by John Flanagan
Steel Connections Tab – Fabrication Elements
Click the Steel Tab on the Ribbon to access the Steel Connection, Fabrication Elements, Modifiers and Parametric Cuts panels. In this blog we will concentrate mainly on the Steel Fabrication Elements.
Structural Connection: Add a structural connection to structural elements.
The Plate Tool: Create a structural plate in the building model.
To draw the shape of the plate, use the sketch tools on the current work plane, in 3D or plan views.
Steel plate to reinforce the structural connection between the column and beam.
The Bolts Tool: Inserts bolts and the related holes in the selected model elements.
To draw the shape of the bolt pattern, use the available sketch tools on the current work plane, in 3D or plan views.
The bolts are created perpendicular to the selected face of the element, in the current work plane and view, according to the sketched contour.
The drop-down on the bolts icon gives us the option to place several structural elements defined by a work plane.
The Welds Tool: Add welds to establish a connection between steel structural elements.
To place a weld:
- Click Steel tab Fabrication Elements panel (Welds).
- In the drawing area, select the steel elements to connect.
Note: Use Ctrl + click to select multiple elements.
- Press Enter.
- Pick one of the available edges of the elements to connect to place the weld. When you
hover your cursor over elements, available edges to receive the weld highlight.
The weld is represented in the view as a cross symbol that can be used to add tags for documentation.
Remember that steel fabrication elements only appear at a fine level of detail.