BIM DrawingView
|
|
| Menu location |
|---|
| Annotation → Create 2D Views → 2D Drawing |
| Workbenches |
| BIM |
| Default shortcut |
| None |
| Introduced in version |
| 1.0 |
| See also |
| Arch SectionPlane, BIM Shape2DView, BIM Shape2DCut |
Description
The 
BIM DrawingView tool creates a container object which is a specialized type of Arch BuildingPart meant to hold 2D projection objects.
When used in its typical workflow with an 
Arch SectionPlane, this tool automates the entire 2D extraction process. It automatically creates both the background projection lines (via 
BIM Shape2DView) and the solid section cuts (via 
BIM Shape2DCut), flattens them onto the XY-plane, and groups them inside a single "Drawing" folder.
This grouped Drawing container can then be easily exported as a single 2D DXF or SVG file, or inserted as a single view onto a TechDraw page.
Usage
Automatic workflow
- Select a single Arch SectionPlane in the Tree View or the 3D View.
- There are several ways to invoke the tool:
- Press the
2D Drawing button. - Select the Annotation → Create 2D Views → 2D Drawing option from the menu.
- Use the keyboard shortcut: V then D.
- Press the
- A new "Drawing" object is created in the Tree View. Underneath it, you will find two new 2D objects: "Viewed lines" and "Cut lines" (representing the projection and the cut fills, respectively).
Manual workflow
- Ensure nothing is selected.
- Invoke the tool using any of the methods described above.
- A new, empty "Drawing" container is created in the Tree View.
- You can manually drag and drop existing 2D shapes, Draft objects, or Shape2DViews into this container to group them for export or drawing sheets.
Notes
- The recommended workflow: this tool is the most efficient way to generate architectural drawings. By selecting a Section Plane and running this command, FreeCAD automatically performs the manual steps of creating both a Section View (for background lines) and a Section Cut (for solid fills).
- Vertical sections and elevations: when a vertical Section Plane is projected, the building's horizontal axis is mapped to the global X-axis, and the building's vertical axis (height) is mapped to the global Y-axis. It effectively projects vertical elevations on the XY-plane automatically.
- A virtual drafting table: this command forces DataInPlace to
falsefor all its children. This creates a "virtual drafting table" at the global origin (Z=0) where all project drawings are collected flat, regardless of their 3D orientation. This ensures that TechDraw can handle them as standard 2D vector groups and that DXF exports are perfectly flat.
Properties
The BIM DrawingView is essentially an Arch BuildingPart with its DataIfcType set to Annotation and its DataObjectType set to DRAWING.
To keep the property panel clean for 2D drafting, several 3D-specific properties inherited from the BuildingPart (such as DataHeight, DataArea, and DataLevelOffset) are hidden from the user interface.
BIM
- 2D Drafting: Sketch, Line, Polyline, Rectangle, Arc, Arc From 3 Points, Circle, Ellipse, Polygon, B-Spline, Bézier Curve, Cubic Bézier Curve, Point, Fillet
- 3D/BIM: Site, Building, Level, Space, Wall, Curtain Wall, Column, Beam, Slab, Door, Window, Covering, Pipe, Connector, Stairs, Roof, Panel, Frame, Fence, Truss, Equipment
- Reinforcement Tools: Custom Rebar, Straight Rebar, U-Shape Rebar, L-Shape Rebar, Stirrup, Bent-Shape Rebar, Helical Rebar, Column Reinforcement, Beam Reinforcement, Slab Reinforcement, Footing Reinforcement
- Generic 3D Tools: Profile, Box, Shape Builder, Facebinder, Objects Library, Component, External Reference
- Annotation: Aligned Dimension, Horizontal Dimension, Vertical Dimension, Text, Leader, Label, Hatch, Axis, Axis System, Grid, Section Plane, 2D Drawing, Section View, Section Cut, New Page, New View
- Snapping: Snap Lock, Snap Endpoint, Snap Midpoint, Snap Center, Snap Angle, Snap Intersection, Snap Perpendicular, Snap Extension, Snap Parallel, Snap Special, Snap Near, Snap Ortho, Snap Grid, Snap Working Plane, Snap Dimensions, Toggle Grid, Working Plane Front, Working Plane Top, Working Plane Side, Working Plane
- Modify: Move, Rotate, Scale, Mirror, Clone, Make Link, Copy, Simple Copy, Compound, 2D Offset, Offset, Trimex, Join, Split, Stretch, Draft to Sketch, Upgrade, Downgrade, Add Component, Remove Component, Array, Path Array, Polar Array, Point Array, Cut With Plane, Extrude, Union, Difference, Intersection
- Manage: BIM Setup, Setup Project, Manage Doors and Windows, Manage IFC Elements, Manage IFC Quantities, Manage IFC Properties, Manage Classification, Manage Layers, Material, BIM Report, Schedule, Preflight Checks, Annotation Styles
- Utils: Move to Trash, Working Plane View, Select Group, Set Slope, Working Plane Proxy, Add to Construction Group, Split Mesh, Mesh to Shape, Select Non-Manifold Meshes, Remove Shape From BIM, Close Holes, Merge Walls, Check, Toggle IFC B-Rep Flag, Toggle Subcomponents, Survey, IFC Diff, IFC Explorer, New IFC Spreadsheet, Image Plane, Unclone, Rewire, Glue, Re-Extrude
- Panel Tools: Panel, Panel Cut, Panel Sheet, Nest
- Structure Tools: Structure, Structural System, Multiple Structures
- IFC Tools: IFC Project, IFC Diff, IFC Expand, Convert to IFC Project, IfcOpenShell Update
- Nudge: Nudge Switch, Nudge Up, Nudge Down, Nudge Left, Nudge Right, Nudge Rotate Left, Nudge Rotate Right, Nudge Extend, Nudge Shrink
- Additional: Preferences, Fine tuning, Import Export Preferences, IFC, DAE, OBJ, JSON, 3DS, SHP
User documentation
- Getting started
- Installation: Download, Windows, Linux, Mac, Additional components, Docker, AppImage, Ubuntu Snap
- Basics: About FreeCAD, Interface, Mouse navigation, Selection methods, Object name, Preferences, Workbenches, Document structure, Properties, Help FreeCAD, Donate
- Help: Tutorials, Video tutorials
- Workbenches: Std Base, Assembly, BIM, CAM, Draft, FEM, Inspection, Material, Mesh, OpenSCAD, Part, PartDesign, Points, Reverse Engineering, Robot, Sketcher, Spreadsheet, Surface, TechDraw, Test Framework
- Hubs: User hub, Power users hub, Developer hub