Exploded view
The exploded view separates the parts of an assembly so that each one can be seen on its own. It moves parts only in the view and never modifies the file.
Using the slider
Click Exploded View in the toolbar, to the right of the measuring, projection, and section buttons. The button opens into a slider, and dragging the slider to the right pulls the assembly apart. Every model opens assembled.
Clicking the button again, or pressing Esc, closes the slider and moves the parts back together. Opening it again returns them to where the slider was left.
| Action on the slider | Result |
|---|---|
| Drag the knob | Moves the parts with the pointer |
| Click the track | Moves the knob to that point, and a drag continues from there |
| ⌥-drag | Moves at a fifth of the normal speed, for fine adjustment |
| Scroll over the track | Nudges the value a little at a time |
| Double-click | Returns the slider to zero and puts the model back together |
The button is disabled for a file that places only one part, since there is nothing to separate.
How parts move
Solidly plans the explosion when the file loads, by testing in which directions each part can slide free of the others. The plan follows a few rules:
- Each part moves along one of the model's six axis directions, chosen from the directions no other part blocks.
- Smaller free parts leave first, so the largest parts stay where they are longest.
- An assembly in the file's tree moves out as a unit before its own parts separate.
- A part resting on another part that leaves in the same direction travels with it, so a screw follows the cover it holds.
- Parts are spaced according to their size.
Moving the slider plays these moves in order, so the model comes apart in the sequence the plan found.
A part that is blocked in every direction moves as far as it can before it would collide. When parts lock each other in place, such as a snap-fit housing, one of them is moved out along its least obstructed direction.
The camera
The camera follows the explosion so that the whole model stays in view. A zoom or pan you have made is kept, and when the slider returns to zero the camera is exactly where it was.
The overall dimensions fade out as the slider leaves zero and return when the model is back together.
Photo Mode keeps the model exploded, so an exploded view can be captured.
Limits
A part that the file stores as one product containing several solids moves as a single unit, and its solids are not separated from each other. Only straight moves along the model's axes are planned, so threaded parts, snap fits, and parts set at an angle may move only partway or be pushed out along a single axis.