Boundary

Structural Design User Guide

Modify Panels : Boundary

With the panel to be modified as the CE, from the PLATES tab, in the Modify group, select Boundary from the drop-down list to display the Loop Vertex Editor window.

As with many of the windows used in AVEVA E3D™, the Loop Vertex Editor window fulfils several functions. The window is divided into several areas which are described below.

The window menu contains these options:


Control > CE	When the window is displayed, the panel becomes the CE name. If the user navigates to another panel and selects this, the CE for the new panel edited by the window is displayed.
Control > Close	Closes the window.
Settings > Confirm	When set On the user must select Create or Modify to implement each creation or modification, dependant on which mode is current. When set Off, each creation or modification is implemented immediately.
Settings > Confirm on delete	When set On, the user must confirm each deletion in order to complete the command. When set Off, deletions are implemented immediately.
Settings > Tag edges	When set On, each edge is tagged with the number of the vertex at its start.

Note:

Edges are tagged automatically, regardless of this setting, if the panel has incorrect geometry for any reason (for example, zero thickness).


Settings > Free rotate	When set On this option allows groups of vertices to be oriented automatically when they are positioned relative, to say one edge, and are then moved to a different edge.
Utilities > Remove Redundant	Redundant vertices, in situations where two or more vertices have the same position, are deleted.

The options in the Mode Selection area of the window allows the user to select a single vertex, an edge or a group of vertices to be modified or create a new vertex.


Select all	Allows the user to select all vertices in the loop so they can be modified as a group.
Select group to modify	Allows the user to select any number of individual vertices so they can be modified as a group.
Select edge to modify	Allows the user to pick an edge to be modified. The adjacent Edge gadget shows the current edge number (for example: the number of the vertex at its start).
Select point to modify	Allows the user to pick a vertex to be modified. The adjacent Vertex gadget shows the current vertex number.
Create points	Allows the user to create a new vertex, which is allocated the next number in the sequence after the current vertex.

The Vertex/Edge part of the window displays a Select option and a counter that shows the current vertex or edge, dependant on the current mode. If the Select edge to modify is selected, the counter label changes to Edge and the counter shows the current edge.

Select vertex/edge allows the user to pick a vertex in the graphical view. The adjacent Vertex/Edge counter shows the current vertex/edge number, which is also tagged in the graphical view. The user can navigate to a specific vertex/edge by typing its number in the textbox or with the up/down arrows to step through the list.

When a group of vertices are modified, the options in the Group part of the window become active. These options allow the user to modify the current group in these ways:

Note:

These options affect only the Group’s behaviour; they do not affect the vertex numbering for the panel loop. A Group may be the entire loop if the Select option has been used.


Reverse group definition	Reverses the group definition by implicitly renumbering all of the group vertices in the opposite sense (that is clockwise or anticlockwise). The origin moves to the other side of the gap. The sense of the current vertex sequence is shown by the aid arrow in the graphical view.
Move start forwards	Moves the open-side of the group, and the origin, one position forwards, that is, in the sense of the vertex numbering.
Move start backwards	Moves the open-side of the group, and the origin, one position backwards, that is, in the opposite sense to the vertex numbering.

A Group may be expanded or contracted by the value specified in the field:

•

Expand group - moves each edge outwards to expand the group area, by the distance specified in the adjacent Expand/Contract textbox, normal to its own direction.

•

Contract group - moves each edge inwards to contract the group area by the distance specified in the adjacent Expand/Contract textbox, normal to its own direction.

Note:

Expand/Contract applies to all edges in the Group and includes those on panel protrusions, and so on, therefore, excessive expansion or contraction may lead to invalid loop geometry.

If an edge is modified, the options available in the Line part of the window become active. These options allow the user to modify the current edge in these ways:


Extend start of line	Moves the Start vertex along the edge direction to align it through a picked position. Use the Positioning Control options to pick the required position. Alternatively, if a line is selected, the Start vertex is moved along the edge direction until it intersects the picked line. These operations can change the edge length.
Extend end of line	Moves the End vertex along the edge direction to align it through a picked position. Use the Positioning Control options to pick the required position. Alternatively, if a line is selected, the End vertex is moved along the edge direction until it intersects the picked line. These operations can change the edge length.
Make line parallel	Moves the free vertex (lower case tagging) around the reference vertex to align the edge with a picked line (another edge, a Pline and so on). The operation maintains the edge length.

The options in the Rotate part of the window allows the user to rotate groups of vertices in these ways:


Rotate group anti‑clockwise	Rotates the edge anticlockwise, through the rotation angle specified in the Angle textbox, about the reference end (uppercase tagging). The operation maintains the edge length.
Rotate group clockwise	Rotates the edge clockwise, through the rotation angle specified in the Angle textbox about the reference end (uppercase tagging). The operation maintains the edge length.

The options in the Modify part of the window allows the user to carry out these operations on the current Group selection:


Insert selected	Moves a vertex group and inserts it at a different position in the loop sequence. Use the Vertex selector to navigate to the required point in the sequence; the group is inserted after the current vertex.
Mirror	Moves the current vertex, edge or group such that the new positions are derived by reflection of the original positions about a picked line (an edge, Pline, and so on).
Delete selection	Deletes a group, edge or vertex from the loop definition.
Define/Modify arc	Manipulates a fillet arc at the current loop vertex. When selected the Modify Arc window is displayed and the Loop Vertex Editor window becomes temporarily inactive.

Modify Panel Thickness

The panel thickness can only be modified if it was left unset in the Plate Specification window, If the thickness was set in the Plate Specification window the Panel Thickness window displays the message Element thickness fixed by specification.

To modify the thickness of a panel, make the panel to be modified the CE. On the Plates tab, in the Modify group, click Panels, select Thickness from the list to display the Panel Thickness window.

Input the required thickness in the Thickness field and select Apply to modify the panel thickness.

Modify Panel Justification

Although the panel justification is set during panel creation it can be modified at any time.

Make the panel to be modified the CE. On the Plates tab, in the Modify group, click Panels, select Justification from the list to display the Panel Justification window. Select Bottom, Centre or Top from the Justification drop-down list and click Apply to modify the panel justification.

The in/out checkbox enables the user to set the direction relative to the plane used to justify the panel as shown in the diagram.

To see the effects of the change to the justification, on the Plates tab, in the Modify group, click Fitting to display the Modify Panel Fitting window.

Modify the panel fitting as required, click OK to accept the changes or click Dismiss to discard any information and close the Modify window.

Sections can also own Fittings (FITTs rather than PFITs in this case) which can serve a similarly wide range of purposes. Similar principles apply to their creation and manipulation in the Beams and Columns application, for more information, refer to Some Standard Fittings.

Note:

Such a fitting is positioned along its owning section by setting its distance from the section’s start (the Zdistance).