Placing Sections

After drawing any of these frames as needed you need to draw the rest of the structure by placing individual members. The Autodesk®

Advance Steel software has an extensive library of standard sections of all types from all over the world. You can select the required section from a list.

Straight Beam

For a straight beam the method is the same no matter what section type you want to create, but there are different icons for each generic family of sections.

 Select the required family of sections in the Home tab >

Objects panel, expanding the Rolled I Section drop-down list.

Figure 7-5

 Please locate start point of system axis: Select a start point for the beam.

When drawing beams it is recommended that you use object snaps at logical design points and have the system lines meet each other.

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 Please locate end point of system axis: Select an end point for the beam.

 A straight beam is drawn between the two points and the Beam Properties dialog box opens.

Continuous Beam

The Continuous Beam Command allows you to create linked beams continuously. The command stops if you press the <Esc> or <Enter> keys or if you click the right button on your mouse.

 In the Objects tab > Beams panel, click (Continuous Beam).

Figure 7-5

The beam and column creation commands allow you to create multiple sections without being interrupted by the properties dialog after creating each object. The commands continue until you press the <Esc> or <Enter> keys or click the right button on your mouse

When you finish the command, a dialog appears, showing the common properties for the sections created in the last instance of the command. Changes made in the properties dialog apply to all sections created in the current command instance.

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Curved Beams

A curved beam of any section can be placed as follows:

 In the Home tab > Objects panel, click (Curved Beam).  Start point: Select a point for one end of the beam.

 End point: Select a point for the other end of the beam.  Circle point: Select a point between the other two points for

the beam to go through.

The beam is created in the last section type used. The Beam Properties dialog box opens enabling you to select the section and other required properties. An additional Radius option is located in the Positioning tab.

Curved beams display as faceted on the model, but are always recognized as true curved beams in the drawings. This display is for performance purposes.

Beam from Line

If you need to create many beams, you might find it convenient to lay out all of the beam paths with ordinary AutoCAD elements and then convert them into beams. Any AutoCAD Line, Arc, or Polyline can be converted into a beam.

 In the Home tab > Objects panel, click (Beam from line).  Please select lines/arcs: Use normal AutoCAD techniques to

select as many arcs, lines, and polylines as required, and then accept.

 Delete selected objects [Yes/No]? <N>: If you want to keep your construction lines, enter N for No, otherwise enter Y for

Yes.

The selected elements are all converted into individual beams with the same properties. If you selected polylines, each segment of the polyline is an independent beam (compare this with Beam from

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Beam from Polyline

If you want to model a beam that has been bent into a shape (other than a simple arc) you need to use the Beam, polyline command.

 In the Home tab > Objects panel, click (Beam, polyline).  Please specify start point or select [Polyline(s)]: Select the

Polyline option.

 Please select one or more 2D or 3D polyline(s) to transform

into beam(s): Select the polyline(s) that you want to convert.

 Delete selected objects [Yes/No]? <Y>: If you want to keep your construction lines, enter N for No, otherwise enter Y for

Yes.

Each polyline is converted into a continuous bent beam made from one piece.

Compound Beams and Welded Beams

The Home tab > Objects panel contains two additional drop-down lists: Welded Beams and Compound Beams.

Figure 7-6

These create common configurations of beams that are created using flats (welded beams) or sections (compound beams), and welded together to form new profiles. These work like normal Straight beams with a slight change in the Properties dialog box. The

Compound Beam Class and Compound Beam Type options in the Sections & Material tab enable you to select the required

configuration of members. The Sections tab is used to set the type and size of each individual member. Although made from several members these beams are treated as a single object as opposed to modeling several individual members with the straight beam commands.

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Cold Rolled Sections

A large range of sections from specific cold rolled suppliers are also available. These are located in the Slide-out in the Objects tab >

Beams panel.

Figure 7-7

Each icon pre-selects the stated manufacturer, but the rest of the functionality is the same as any other straight beam.

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