Fillet Guide
Inspect & Print

See inside with Section view

Cut your part open to check a wall, a counterbore or a screw's fit. A section only changes what you see, never your design.

Cut the part open

Pick a plane, and Fillet slices the part along it. The half facing you is taken away.

  1. Tap Section at the right end of the tool strip.
  2. Tap XY, XZ or YZ in the bar at the top, or tap a flat face of the part.
  1. Click Section on the tool strip, choose View › Section View, or press ⇧Shift⌘CmdX.
  2. Click XY, XZ or YZ in the bar at the top, or click a flat face of the part.
The plane buttons in the bar at the top of the view: XY, XZ and YZ, then Cancel.
The bar at the top asks where to cut.

Solid material is filled with hatching, so holes, pockets and thin walls stand out as gaps.

A plate cut open along XZ through two M3 counterbored holes. The cut face is red and hatched, and each counterbore shows as a stepped gap. Blue handles sit on the cut, with a 0 mm value beside them.
Cut along XZ, through both screw holes. Each counterbore shows as a step.
Already selected a flat face? Section cuts right on it, without asking.

Move, tilt or flip the cut

Drag the blue handles on the cut. Blue means they change the view, not your design.

Close-up of the handles on the cut face: a blue arrow pointing out of the cut, a 0 mm value, two curved blue grips on either side, and a round button with two arrows.
  1. ArrowDrag to slide the cut. It points at the side that's cut away.
  2. ValueHow far the cut is from its plane. Tap it to type a distance.
  3. Curved gripsDrag to tilt the cut, in whole degrees.
  4. Round buttonKeeps the other half instead.
Slide, tilt, 2D section view and Section only, on a rotor printed inside its housing.

Type exact values

The Section view panel in the inspector does the same with numbers, and a little more.

The Section view panel: Cutting along XZ plane, Plane XZ plane with a Change button, 2D section view and Section only switches, Offset 0 mm, Tilt about X and Tilt about Z at 0°, Flip side, Untilt and Look at the cut.
  1. PlaneChange picks another plane or face.
  2. 2D section viewLooks straight at the cut, like a drawing.
  3. Section onlyHides everything but the cut faces.
  4. Offset and tiltsType an exact distance or angle.
  5. Flip side, UntiltKeep the other half, or square the cut up again.
  6. Look at the cutTurns the view to face the cut head-on.

See the cut as a drawing

Turn on 2D section view to see the cut flat and square-on, like a section on a technical drawing.

The plate in 2D section view: a hatched red strip with two T-shaped gaps where the counterbored holes are, a 0 mm value and the round flip button.
The counterbores at their true shape, ready to check against a screw.
  • The bed goes away, and the rest of the part is drawn as lines.
  • Move the cut with the value on it, or with the panel. The arrow and grips hide in 2D.
  • Section only shows the cut faces alone, in 2D or 3D.
  • Turn 2D off to get your old view back.
On a Mac, the View menu has 2D Section View, Section Only and Flip Section Side while a cut is on.

Put the handles away or turn it off

Tap Done or press Esc. The handles go away, the part stays cut, and this pill shows at the top of the view.

A pill reading Section view, with Edit and Turn off buttons.
Your reminder that the part is cut, not broken.
  • Edit brings the handles and the panel back.
  • Turn off shows the whole part. So do Section and ⇧Shift⌘CmdX.
  • Delete in the panel forgets the plane. Otherwise Section opens on the same cut next time.

Questions

Does a section change my design?
No. It isn’t a step, it isn’t saved with the file and it isn’t in undo. Exports and the Print check always use the whole part.
Why is half my part missing?
Section view is on. Tap Turn off on the pill at the top of the view, or press ⇧Shift⌘CmdX.
Which plane is which?
XY is the bed and cuts the part level. XZ is the front plane and YZ the side plane. Both cut straight down.
What if the plane misses the part?
The cut moves to the middle of the part instead. The value on the cut says how far that is from the plane.
Why doesn't tapping the model move the cut?
While the handles are up, taps on the model do nothing, so a stray tap can’t move the cut. To cut somewhere else, tap Change in the panel.
Can I type a sum or a parameter?
Yes. Like every field in Fillet, Offset and the tilts take sums and parameter names.
Why are the cut faces different colours?
Each part gets its own colour and hatch angle (red, then slate, plum, ochre, teal and olive), so parts nested inside each other stay apart. A part with a colour of its own keeps it.
Can I keep working with the cut on?
Yes. Measure, a sketch or any other tool keeps the cut, and the handles make way. Faces on the cut-away side can’t be picked, so you can reach faces inside the part.
Why is Section greyed out?
There’s no body to cut yet, or a step is open. Make a body first, or finish the step with Done or Cancel.
MeasureCheck a part and export it for printingRound, bevel and hollow: Fillet, Chamfer and ShellKeyboard shortcuts

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