templates that you can save for use later.