Drawing view updates

When you change parts and assemblies depicted in part views, you can easily update the views so they match the new model geometry. This works because part views are associative to the 3D part or assembly they were created from. For example, if you add a hole to a 3D part in the Part environment and then update the part view in the Draft environment, the hole geometry is added to the 2D drawing.

When a drawing view is out-of-date with respect to the 3D model, the software displays a solid border or box around it on the drawing sheet. To update the drawing view display as well as the retrieved dimensions, use the Update Views command.

Tools for checking drawing view out-of-date status

There are several tools that work together to identify drawing view out-of-date status conditions.

Using the Drawing View Tracker

The Drawing View Tracker provides specific information on updating both out-of-date part views and out-of-date models. While a view becomes out-of-date when the 3D model to which it is associative changes, a model becomes out-of-date when links external to the Draft environment change. Out-of-date model causes may include, but are not limited to:

Out-of-date model conditions cannot be resolved inside the Draft environment. Because different circumstances can cause an out-of-date model condition, the Drawing View Tracker provides step-by-step instructions for updating out-of-date models in the current document. Solid Edge displays a solid border around an out-of-date view (A), a corner border around an out-of-date model (B), and both a solid border and a corner border when both out-of-date view and out-of-date model conditions apply (C).

Correcting an out-of-date model condition usually causes an out-of-date view condition.

Failed dimensions after updating part views

When you update a part view, a dimension may fail to update because the edge it referred to is no longer displayed in the part view. For example, if you deleted a hole feature in the part model, the edge representing the hole will be removed from the part view when you update it.

When a dimension fails to update, it changes to the "failed" or detached color. The color change helps you detect failed dimensions easily, so you can edit the drawing. All failed dimensions for a part view form a single selection set, in case you want to delete them all at once.

Reattaching dimensions

Sometimes you may want to reattach failed dimensions in a drawing. For example, if you delete one of several holes that comprise a single hole feature on a part, and the edge representing the hole was dimensioned on the drawing, the dimension will fail. Instead of deleting the dimension and placing a new dimension, you can drag and drop the dimension line handle point to one of the remaining hole edges on the part view. This saves time because any prefixes, tolerances, and other formatting on the failed dimension are applied to the new dimension. You can also drag and drop the dimension line handle point(s) to different parent object(s), even if they have not failed.

Tracking changed dimensions and annotations

Wherever possible, Solid Edge attempts to rebind dimensions and annotations that were detached after a drawing view update.

All changed dimensions and annotations, whether they have been repaired or not, are reported in the Dimension Tracker dialog box. To activate this dialog box, select the Tools→Dimensions→Track Dimension Changes command.

To learn more, see Tracking dimensions and annotations.

What are you looking for?
How do I
Learn more about
Look up more details