Advanced section viewport properties

Length Range

Specifies the length range of the section viewport

Infinite

Cuts the section by an infinite plane

Limited by Section Line Length

Limits the section only to the length defined by the section line

Height Range

Specifies the height range (elevation) of the section viewport

Infinite

Does not limit the section to a Z range; the Z position is in the center of all the visible layer extents in the Z direction

Finite

Limits the display of the section viewport to a range defined by the Start and End Height Z values; the Z position is at the center of the range of specified heights

Extents Beyond/Before Cut Plane

Specifies the depth of the extents beyond or before the cut plane

Infinite

All objects on the indicated side of the section line are displayed

Finite

Displays objects on the indicated side of the section line up to a specified depth (the beyond depth can be indicated graphically by dragging a dotted line on the design layer; see Modifying section lines graphically)

Deforms (generic solid)

Multiple extrudes

Chain extrudes

Cylinders (extrude)

Extruded polygons (mesh)

Subdivisions

Sweeps

NURBS surfaces

CSG solids (add/subtract/intersect/section)

Extrudes

Extrude along paths

Tapered extrudes

Extruded rectangles (extrude)

Meshes

Solids (sphere/cone/hemisphere)

Stair structures (top face, bottom face, front face, inside/outside)

Cut Plane

Objects on the cut plane can be merged into a single profile, maintain individual profiles, or be divided into groups of structural and non-structural elements (useful for displaying cabinets and walls differently, for example)

Merge Cross Sections

Merges the sectioned objects’ cross section profiles into one profile

Create Structural and Nonstructural Groups

Merges the structural objects’ cross section profiles into one group, and the non-structural objects’ cross section profile into another, allowing them to have a different class setting

Separate Cross Sections

Generates a separate cross section for each sectioned object

Use Attributes of Original Objects

Each sectioned object is displayed with the attributes of its original object.

Merge Structural Objects with Same Fill: If adjacent structural objects or components have the same fill, merges the fills so that they display as a single unit.

Add Profile Line: Adds a profile line around all sectioned structural objects in the viewport.

Attribute Class/Structural Class

To control the appearance of the line and fill for the section profiles, select a class from the list of classes present in the drawing, or create a new class. If the suggested Section Style class is selected, it is added to the drawing; its line and fill attributes can be edited from the Organization dialog box.

If Create Structural and Nonstructural Groups is selected, the class selected here applies only to structural elements.

Nonstructural Class

When Create Structural and Nonstructural Groups is selected, specifies the line and fill class for non-structural elements, or you can select New to create a new class

Objects Beyond/Below Cut Plane

Specifies the fill and line style for objects beyond the section plane (for section viewports that display objects beyond/below the section plane)

Fill

Use Original

Uses the fill style of the original objects for objects beyond the section plane

Use Class

To control fill style, select a class from the list of classes present in the drawing, or create a new class

Line Style

Changes section viewport settings for line thickness and line type

Use Original

Uses the line thickness and line type of the original objects for the objects beyond the section plane

Use Class

To control line thickness and line type, select a class from the list of classes present in the drawing, or create a new class

Cast Shadows of Objects Removed by Section

When rendering, includes shadows cast by objects that are not included in the section viewport, for a more realistic effect (especially for interior elevations).

This parameter is not available for design layer section viewports.

Black and White Only

Changes all colors in the section viewport to black or white; this is useful for displaying two section viewport copies on the same sheet layer, with one in color and the other in black and white. However, if the document preferences display setting is black and white, viewports will also display as black and white.

Adjust Flipped Text

Re-orients rotated and flipped text in the viewport so that it is always readable (regardless of the flipped text document preference; see Document preferences: Display tab)

3D Conversion Resolution

Sets the segmentation resolution for curved surfaces in a section view, regardless of the Vectorworks preferences resolution setting (see Vectorworks preferences: 3D pane). Changing the resolution of an existing section viewport causes the viewport to become out of date; the higher resolution settings require longer update times.

Scale Factors

Changes section viewport display scale settings for lines and line styles

Line Weight Scale

Enter a number larger than 1.0 to make the section line weight thicker. Enter a number below 1.0 to make the line weight thinner. The scale value must be larger than zero.

Line Type Scale

A line type could be used for a section viewport if the section is in a class with a line type (in the Attribute Class/Structural Class parameter) or the objects beyond the section plane have been set to a class with a line type (in the Use Class parameter). Enter a number larger than 1.0 to make the line weight of the line type sections thicker. Enter a number below 1.0 to make them thinner. The scale value must be larger than zero.