OnShape: Orthographic & Isometric Views

1. The Purpose and Principles of Engineering Drawings

Before diving into the "how" in Onshape, it's worth taking a moment to frame the "why." As a design engineer, the drawing is your primary communication tool. It conveys all the information needed to manufacture, inspect, and assemble your part. A clear, complete, and standardized drawing reflects professionalism and prevents costly errors downstream.

Since your goal is to simulate a real-world engineering workflow, understanding these conventions is just as important as knowing which buttons to click.

This video emphasizes the importance of standards, such as the ASME standards used in the United States, which typically specify third-angle projection. Onshape manages this for you based on the template you select, ensuring your drawings follow the correct convention.

2. Creating Your First Drawing in Onshape

Now, let's apply these principles within Onshape. The process involves creating a new drawing tab, selecting a part, placing a base view, and then generating projected and isometric views from it.

The following video provides a concise demonstration of this entire workflow. We will break it down into steps afterward.

3. Step-by-Step Guide to Placing Views

Let's consolidate what you've just seen into a repeatable process. You can also refer to the Onshape Help documentation on Views for a detailed written reference.

Step 1: Create a Drawing and Place the Base View

Every drawing starts with a part or assembly. From your Part Studio or Assembly tab:

1. Click the '+' icon in the bottom-left corner and select Create Drawing.
2. In the dialog, select an appropriate template. Onshape's default ANSI templates are a good starting point for US-based standards (third-angle projection).
3. Onshape will immediately prompt you to insert a view. Select the part you want to document.
4. As you move your cursor over the sheet, you'll see a preview. Choose an orientation for your base view (usually the 'Front' view) and a suitable scale. Click to place it. This base view will be the parent for most of your other views.

Step 2: Project Orthographic Views

Once the base view is placed, Onshape automatically activates the Projected View tool.

1. Move your cursor above the base view. A preview of the top view will appear, perfectly aligned. Click to place it.
2. Move your cursor to the right of the base view. A preview of the right side view will appear. Click to place it.
3. Press the Esc key to exit the Projected View tool.

Notice that if you drag the base view, the projected views move with it, maintaining their critical alignment.

Step 3: Insert an Isometric View

Isometric views are crucial for helping someone visualize the 3D part. They are typically placed independently of the orthographic views.

1. Click the Insert View icon in the toolbar.
2. Ensure the correct part is selected.
3. Change the View orientation in the dialog to Isometric.
4. You may want to use a different scale for the isometric view (e.g., smaller than the main views) to save space.
5. Click to place the view, usually in the top-right corner of the drawing sheet.

4. Refining View Properties

A key part of creating a clean drawing is controlling how the views are displayed. You can modify any view by double-clicking it or right-clicking and selecting View properties.

Common adjustments include:

• Scale: Change the view scale to ensure the part is clearly visible and fits well on the sheet.
• Tangent edges: For orthographic views, it's standard practice to set tangent edges to 'Hidden' for clarity. For isometric views, they are often left 'Solid' to better define the shape.
• Show/hide hidden lines: Right-click a view and select Show/hide > Show hidden lines to display features that are not visible from that viewing angle. This is essential for understanding internal geometry.

Your Turn: Create a Drawing for Your Part

Now it's time to put this into practice. Let's create a drawing for the "Screw" part you modeled in the previous lesson.

1. Open your Onshape document and navigate to the Part Studio containing your screw.
2. Click the '+' icon and Create Drawing. Select the ANSI A inch template.
3. When prompted, select your Screw part.
4. Base View:
   • Set the orientation to Front.
   • Set the scale to 2:1.
   • Place it in the bottom-left area of the sheet.
5. Projected Views:
   • Project a Top view above the base view.
   • Project a Right side view to the right of the base view.
   • Press Esc to exit the projection tool.
6. Isometric View:
   • Use the Insert View tool.
   • Set the orientation to Isometric.
   • Set the scale to 1:1.
   • Place it in the top-right corner.
7. Refine Properties:
   • Right-click on the Front view and select Show/hide > Show hidden lines. Do the same for the Top view.
   • Right-click the Isometric view and select Show/hide > Show shaded view. This will make it appear as a solid, colored object, which is great for visualization.

Your drawing should now have three aligned orthographic views showing hidden lines and a shaded isometric view for context.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have learned how to translate a 3D model into a standard 2D engineering drawing—a foundational skill for any design engineer.

Here are your key takeaways:

• Drawings start from templates: The template defines the sheet size, title block, and projection standard (e.g., ANSI for third-angle).
• The workflow is sequential: Place a base view first, then create projected views from it to maintain alignment. Isometric views are inserted separately.
• Views are configurable: You can control the scale, orientation, and display style (hidden lines, tangent edges, shading) of each view to maximize clarity.

You've successfully laid out the views on the page. In our next lesson, we will build directly on this by learning how to "Apply dimensions and annotations to drawing views to fully define a part." This is where you'll add the critical measurements, notes, and symbols needed to turn your drawing into a complete manufacturing blueprint.