Add Miscellaneous Member ( F2 > Member Type Selection > Miscellaneous - xxx )

  • User and Site Options > Site > " Show legacy miscellaneous member in member add screen " gets you additional legacy miscellaneous members that you can select.
  • What is a legacy miscellaneous member? A material bolt, assembly, turned solid element, turned shell element, reference member, reference profile layout, library part, extruded profile or part library fastener is a legacy miscellaneous member. This means that when you double-click one of them with ' Default ' selected as the selection filter, the [Legacy] Miscellaneous Member Edit window opens. The other miscellaneous members (click here for the complete list) are custom members.
  • An Add Miscellaneous Member operation may be performed in Modeling to add material to the model as a stand-alone member that is assigned a member piecemark . At least two work points are required to designate the longitudinal axis of a miscellaneous member.
  • For legacy miscellaneous members such as material bolts or library parts, you can locate both work points at the same location to designate that the material be displayed as a cross-section in your current view.
  • The two work points also define the length of the member's member line as displayed in stick form.
  • An unique member number [num] is assigned as each new member is added.
  • A miscellaneous member, including an Assembly that is a single material which is added as a miscellaneous member, will have its material marked as the " Main member material ."
  • See the step-by-step instructions .

Also see :

page 1 | contents | model > member > add > miscellaneous - xxx

   Step-by-step instructions :

The following instructions assume that you are using a 3-button mouse.

1 . Before using this tool:

1a (optional) : Home > Project Settings > Fabricator > Piecemarking > Member Descriptions > the " Default Descriptions " tab > " Miscellaneous Members " provides a list of descriptions that can be applied to miscellaneous members.

1b : The main view of a material bolt, assembly, turned solid element, turned shell element, reference member, reference profile layout, library part, extruded profile or part library fastener (on its detail and in isolation ) directly depends on the view in which the member is added. For this reason, it is important that you begin the Add Miscellaneous Member operation in a suitable view.

1c : Lay out grid lines or construction lines so that there are intersection points where you want the work points of the miscellaneous member.

2 . Invoke Add Miscellaneous Member using any one (1) of the following methods:

Method 1 : Choose Model > Member > Add > Miscellaneous - xxx (where xxx = rolled section or etc.) Go to step 4.

Method 2 : On your toolbar, click the Add Miscellaneous Member icon, which is pictured above. Go to step 3.

Method 3 : Use a keyboard shortcut (if one has been set up). Go to step 3.

Method 4 : With Member Mode mouse bindings active, middle-click ( Add ). On the selection dialog that appears, double-click " Miscellaneous Member. "

3 . The Material Type Selection window opens. On it is a listing of the types of material that you can add.

3a : To list the material type(s) that you want, filter the selection list for "   Hot / Cold Rolled " and/or "   Plate / Bar " and/or "   Concrete / Rebar " and/or "   Other ."

3b : Double-click the type of material you want.

4 . Locate - Pan - Return mouse bindings become active for most material types. Locate options also become active.

mouse bindings

4a : Select a Locate icon (e.g. INCL ) and place the mouse pointer ( ) on screen so that the point location target ( ) snaps to where you want the first work point of the miscellaneous member, then left-click ( Locate ).

4b : The status line prompts, "Locate second point:" Position the point location target ( ) where you want the miscellaneous member's second work point, then left-click ( Locate ). For miscellaneous member types other than " Flat plate layout " or " Bent plate layout ," go to step 5. For " Flat plate layout " or " Bent plate layout ," continue to locate points, then middle-click ( Complete ) when you are ready to go to step 5.

Note: For most miscellaneous members, locating two points at different locations defines the length of the miscellaneous member; locating two points at the same location inputs the material as a cross section in a plan view. Laying out two points from left to right results in a different orientation than laying them out from right to left. For an Assembly , the two work points set how the miscellaneous member is displayed in stick form.

5 . An edit window opens. On it are specifications for the type of material you selected in step 3 ( Exception: for an Assembly ignore this step, select the name of the assembly you want, locate the assembly's insertion point, then go to step 6).

5a : Change the material's specifications as needed. For a rolled section ( W , S , L , C , HSS round , HSS rectangular , WT , ST ), be sure to enter the " Section size " that you want. For some types of miscellaneous members (rectangular plate, bent plate, round plate), you can change the " Thickness reference point " of the member and thus change its elevation. For other types of miscellaneous members (rolled sections, round bar, square bar and flat bar), you can choose whether or not you want the miscellaneous member to be " Centered ."

5b : Under the heading " Miscellaneous Member Settings ," specify the " Member sequence " and " Member description " that you want. Note that you can double-click the member at a later time to change these specifications. To revise other specifications on this window, you can do a Edit Material .

5c : After you have finished specification entry for the miscellaneous member, press the " OK " button at the bottom of the window. Go to step 6.

6 . Skip this step if the member is a miscellaneous member other than a material bolt, assembly, turned solid element, turned shell element, reference member, reference profile layout, library part, extruded profile or part library fastener -- for those members, the Rotate Material window opens. The material origin symbol (cross hairs within a circle) identifies the pivot point on the material around which subsequent rotation of the material can optionally take place. The axes that you rotate the material around are by default be the " Member " axes ( exception: for an Assembly , rotation is by default done with respect to screen axes). Do one (1) of the following:

Alternative 1 : If the material does not need to be rotated, press the " OK " button. Go to step 7.

Alternative 2 : Rotate the material around a particular axis (changing the " Increment " as needed), then press " OK " when the rotation is what you want it to be.

Alternative 3 : Press the " Cancel " button to undo the last two steps of this Add Miscellaneous Member operation. Go to step 4.

7 . Locate - Pan - Return mouse bindings become active for most material types.

mouse bindings

Alternative 1 : Follow these instructions beginning with step 4 to add another miscellaneous member of the same material type.

Alternative 2 : Right-click ( Return ) if you are done adding miscellaneous members.

Note: Legacy miscellaneous members are assigned piecemarks and generated in a solids form on the fly as they are added. There is no need to Process and Create Solids after you add such a member. On the other hand, a miscellaneous member that is a processable custom member requires Process and Create Solids for the member to be displayed in a solids form. Setting User and Site Options > Modeling > " Process after modeling operation " to ' Process and Create Solids ' causes these custom miscellaneous members to also be automatically displayed in a solids form as they are added.

Tip: To get a preview of how a miscellaneous member you add will appear on details, view it in member isolation .

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