Steels
Steels tool allow to place steel profile in the scene 3D, with the possibility of managing different characteristics, such as choice of profile, automatic connections, final cuts, length calculation.
Components
This section is composed by three zone. The first icon is a drop down button that is used to select the type of steel profile. The second icons group is used to select the cut or interlock at the end. The last icons group is use to activate the attach point.
When editing a steel, a combo box appears to choose which other steels to apply the same change to:
- Only this Steel,
- All Steels in this Assembly,
- All Steels in the Scene.
Parameters
- Standard Name - Using this dialog box, the user can select the correct rule.
- Type - This combo box contains all the values related to the selected rule.
- Thickness - Using this combo box, the user could select the shell thickness related to the rule (only available for some elements).
- Material - Using this combo box, the user could select the code of the material related to the component.
- Length - In this text box the user can insert the value of the length of element, the icon at right (wand) allows to detect the size until the first element that intersects forward. Dec. - is the combo box that allows you to choose the precision for the inclusion of the measure.
- Model Type - a combo box to select the profile details: Detailed, Squared, Simplified (Squared Fill, for square and rectangular) the green arrow lets you choose how to give the feature: Only this Steel, to All Steels in this Assembly, or to All of the scene.
BOM Information
The bottom section of the dialog contains the items useful to set the information related to the component. The section is divided in two parts: BOM Information and Custom Information.
BOM Information section contains the same options of the other components, but there is this option more:
User Name Prefix - This check button controls the enable state of the text item placed on the right. If this button is checked, any string placed in the text item will be used as prefix of the User Name.
Part Number can also be generated using the Numbering tool
For a detailed explanation of the other items see BOM information
Status bar
The status bar reports the description of the selected standard rule. If you click on description Library Data Manager starts to modify the description and the rules to create the bill of materials. Close to it, on the right, there is a button that enable you to edit the geometric data file, launching the Library Data Manager - Geometry…
Steel Cut Settings
Steels components have a drop down section that enables you to set the properties of the cut end to the element. These are the items and the options available in this section:
- Start Section - This check is used to activate the cut into start, there are two options, the first is a combo box for select the orientation of the cut at step of 90°, the second is a text box for define the angle of inclination.
- End Section - This check is used to activate the cut at the end, there are two options, the first is a combo box for select the orientation of the cut at step of 90°, the second is a text box for define the angle of inclination.
Steels Interlock
The interlock cut allows you to create the profile cut for join two steels. There are two button, one for start cut and other for end, and a text box for insert the cut tolerance.
The interlock cut is available for only some steels (are ones shown in figure).
Only for angular steels the interlok icon has a switch to reverse the cut.
Create Attach Points
Steels components have a three buttons that enables you to set the attachment points of the steels associated to the other steels. In fact Steels can automatically create and associate start and end to any steels placed in the scene. These are the items and the options available in this section:
- First button - align the new element with the reference.
- Second button - align alongside the head of the reference.
- Third button - align over the head of reference.
By clicking on the buttons repeatedly, the element that is being placing, will rotate with respect to the four faces in the side or in the head.
Second bt - align alongside the head | Third bt - align over the head |
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Placement of Associated Steels
The Steels has some useful behaviors which improve your productivity. In fact when you drop the tool over an existing steels component, Steels automatically gets the existing parameters and associate the new component to the existing one. For example, if you drop the tool on the HE 100, the dialog box will propose you the same element with same dimension. Furthermore, if you activate Create Attach Points, the new steels will be connected to the end.
Steels along a 2D or 3D path
Automatically positions Steels along a 2D or 3D path, even with the ability to offset.
Before drop the command in the scene, select a 2D profile or a 3D curve, then select Place Along Selected Path, this creates as many steels as there are lines in the path and cuts off the ends at the bisector; you can also create a single sweep by selecting the Create Sweep option.
Edit of Steels length
You can change the length of the steels editing the component with a double click. Anyway if you select the IShape length of the component, you can change it dragging the handle in the desired position. Furthermore all the BOM Information, Part Name and Custom Data are updated.
The data structure behind Steels
Every component defined in the User Interface has behind him some data files which contain properties and parameters related to the component itself. These files are placed in the folder of the standard rule. The main files associated to the family of components are the followings: Profil.ini and steelname.uni or steelname.din
Every numbered section is related to an icon of the component in the User Interface, and every record contains these fields:
- DataFile -> File containing the data values useful to build the component
- Rule -> Name of the Standard Rule
- Description -> Description of the Standard Rule
- MaterialFile -> Data file containing the materials allowed for this kind of component
For example, this is the structure of a Profil.ini file
#Tabella Norma Descrizione estesa FileMateriale
[1]
539778.uni | UNI5397-78 | Travi HE ad ali larghe parallele | steel.dat
539878.uni | UNI5398-78 | Travi IPE ad ali strette parallele | steel.dat
[2]
567973.uni | UNI5679-73 | Travi IPN | steel.dat
721073.uni | UNI7210-73 | Travi IPN e profilati a U e UPN | steel.dat
[3]
568073.uni | UNI5680-73 | Travi UPN | steel.dat
eu54.uni | UNIEU54 | Piccoli profilati di acciaio a U laminati a caldo | steel.dat
...
...
As you can see, under each section it is possible to place several records. Every record refers to a particular rule.
The steelname.dat files, contain the fields of the standard values related to steels normative; the structure of the files are self-explaining.
The material data file contains all the materials available for the component. All the material files are stored in the folder Norme.