Is a ʼBroken-out Sectionʼ useful for seeing inside a specific area in SolidWorks?

Short Answer

Yes — a Broken-out Section is useful for seeing inside a specific area in SolidWorks, especially on drawing views where you need to expose local internal features without creating a full section. The standard professional method is the Broken-out Section command on a drawing view. Limitation: it only removes material locally in that selected view.

What You Need to Know Before

Warning: Broken-out Section works in drawing views, not as a general model-editing cut in the part itself. A common failure is selecting a view that has no valid depth reference, which can leave the section undefined or cut farther than intended.

How to Create a Broken-out Section

• Command: Broken-out Section

• Shortcut: No default keyboard shortcut

• Quick Steps:

  1. In a drawing, select the target drawing view, then go to the CommandManager Layout tab or Insert > Drawing View > Broken-out Section.
  2. Sketch a closed profile on the view around the area you want to reveal.
  3. In the PropertyManager, set Depth to a real value or choose To Selected and pick an internal edge/face reference, then confirm.

Variables & Settings

• Key Setting: Depth / To Selected

• Expert Setting: Use To Selected when you need the cut to stop exactly at a known internal feature. Use a numeric Depth only when the wall thickness and view scale are well understood, otherwise the section may miss or overcut the target area.

Why it Fails

• Cause 1 (Geometry): The sketch for the broken-out boundary is open, self-intersecting, or not properly placed on the drawing view.
• Cause 2 (layers/Locks): The sketch or annotation layer used for the boundary may be hidden or locked, making the profile hard to edit or verify.
• Cause 3 (Command/Logic): The selected drawing view may not support the intended depth reference, or the user applies Broken-out Section where a full section view would be more appropriate.

Quick Fix & Best Practice

• Quick Fix: Edit the broken-out sketch into a clean closed loop, then switch the depth option to To Selected and pick the exact internal edge you want to expose.
• Manager’s Verdict: Use Broken-out Section when you only need to reveal one local internal area on a drawing. Avoid it for broad internal inspection; a standard Section View is clearer and more controlled for larger cut regions.

FAQ

Can Broken-out Section be used in a part model directly?

No, it is mainly a drawing-view feature.

Is Broken-out Section better than a full Section View?

Yes, when you only need to expose one small local area.

Can I control how deep the broken-out cut goes?

Yes, by entering a depth value or using To Selected.

.