Profile

A structural profile is a 2D cross-sectional shape defined by a series of vertex elements placed at each change in direction of the shape.

The shape must have a minimum of three vertices. Each vertex is defined with the following attributes

When defining the vertices the following practices should be observed to make sure the correct results are achieved:

• Vertex numbering should maintain rotational order, either clock wise or anti-clockwise.

• Lines between vertices should not self intersect or cross each other.

When creating an enclosed shape consider using two touching SPRO components to simplify the shape.

Profiles require a Geometry Set, a Pline Set, a Data Set and a Specification to function correctly. The profiles are usually defined parametrically such that a single definition may be used for a wide variety of similar shaped profiles with different dimensions.

All structural profiles have a Generic Type set via the GTYPE attribute of the SPRF element. A Gtype is an abbreviated description (a maximum of four letters) that refers to a generic shape of a profile, for example a BEAM, TUBE, ANG and so on.

There are a number of reserved GTYPES as listed below:

The reserved Gtypes are held in the file %AVEVA_DESIGN_DFLTS%UI-GTYPE-SELEM. This is a read only file. If new Gtypes are required then the read only attribute must be removed from the file and then use the to edit the list.