Create Beams

Structural Design User Guide

Sections : Create Beams

The user can now add horizontal beams to columns, as the beam is horizontal, the end position can be constrained to have the same elevation as its start position. The pointer is used to identify the start and end positions for these beams and select the columns to which they are to be connected.

Create a Single Beam

If required, modify the Profile Specification or retain the default specification.

On the SECTIONS tab, in the Create group, click Straight to display the Section window and the Positioning Control toolbar, which are used to identify positions by selection in the 3D view.

From the String Method part of the Section window, set the String Method to Single to specify the start and end points independently for each section.

From the Confirm Option part of the Section window, select the Secondary Nodes checkbox so that secondary nodes and joints are created automatically at all connections between sections.

Instead of the use of enter explicit coordinates, the start position is defined as a point on one of the columns that already exists which is picked with the pointer.

On the Positioning Control toolbar, select Element, the user must now pick the sections rather than individual plines, to identify positions within the design model.

The user is prompted to ‘Define section start (Snap)’, pick a point anywhere in the upper half of the column. The word Start is displayed in the view to mark the specified start point and the snap action has placed this at the upper end of the column.

The user is then prompted to ‘Define section end (Snap)’, pick a point anywhere in the upper half of the next column to define the End Position of the new beam. The proposed route of the new beam is shown in the 3D view.

Click Accept in the Section window to confirm the section creation. The new beam is displayed with its start connected to the top of one column and its end connected to the top of the next column.