Is ʼThird Angle Projectionʼ the standard for North American drawings in SolidWorks?

Short Answer

Yes — in SolidWorks, Sheet Properties commonly uses Third Angle Projection as the standard for North American drawings because it matches ANSI drafting practice. The fastest professional method is setting the sheet projection in drawing sheet properties before creating views. Limitation: imported templates can override the expected projection standard.

What You Need to Know Before

Warning: If your drawing template is built with first-angle settings, projected views can appear on the wrong side even when the model is correct. This is a common production error when reusing European templates for North American deliverables.

How to Set Third Angle Projection in SolidWorks

• Command: Sheet Properties

• Shortcut: [No default keyboard shortcut]

• Quick Steps:

  1. In the drawing, right-click Sheet1 in the FeatureManager design tree or right-click the sheet background, then choose Properties.
  2. In the Sheet Properties dialog, under Type of projection, select Third angle.
  3. Click OK, then place or update drawing views using Projected View from the Drawing toolbar/CommandManager if needed.

Variables & Settings

• Key Setting: Type of projection in Sheet Properties

• Expert Setting: This option controls how projected drawing views are arranged from the parent view. In North American workflows, Third angle is the standard choice for ANSI-based drawings and should be saved in the drawing template to avoid repeated manual correction.

Why it Fails

• Cause 1 (Geometry): Existing projected views were created from a sheet using the wrong projection standard, so left/right or top/bottom view positions do not match North American expectations.
• Cause 2 (layers/Locks): A locked or controlled company drawing template may force sheet standards that users cannot easily change without updating the template file.
• Cause 3 (Command/Logic): Users often confuse document drafting standard settings with sheet projection type; changing one does not always correct already placed views.

Quick Fix & Best Practice

• Quick Fix: Right-click the drawing sheet, open Properties, switch Type of projection to Third angle, and rebuild or recreate projected views if they were placed under the wrong standard.
• Manager’s Verdict: Use Third Angle Projection for nearly all North American solidworks drawing deliverables, and bake it into your .drwdot templates. Avoid relying on manual per-sheet changes in shared production environments.

FAQ

Is Third Angle Projection the default in SolidWorks?
Not always; it depends on the drawing template and sheet settings.

Where do I change projection type in SolidWorks drawings?
In Sheet Properties, not in the part or assembly model.

Can changing to Third Angle fix existing views automatically?
Sometimes, but incorrectly placed projected views may need to be recreated.

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