This is one of the ways you should be able to do it. But since you are having trouble, may I suggest a way to check out your sections, just to see if there might be a problem with them. First, forget the 'Empty with section' option and just create the format from the 'Empty' option. Select a format size for which you have a section. Click OK, then, from the menu bar, select 'Insert>Shared data' and select the appropriate section drawing. If it is the correct size for the format, it should place with no problem. If there is some kind of size problem, it will inform you that the section does not fit in the format and ask you if you want to scale it. If you get this with any section besides A3, there is some other problem, possibly the section itself or a problem with units conversion or a default format file in another system of units. Also, check draft_scale in config.pro options, set to between .75 and .9, then try to insert the section again.
Other things to check:
- Check the units in the file referred to in format_setup_file; make sure units consistent with units in part, section and drawing. Threre is no end to problems form conflicting units settings because Pro/e does not understand translating units unless you tell it to, i.e., 'Setup>Units';
- Set draft_scale in this setup file between .8 to .9 which applies only to the format itself;
- Remember that outside border of format is paper size (portrait orientation, in mms): A4=210 X 297 A3=297 X 420 A2=420 X 594 A1=594 X 841 A0= 841 X 1189 Notice that the long side becomes the short side in the next larger format while the short side doubles. The section drawings must be smaller than paper size, generally inside a printing margin, to be placed properly. (I'm sure someone out there can explain why the aspect ratio (h/w) stays about .707 for all of them.)
An alternative is to create the format 'empty' but of a definite size, then to draft the outline, using the 'Sketch' and 'Edit' functions built into the format editor. These are adequate to the task of drawing borders and boxes. And, if you turn on 'Parametric' sketching and 'chain' lines, you can create your formats with fair ease. There is the added advantage of sketcher preferences which allow snapping by a variety of constraints and a sketch grid, available under 'View>Draft grid'. The interface allows you to turn the grid on or off, set spacing, origin, etc. With sketcher preferences, you have a nice imitation of graph paper and grid-type snap-to points. Add to that, 'Edit>Trim', 'Transform' and a couple other tools under 'Edit', and you have a nice little format drawing package. I really think that drawing right on the format is unbeatable.
David Janes