Area
- Last UpdatedMar 09, 2026
- 4 minute read
Calculates the surface area for any part of the model.
Add Elements
Add Elements has the following drop-down menu options:
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Current Element |
Adds the current element. |
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Element Members |
Adds all members of the current element individually. |
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Members with Tubing |
Adds all members plus the tubing elements also. |
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Current Collection |
Adds all elements as listed in Collections. |
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Graphical Pick |
You are prompted to graphically pick elements in the 3D view. |
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Graphical Selection |
Using the standard graphical select mechanism, this option adds all currently selected elements. |
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Within Area |
Prompts you to graphically pick an area then adds all elements within that area to the Selected Elements grid. |
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Within Volume of CE |
Everything enclosed within the specified/selected area/zone. |
Named Element
A known element can be typed in the Named Element box and applied to the Selected Elements grid by clicking Add.
Selected Elements
The Selected Elements grid is a multi select list of elements. Right-click on a selection to display a pop-up menu with the following options:
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Remove Selected Element(s) |
Removes all selected rows from the grid. Recalculation is necessary. |
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Remove All Elements |
Remove everything from the grid. |
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Enhance in 3D View |
Highlights in color the selected element. |
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Unenhance in 3D View |
Unhighlights the selected element. |
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Navigate to |
It is a toggle, which when ON navigates to the selected element in the explorer, making it the new current element. |
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Export to Excel |
Allows you to save the grid data in an excel file. The file is automatically named using the time and date with relevant text Volume/Surface/Weight. saved in the AVEVA_DESIGN_USER folder. |
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Print Preview |
Allows you to preview and print the calculated data. |
Settings
The lower part of the windows has options for specific Mass Property settings. The main settings determine if the calculations are to consider negatives (holes/cut-outs):
Negatives
The following options are available from the Negatives drop-down list:
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Consider (Net) |
Considers all holes when calculating the mass property. |
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Ignore (Gross) |
Ignores all holes when calculating the mass property. |
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Ignore (Rough) |
Ignores all holes when calculating the mass property. The specific meaning of ‘rough’ as opposed the ‘gross’ is that rough is a quicker calculation. It is sometimes useful for large amounts of data or components with complex shapes. |
A good example of choosing to use Consider(Net) or Ignore(Gross) is a steel plate panel with a hole, where a ‘net’ calculation gives the finished weight; but a ‘gross’ calculation gives the weight of the panel before the hole is cut.
Surface of
Element Only verses Element plus members.
The Surface of is mainly to allow reporting of elements that may have geometry, and own other elements that also have geometry. A good example is a steel section (SCTN) that owns a fitting (FITT).
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Element only |
Considers the geometry of the element only |
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All Members |
considers the element plus the geometry of all of the element members |
for example:
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Weight of SCTN only = 1000kg
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Weight of SCTN + FITT = 1057kg
Representation Level
When calculating any Mass Property, the system uses the Representation Mass value, input in the representation level field. Representation Mass is similar to other representation settings for different drawing levels of detail of a pipe component or equipment. For example, a very simple shape at say level 1 for a quick calculation of surface area rather than a very complicated set of detailed shapes that would mean a very complex (hence slower) calculation of the surface.
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Apply Representation Rule Set |
Units
Both metric and imperial units can be selected from the pull-down menu in Volume and Surface windows.
Within Area
It is possible to calculate the Mass property of each element in the Selected Elements grid:
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Volume/Surface inside
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Volume/Surface outside
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Free Volume inside (Volume window only)
If this option is to be used, then selecting the check box makes the gadgets active for input, or picking, of an ‘Area Definition’ AREADE such as a room; then specifically ‘inside’ or ‘outside’. It is possible to calculate the weight of all the elements within an area (AREADE) by adding the elements within an area to the list of elements to be processed then performing the calculation on only these elements.
Each option allows for setting and refreshing of the representation level to be used in the Mass Property calculation.
Calculate
To calculate any of the settings entered click Apply.