"Structural framing beam" palette

The Structural framing beam palette has three tabs where you can define the cross-sectional shape and anchor points, format properties, surface elements, and settings for analyses.

You can choose from the following cross-sectional shapes:

Rectangle,

Circle, and

Library

Depending on the cross-sectional shape selected, you define the dimensions or select the required symbol in the library.

You can define how Allplan rotates the beam. This is done around the line connecting the anchor points defined below.

You can choose between

horizontal and

inclined. Horizontal and inclined structural framing beams differ in the possible number of anchor points and how the heights of these points are linked to planes.

Note: Click here to find out how to change the construction method of an existing beam.

Click

to open the Relative height or Height dialog box. Which dialog box opens depends on the construction method selected.

You need the anchor points to create and rotate the beam and to define its height.

To correctly place an

inclined beam, you can define different positions of the anchor points relative to the cross-section at the start and end of the beam. To do this, select this option.

Define the position of the anchor point by selecting the reference point and entering the distances between these two points in the x-direction and y-direction. You can also choose to place the

Anchor point in center of gravity of the cross-section. After you have placed the beam, you can see the anchor points in construction-line color at the start and end of the beam.

Define how the beam ends. You can choose between perpendicular, horizontal, and vertical.

Here you can define an angle in the local x- and y-direction between the cross-sectional area and the perpendicular to the object axis at the start and end of the structural framing beam. The cross-sectional area is always rotated here by the anchor point.

If inclined cross-sectional areas arise when a girder is connected, or if inclined cross-sectional areas arise for inclined girders owing to the selected girder end, the corresponding angles will be entered automatically.

Note: If there are inclined girders with different anchoring points at the start and end, the parameter names are changed to Angle start x/y-direction and Angle end x/y-direction. You must therefore define the angle in the local x- and y-direction at the start of the structural framing beam in the first block, and then the respective angle at the end of the structural framing beam in the second block.

You can display the axis in construction-line color in the center of gravity of the cross-section.

You can assign a layer to the structural framing beam. Click Select... to open the Single layer selection dialog box. Select a layer. You can also choose to take the format properties from this layer.

Define the format properties of the structural framing beam. The properties in the Properties palette have no effect on the way the structural framing object looks.

The following attributes control how the beam looks in sections and in animation: To use an attribute, select its check box.

You can assign a surface to the structural framing beam or change the surface assigned. These surfaces are visible in viewports of the Animation view type.

To assign a hatching style, click the box next to Hatching and assign a style.
If a background color is to be applied to the hatching, click the box next to Fill and select a color.

To disable hatching, deactivate the Hatching check box.

To assign a pattern, click the box next to Pattern and select a style.
If a background color is to be applied to the pattern, click the box next to Fill and select a color.

To disable the pattern, disable the check box next to Pattern.

To assign a fill, click the box next to Fill and select a color.
In addition to a fill, you can also select a hatching style or pattern; the pattern is then used for thebackground color.

To disable the fill, deactivate the Fill check box.

To assign a bitmap area, click the box beside Bitmap area and select a file.

To disable the bitmap area, deactivate the Bitmap area check box.

To assign an area style, click the box beside Area style and select a style.

Area styles must already be defined.

To disable the area style, deactivate the Area style check box.

Click the Catalog button to open the Attributes for quality selection dialog box.
By selecting qualities and the catalog for each quality selected, you define the options that are available for selecting the Material / qualities for the structural framing beam.

The building trade assigned here is used later by the system to generate lists, schedules and analyze the building data.

To assign a building trade, click on an entry.

The computation mode has a bearing on subsequent lists and schedules.

You might, for instance, list elements differently depending on the computation mode set here i.e., show the area of walls more than 4’’ thick and show the volume of walls more than 10’’ thick.

To specify a computation mode, select one of the modes (volume, area, linear) listed in the dialog box.

Here you define the expression for the schema as well as the numerical value for the start number. These specifications are used to generate the mark number with the

positioning function. This is then displayed for information when you modify the structural framing beam. You can use the mark number as an attribute of the structural framing beam, e.g. for labeling.