Creating and Connecting Panels
- Last UpdatedNov 19, 2025
- 3 minute read
Creating a Panel
A Panel (PANE) element represents any sheet material used to clad a structural model. The geometry of a Panel is defined by a subsidiary Panel Loop (PLOO) element. The 2D shape of the Panel Loop is defined by linking together a set of Panel Vertex (PAVE) elements, each of which has a specific position in the Panel’s coordinate system. The polygon thus formed defines the shape of the Panel in the same way that a Profile defines the cross-sectional area of a Section. The Height (HEIG) attribute of the PLOO defines the distance through which this 2D shape is extruded to form the 3D Panel; that is, it defines the Panel thickness, thus:
Each PAVE can have an optional fillet radius which defines a circular arc which bulges into (negative radius) or out of (positive radius) the PLOO area. The default fillet radius of zero denotes a point.
To define a new Panel, you must, therefore, first create a PANE element (using NEW PANE ), then create a PLOO below it in the hierarchy, and then create and position as many member PAVEs as necessary to define the shape of the PLOO and thus the PANE. (The Z co-ordinates of the PAVEs are ignored; they are constrained to lie in the plane of the PLOO.)
Connecting Panels
Linear joints are used to connect structural items along edges or faces. They effectively have linear (2D) connectivity, whereas Primary and Secondary Joints have only point (1D) connectivity (even though they have 3D geometry).
A Panel Linear Joint (PALJ), owned by a PANE, FRMW or SBFR, is used to connect two Panels together. The start and end of the PALJ are defined by two Panel Vertex (PAVE) points. Logical connections from the attached Panel are made by setting Master Vertex (MVERT) attributes of two of the Panel’s PAVEs to point to the corresponding PAVEs on the linear joint, thus:
In this example, PANE1 is the Owning Panel and PANE2 is the Attached Panel.
A Section Linear Joint (SELJ), owned by a Section, is used to connect a Panel to a Section. The start and end of the SELJ are defined by two Section Vertex (SEVE) points. Logical connections from the attached Panel are made by setting Master Vertex (MVERT) attributes of two of the Panel’s PAVEs to point to the corresponding SEVE’s on the linear joint, thus:
