section plane advice

[tmoxam]

I am old time autocad user. More recently, Solidworks, Inventor user and now forced back onto AutoCad 2012.
Sections are so easy in the 3D packages. Why so hard in Acad?
I can never predict the outcome of the section view. Why?
Trying to get the section to lay horizontal and to look down (-Z)so i turned all layers off except a section layer. Drew a HORIZONTAL line from 0,0 and used SECTIONPLANE command picking both ends of the line. The result is a VERTICAL plane with the line bisecting it horizontally. (incorrect) So, i created a VERTICAL line from 0,0 and use the SECTIONPLANE command picking both ends of the line. The result is a VERTICAL plane with the line bisecting it vertically.(also incorrect)
I tried changing the direction of the UCS in order to rotate the Z axis in case that has something to do with the plane creation.
Does anyone see the problem here? I am un-able to get a flat plane that i can position where i need it.
Can you tell me what i am missing????????????????

 

[ohiocad]

As I understand it, someone please correct me if I am wrong here, it sounds like you're looking down in plan view, and working in the world UCS when you create the sectionplane.

When you create the plane it is based on the currect UCS, so if you're looking down (-Z view, as you say) the cut plane is along the line you drew, but through that line in the Z plane. To get the view you want, flip to the front UCS, and then use sectionplane. (If it is looking the wrong direction, highlight the plane, and use the toggles to flip it.) When you go back to the World plan view, should be what you're looking for.

Doubleclick on the sectionplane to turn the view off or on.

Also, when going to create it, you can use orthographic views to do so, which presets the ucs to match.

 

[tmoxam]

i have tried to alter the ucs. i rotate to the front view, ucs view, create horizontal line and get vertical plane. the grips only allow me to rotate the plane in place around a point while keeping the plane vertical at all times. If i draw the line vertical (in order to get the opposite effect) the plane IS STILL vertical (very annoying). BTW when invoking the SECTIONPLANE command the ucs reverts to normal. In order to get what i want i have had to create an extruded object so that i can pick the horizontal face. Another way is to create a vertical line, section, and turn the ucs to the front and finally rotate the section down to a flat attitude.
I shouldn't have to though, and i would appreciate hearing from someone who can tell me how to do this directly.