Save Assembly ( Modeling > z a )

Tool summary :

  • Saves materials you select into a file (an assembly) that you name. Bolts and welds can also be saved as part of the assembly.
  • The materials that make up an assembly do not have to be touching. Remember what view you are in when you begin this procedure. Also remember the reference point that you define. You will probably want to use a similar view when you later Add the assembly you are saving, and you may also want to Add the assembly onto a member of the same type and section size.
  • Once you have saved an assembly, you can Model > Assembly > Edit to open the Assembly Editor and make additional modifications to that assembly such as add new materials .
  • See (on this page):

Also see :

   Quick instructions (also see the detailed instructions ) :

Preselection versus in-tool selection: This example shows the saving of an assembly by first invoking Save Assembly , then using in-tool selection . This could have also been done by preselecting two angles and their welds in Select Items mode, then invoking Save Assembly , effectively reversing steps 1 and 2.

Bolts were not selected in this example since there was no need to select them -- matching holes and bolts are generated automatically during Create Solids if the assembly has holes that can be matched with the main material of the column. Warning : Matching holes and bolts are not generated in the main material of legacy miscellaneous members or miscellaneous members during Create Solids -- even when bolts are included in the assembly.

Tip: To perform a Save Assembly operation like the one illustrated below in the Assembly Editor , first select the members you want to save the assembly from, then choose Model > Assembly > New , then choose File > Save or File > Save As .
1 . Invoke Save Assembly .
2 . Select one or more materials, welds or bolts. In this example, left-click with the Shift key ( Select+ ) selects the second clip angle and the welds -- the bolts are not selected.
3 . Place the mouse pointer ( ) so that the point location target snaps to where you want the reference point, then left-click ( Locate ).
4 . Type in a name and press " OK " to save the assembly to a file with that name.

   Detailed instructions (also see the quick instructions ) :

The following instructions assume that you are using a 3-button mouse. You must do either step 1c (preselection) or step 3 (in-tool selection) to perform this operation.

1 . Before using this tool:

1a : Make sure that the to-be-saved materials, bolts and welds are displayed in one of the three solid forms . You should be in a plan view or an elevation view . You do not want to be in an isometric view. See the topic called tips for using assemblies .

1b (optional) : If you are doing preselection (step 1c), you may need to set the selection filter in order to select the items you want included in the assembly. This step is optional because preselection is optional.

Select Items bindings (step 1c)

1c (optional) : In Select Items mode with an appropriate selection filter selected, select the one or more materials and, optionally, bolts and/or welds that you want to include in the assembly. Selection can be done using Select or Select + or by drawing an area box . Use Select- if you want to deselect items.

2 . Invoke Save Assembly in Modeling using any one (1) of the following methods:

Method 1 : Click the Save Assembly icon, which is pictured above. The icon can be taken from the group named ' Model -- Assembly ' and placed on a toolbar (classic) or the ribbon (lightning).

Method 2 : If " Modeling layout style " is ' Classic ', you can use the menu system to choose Model > Assembly > Save .

Method 3, 4 or 5 : Save Assembly can also be configured to be invoked using a keyboard shortcut , the context menu , or a mode . For the lightning interface, this configuration is done using Customize Interface . The default keyboard shortcut for Save Assembly is z a .

3 . Skip this step if you already preselected material(s) in step 1c.

Select Item(s) bindings

3a (if you didn't preselect) : Save Assembly prompts you to use Select Item(s) mode bindings to select the materials and, optionally, bolts and/or welds that you want to include in the assembly. Be aware that you can, instead of selecting in the model, select by using the Model Tree . Press the Enter key (or choose " OK " on the context menu ) when you are done selecting items.

4 . The status line prompts, "Locate a reference point." Locate- Pan -Return mouse bindings become active along with various Locate options.

bindings

Alternative 1 : Select the Locate option that you want (if it's not selected already). Place the mouse pointer ( ) so the point location target snaps to where you want the reference point, then left-click ( Locate ). Go to step 5.

Alternative 2 : Right-click ( Return ) to cancel the Save Assembly operation and keep everything as it was before step 1. Do not continue.

Tip: Remember the placement of this reference point. You will want to locate this point again when you Add this assembly. The EXPT of a member is often an excellent reference point.

5 . The Name Required dialog opens. On it is the following entry field:

Assembly name: The file name (up to 61 characters) of the assembly you selected in the previous steps. You need to know this name when you Add this assembly.

Alternative 1 : Type in the name of the assembly (example: k_guss_to_w_bm ), then press " OK " to have Save Assembly save the assembly. Go to step 7.

Alternative 2 : Press " Cancel " to end the Save Assembly operation and keep everything as it was before step 1. Do not continue.

6 . The assembly is now saved under the name you entered in the previous step.

Tip: In Modeling , you can place this assembly onto other members using Add Assembly .