Creating and Connecting Sections Automatically

Keywords

STRING FROM TO

Description

The STRING command is a very powerful multi-functional tool which performs the following operations automatically:

• A Section (SCTN) element is created, running between two named Nodes. The Node positions are used to set the Section’s Start Position (POSS) and End Position (POSE) attributes. The order of occurrence of the named Nodes in the STRING command line is used to set the Start Direction (DRNS) and End Direction (DRNE) attributes (on the basis that the Section is strung FROM start TO end).

• Joint elements (PJOI or SJOI) are created at each Node and are orientated so as to be compatible with the new Section. Thus, both the Origin Plane Direction (OPDI) attribute and the normal to the Cutting Plane (as defined by the CUTP attribute) of each PJOI will be the same as the DRNS/DRNE attribute of the Section.

• The Section-to-Joint cross-references (JOIS/JOIE for the Section; CREF for the Joints) are set so that they are self-consistent.

Thus the STRING command creates all new elements required to position the physical Section within the structural design model. It leaves the user at the new Section (SCTN) level within the hierarchy.

Note:
The presence of a Section is shown on the Model graphical display as a centerline-only representation (broken line) at this stage. The Section has no physical form, other than a derived length (related to the inter-Node separation), until its cross-section has been defined by setting a reference to a Catalog Profile element.

Command Syntax

>-- STRIng -+- name -.
            |        |
            ‘--------+- word -.
                     |        |
                     ‘--------+- FRom -  <gid> - TO -  <gid> -.
                              |                               |
                              ‘- TO -  <gid> - FRom -  <gid> -+-->