×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Flat View, Sheet Metal, Flipped?
2

Flat View, Sheet Metal, Flipped?

Flat View, Sheet Metal, Flipped?

(OP)
Hoping someone can shed some light on this. Whenever I make a drawing of a part, the flat view comes in as the back view. Is this a drafting standard that I am ignorant of? It's not a huge deal to change the view in the property manager, but any bend notations are lost when the angle is switched.

I've attached a simple sheetmetal part with just a couple holes so it's easy to tell right and left.

Any help would be appreciated.
 

RE: Flat View, Sheet Metal, Flipped?

The orientation of the flat depends on which face is selected as the Fixed Face in the Flat-Pattern1 feature. By default, the Fixed Face is shown in the drawing view.

RE: Flat View, Sheet Metal, Flipped?

Quote:

...but any bend notations are lost when the angle is switched.
If I use the Flip View option in the SM Property Manager, the bend line notes remain visible. (SW2011-SP3)

RE: Flat View, Sheet Metal, Flipped?

The bend notations go away when changing the default view of the flat pattern, but you can just as easily add your own custom bend notes.  I do this on occasion.

James Spisich
Design Engineer, CSWP

RE: Flat View, Sheet Metal, Flipped?

(OP)
I don't know how I missed the Flip View button, but it is amazingly helpful!

I also tried going back to my Base-Flange and reversing the direction of the initial extrusion, that seemed to work too, but this is much easier.

Thanks!!
 

RE: Flat View, Sheet Metal, Flipped?

My advice is NOT to use the 'Flip View' button unless you are reversing the fact that someone already used it.  That's fixing the result, not fixing the cause.

The way I ALWAYS go about fixing the problem is what CBL suggested.  Make sure the face selected in the 'Flat-Pattern1' feature (the last feature in the tree, not your 'Base-Flange' feature) is the face you want shown in the flat view.  Only after you confirm that is correct should you use the 'Flip View' button to fix the problem if it still persists.

It may seem nitpicky, but doing it properly helps prevent problems down the line.  We run into this problem quite frequently where an engineer just flipped the flat view because the part was being cut backwards.  It's a temporary solution, and any new drawings derived from the original part will show the wrong side.  Our flat views generate DXFs which are cut automatically, so if it's wrong in the drawing, it's wrong in the factory.  That can lead to a LOT of scrap...

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources