Getting just the right detailed drawing view of a model can take immense amounts of time. More than they really should for products designed in 3D. When you open a drawing and nothing is there but the dimensions, that can really make you throw blunt objects.

So, you stare real close at the computer screen. It doesn’t show up. You hit rebuild, nothing. Forced rebuild (Ctrl-Q), nothin’. Pushing on the screen, making loud grunting noise… Your hand slowly reaches for the stapler….

Wait, there’s one very simple trick you can use to get a vacant drawing view to return to your brilliant masterpiece of drafting delight.

How easy is it?
You don’t have to recreate your drawing view, change drawing templates or slap your friends. It’s actually very simple and hardly worth all the fluffy and entertaining words I’m putting around it. Nonetheless, it gets the point across, that this is very frustrating, the best way I know how.

Does your view look like this? __________ when it should look like this?

Not cool. Here’s what to do:

  1. Delete the View
  2. Hit Undo (Ctrl-Z)

The drawing view with all the lines should appear. I’ve always had this work. It saves you from reopening the drawing or recreating the view. I’ve seen it mostly happen on Large Assemblies in SolidWorks 2006 and 2007. Have you tried this same approach?

Author

Josh is founder and editor at SolidSmack.com, founder at Aimsift Inc., and co-founder of EvD Media. He is involved in engineering, design, visualization, the technology making it happen, and the content developed around it. He is a SolidWorks Certified Professional and excels at falling awkwardly.