Can you create custom cross sections in Pro/Engineer?

	Figure 1.

This Tip-of-the-Month was probably more fun for me to create, than for you to read.  I'm not so sure why you would want to do this (except it's fun) (because there are plenty of pre-defined sections with Pro), but here is a simplistic explanation.

This tip is done in part mode, but drawing and assembly modes are similar.  Select a section, then X-Section > Modify > [Select the section] so the crosshatch displays on the screen.  Choose Hatching, and you should be into a menu structure that looks like Figure 1.  (For Wildfire see below.)  Choose Add Line and follow the prompts.  You may have to play around a little to get the hang of it, but it is pretty easy to figure out once you try a bit.

Figure 2.

Some Tips:

• Offset  -  Distance from the first line of the cross section pattern.
   
• Spacing  -  Distance between section pattern lines.
   
• Angle  -  Starting angle based on a horizontal line, rotated counterclockwise.
   
• Delete  -  Deletes the section pattern highlighted [red].
       (Note:  When you change the color of a line, it will not show immediately as it is still highlighted [red].  When you finish or go to the next line it will show the color.)
   
• Next Line & Prev Line  -  Allows you to scroll through the groups of lines you have defined.
   
• Individual / Overall  -  In several of the menus like Spacing and Angle, there is an option of Individual or Overall.  (See Figure 2.)  This is often overlooked.  If Individual is selected, the actions apply only to the highlighted line -- the [red] one.  If Overall is selected (usually the default) the action applies to the whole section.
   
• Save  -  You can save sections once created to be used again.
   

 
Anything else?  See the Pro/Engineer Help.

An example of a custom cross section hatch is the background of this table.  Believe it or not, this was created in Pro/E.  If you have some extra time, it's an interesting diversion from the norm.

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