# Section View - Preserve Part Colors & Edges

**URL:** <https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/section-view-preserve-part-colors-edges/23937>\
**Category:** Feature requests\
**Created:** [February 4, 2023, 11:20am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/section-view-preserve-part-colors-edges/23937 "2023-02-04T11:20:38Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 10\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Vijanator70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Vijanator70](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Vijanator70)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2023, 11:20am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/section-view-preserve-part-colors-edges/23937/1 "2023-02-04T11:20:38Z")

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The Shapr3D section view makes all sectioned parts a uniform orange color with no edge marks. This causes parts in the section to be indistinguishable, hindering design of internal enclosed assemblies like bearing arrangements.

Below is an example of a Shapr3D section view in which the shaft assembly components are a uniform color, making the fits invisible:

 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/3X/2/0/20d50250de3e56c3575c5bfbf8f244e5c839ffa1.jpeg)

Below is an example of a better section view which preserves colors, displays edges and has dissimilar crosshatching, making the parts easily distinguishable:

 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/3X/6/a/6a9b334180347f7a98ac59e4d6bf15d3b37e8fd6.jpeg)

Below is a section view which simply preserves the part colors and edges with no cross-hatching and is still much easier to use than the Shapr3D section view.

 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/3X/8/1/81f16aeb8524faf535652b32dba11c7f43c4415e.jpeg)

The simplest fix would be to add an option/toggle to switch off the orange cross-hatching and instead show the normal part colors with edges in the section view.

This feature would enable design of internal/enclosed mechanisms and bearing arrangements. It would enable sizing of fits and tolerances, and design/placement of shoulders, retaining rings, bearing races, preloading springs, etc. It would also enable presentation of the section view to other engineers during design reviews.

Ever since the invention of engineering drawings, the primary purpose of section views has been show the relationship of internal features which cannot be seen from an external view. Aerospace industry standard CAD software such as Siemens NX preserves the colors and edges in section views. Without this feature, design of even rudimentary internal mechanisms for aerospace applications is virtually impossible. Without this feature, I also cannot effectively present my design work to other engineers for collaboration and approval.

Shapr3D’s uniform orange section view is a workflow blocker and is the primary inhibitor preventing my group from adding Shapr3D to its formal portfolio of CAD software.

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**Author:** ![Laci\_K](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/laci_k/32/8196_2.png) [@Laci\_K](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Laci_K)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2023, 6:29pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/section-view-preserve-part-colors-edges/23937/2 "2023-02-04T18:29:40Z")

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Thanks for the feedback!

We are planning to upgrade our section view, as the current version is indeed lacking in several fields.

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**Author:** ![sander](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/sander/32/2625_2.png) [@sander](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/sander)\
**Post date:** [February 6, 2023, 6:26am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/section-view-preserve-part-colors-edges/23937/3 "2023-02-06T06:26:47Z")

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This would be great indeed.

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**Author:** ![jkassis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@jkassis](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/jkassis)\
**Post date:** [May 19, 2023, 6:45am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/section-view-preserve-part-colors-edges/23937/4 "2023-05-19T06:45:23Z")

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.Better section views… yes please!!!

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**Author:** ![jwilk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f6c823/32.png) [@jwilk](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/jwilk)\
**Post date:** [May 23, 2023, 5:23am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/section-view-preserve-part-colors-edges/23937/5 "2023-05-23T05:23:43Z")

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Definitely need feature to distinguish sectioned objects in Medical device design, too - it’s simply a universal need - just looked up colored section views for Shapr3D and ended up here - working on an issue right now where I need to convey a sectioned stack-up to a vendor, but the orange /white pinstripes are a no-go. At a minimum, I’d need the ability to alternate crosshatch angles. All suggestion above are great. Thanks, SW team, for giving this a timely consideration . . .

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**Author:** ![tomldavis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a88e4f/32.png) [@tomldavis](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/tomldavis)\
**Post date:** [June 3, 2023, 9:29am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/section-view-preserve-part-colors-edges/23937/6 "2023-06-03T09:29:02Z")

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For me, this is **the** major shortcoming of Shapr3D. I hope the team gives this request their highest priority. My thanks to Vijanator70 for the illustrating the request with such great detail.

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**Author:** ![SeanO](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d2c977/32.png) [@SeanO](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/SeanO)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2023, 5:23pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/section-view-preserve-part-colors-edges/23937/7 "2023-07-11T17:23:19Z")

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+1 on this feature

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**Author:** ![Edwin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/73ab20/32.png) [@Edwin](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Edwin)\
**Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 6:09am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/section-view-preserve-part-colors-edges/23937/8 "2023-09-15T06:09:13Z")

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Goodmorning, Could you please inform us about the change of the colour of the section view. Normally it was orange, now I have grey. How do you change the settings ? Searched a long time in the setting but cannot find it. Below  
 ![Section view colours](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/3X/d/f/df1a323f904f8f6eb29bd0bb8fa30d9efe641aed.jpeg)  
example will be very nice if this can be possible ?

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**Author:** ![Laci\_K](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/laci_k/32/8196_2.png) [@Laci\_K](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Laci_K)\
**Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 12:35pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/section-view-preserve-part-colors-edges/23937/9 "2023-09-15T12:35:43Z")

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Hi,

Currently, changing the color is not possible, we had to change the color due to it conflicting with error indication in the History Based Parametric Beta.

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**Author:** ![ridzwannormahazan](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/ridzwannormahazan/32/30352_2.png) [@ridzwannormahazan](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/ridzwannormahazan)\
**Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 1:50am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/section-view-preserve-part-colors-edges/23937/10 "2025-01-13T01:50:44Z")

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I would love to have this feature. even if changing color is not possible, at least keep the edge line to differentiate the parts.