Help! "cross section not parallel" What?

I have been doing the same thing for over a year an all the sudden I
feel like an idiot. I have Pro/E 2001 and when I am in the drawing
mode I am trying to select the cross section to place it comes back
with "Cross section is not parallel to screen. Reselect
cross-section?" I know that it is parallel because the Datum plan that
it was made on isa the one that I selected to orient it? Ergh! Any
help would be greatly appreciated. Have I done something really stupid
and I just don't realize it yet?

 

: I have been doing the same thing for over a year an all the sudden I
: feel like an idiot. I have Pro/E 2001 and when I am in the drawing
: mode I am trying to select the cross section to place it comes back
: with "Cross section is not parallel to screen. Reselect
: cross-section?" I know that it is parallel because the Datum plan that
: it was made on isa the one that I selected to orient it? Ergh! Any
: help would be greatly appreciated. Have I done something really stupid
: and I just don't realize it yet?

Problems like this reveal the superiority of modelling over drafting and the
difficulties of working in 2d vs 3d. That's why I decided to never do sectioning
in drawing mode but to do all of it in the model. Selection of datums, creation of
views and generally, manipulation of the model is available which does not even
exist in drafting. Here's a procedure for producing sections which will show
flawlessly in drawing mode.

1) Create section datums, then use 'Setup>Names' to rename the datum to something
like 'Sec-A', anything to indicate the section name you will use it to create.
Create and rename datums, even it they are 'Through' default datums;
2) Create the named sections using your named datums;
3) Create a 'saved view' of each of these sections, named to indicate its use and
oriented the way you want it to appear in the drawing. If you can create a saved
view, you will have no problem using it to place a drawing view. Using 'saved
views' is a much more reliable way of placing a properly oriented view than
picking datums in 2d drawing mode. Be sure to orient the saved view so that you
will have a view available for showing the cut plane arrows.
4) Create 'General' views in drawing mode, not 'Projected' views. A projected view
offers the possibility that the section cut plane will not be parallel to the
projected rotation plane. With a general view and placing the drawing view with
'saved views', this will not arise. The only problem you could subsequently have
is not finding a view to which the cut plane is normal for placing the cut plane
arrows. But that problem should be anticipated and solved in setting up the 'saved
views'.

David Janes

 

David,

Thank you for the idea, I know that it will make things go smoother in
the future. I ended up being able to do it but I ha to to it all
ass-backward.
I am doing some work(boat design) for a company in China usually I can
just send a solid model but they wanted umpteen cross section views.
Once again thank you.