The Weld Input window ( Drawing Editor )

Settings on this window are read-only if you are editing a weld symbol that is not on a comment layer and your current drawing is not a crane placement drawing . If your current drawing is a crane placement drawing, you can add or edit objects on non-comment layers as well as on comment layers. Instructions on this page assume you are NOT in a crane placement drawing.

Also see :

  • Weld symbol character height ( Fabricator > Detailing > Drawing Presentation > " Sizes " tab > )
  • Symbols font ( Fabricator > Detailing > Drawing Presentation > " Fonts " tab -- affects auto detailing)

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" Copy " " Paste " " Save " " Load " buttons

  • These buttons appear on this window only if the weld symbol (or weld symbols) you are editing are on a comment layer .
  • You'll find buttons like these at the top of this window and embedded in the border of individual sections on this window. At the top of this window, the buttons apply to all user-editable settings. Embedded in the border of the top of a section, the buttons apply to only those user-editable settings that are in that section. Click here for more information.
  • You can " Copy " ( ) the settings on this window, then change the " Weld__of " number you are editing using the VCR buttons, then " Paste " ( ) those settings to the newly selected weld symbol.
  • " Save " ( ) saves a file to a global folder ( ) that is used by your current version of this program. Give the file a name that will help users in other Jobs on your network identify its purpose. " Load " ( ) changes settings for that section to the settings that are stored in the file that you select.
button at...   folder it saves to   settings it saves
 top of this window  form/weld-sym all on this window
tail text weld-sym-tail tail text
  Arrow or Other side  form/weld-sym-side  all in that section
  • Tip : Right-click a " Load " button to get a list of recently created forms that can be applied to the section which that " Load " button governs. Selecting the name of a form from the list populates the fields in that section with the form settings that were saved under that name.
  • You can copy settings from the " Arrow side (bottom) " and load them to the " Other side (top) " or vice-versa.
  • " Paste " and " Load " replace mixed entries to a single field with a single entry. " Copy " and " Save " ignore fields with mixed entries, treating them as if they have no entry or do not exist.

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------ General settings ------

Symbol rotation: A positive or negative number of degrees from 180 to -180 that sets the rotation of the symbol with respect to horizontal.

An entry of ' 180 ' degrees does not flip the symbol from top to bottom (other side to arrow side).

' 0 ' (zero) degrees results in the symbol being horizontal (not rotated).

A ' positive number ' of degrees specifies counterclockwise rotation.

A ' negative (-) number ' of degrees specifies clockwise rotation.

Note: Objects > Weld Symbols > Weld Combo automatically sets a weld's " Symbol rotation " to' 0 ' when the weld symbol attaches to a pointer that points to the left. It sets the rotation to ' 180 ' when the pointer points to the right.

Character height: The height ( in millimeters ) of lettering that is to appear on the weld symbol (e.g. weld size, tail text, etc.). This is the actual height of the lettering as it will appear on printed details that have not been rescaled.

Setup: The default character height for automatically detailed weld symbols is the " Weld symbols character height " on the Drawing Presentation window. For weld symbols added using Add Weld or Weld Edit , the default is the last-added or last-edited weld symbol -- see " OK ."

Pen color: 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 or 7 . No button is pressed if you are editing multiple weld symbols that have different pen numbers.

The selected button sets the printing pen number (and on-screen display color) of the weld symbol. Line Weights sets the thickness of each " Pen color ."

For a TrueType font, the " Pen color " affects the display color of the text, but does not affect the plotted appearance of the " Font " so long as all pens in Line Weights are set to print in black. By default, all pens in Line Weights are set to print in black.

For the ' SDS2 ' Font, the pen color sets the stroke weight (thickness) of text characters. Line Weights assigns a particular thickness to each " Pen color ."

Attached to view: A number designating the view that this weld symbol is attached to. This applies mainly to member details , since member details are likely to show more views than submaterial details , the only other type of drawing on which you might find multiple views. For instance, a column detail may have a view of face A, face B and face C. It may also have various section views (Section A-A, Section B-B, Section C-C). All graphical objects that are in a particular view are assigned the same number.

Assigning the correct number to an object (line, weld symbol, label, etc.) provides maximum compatibility when the comment layer you add that object to is viewed or printed in a full-featured SDS2 program .

 

To show a view's number, you can add the X-Y-Z Display to your toolbar.

In the Drawing Editor , the X-Y-Z Display shows the view number that the point location target ( ) is over.

Layer: Any drawing layer (any layer given a " Name ") in your current drawing. This is the layer the weld symbol you are adding or editing will be drawn on after you press " OK " to close this window. If that layer happens to be a hidden (not " Shown ") layer, the weld symbol will disappear after the first Redraw .

If the layer listed here is a non-comment layer: Options on this window are read-only .

If this window is editable: You can only select a comment layer from the list box's selection menu ( ).

Defaults: For an Weld Add operation, the default selection ( ) will be a comment layer that is automatically created for you. Or, if you so choose, you can select a comment layer on the layer selection tool before you begin the add operation. For an Edit Weld Symbol operation, the default selection is the layer that the graphic object is currently on

Weld class Shop or Field .

Shop designates a shop weld that joins parts as submaterials of the same shipping member. The supplementary symbol for a field welding (a flag) wll not be drawn as part of the weld symbol.

Field draws the supplementary symbol for field welding (a flag) as part of the weld symbol.

Weld all around: or .

If this box is checked ( ) the supplementary symbol for weld all around (a circle) will be drawn as part of the weld symbol.

If the box is not checked ( ), the supplementary symbol for weld all around will not be drawn as part of the weld symbol.

Spacer bar: or . A space bar can be applied when ' V groove ' or ' Bevel groove ' is selected as the " Weld type ."

If this box is checked ( ), the supplementary symbol for a spacer bar ('M' inside a rectangle) will be drawn as a part of the weld symbol.

If the box is not checked ( ), the weld symbol will be drawn without a spacer bar symbol.

Stagger weld: or .

If this box is checked ( ), the weld symbol will be drawn to indicate that the welds are to be staggered on the arrow and other sides.

If the box is not checked ( ), the weld symbol will indicate a non-staggered weld.

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------ Prequalified weld settings ------

These settings let you enter " Prequalified tail text " by selecting a " Joint type " and/or " Penetration " and/or " Weld type " and/or " Joint designation " and/or " Process " and/or " Position ."

Use prequalified weld tail text: or .

If this box is checked ( ), the options for " Joint type " " Process " " Position " and " Joint designation " are enabled. You can use these options to enter " Prequalified tail text ."

If the box is not checked ( ), you cannot enter " Prequalified tail text ." You can, however, select a " Penetration ."

Prequalified tail text: You can type in the text yourself, or select a " Joint type " and/or " Process " and/or " Penetration " and/or " Weld type " and/or " Position " and/or " Joint designation ." See Table 8-2, AISC Thirteenth Edition , p. 8-34.

Order of prequalified tail text:
joint type - penetration   weld type   joint dsg - process - position
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: For a ' V groove ' (2 single; 3 double) ' Bevel groove ' (4 single; 5 double) ' U groove ' (6 single; 7 double) and ' J groove ' (8 single; 9 double), the number entered to the weld type position is different when the weld is single (arrow side only) or double (both arrow side and other side).

Making entries: If you manually type ' BTC ' as the " Prequalified tail text ," then ' BTC ' is selected as the " Joint type ." If you type ' - L ', then ' L ' is selected as the " Penetration ." If you manually type ' - - 1 ', then ' Square groove ' (arrow side) is selected as the " Weld type ." If you type ' F ', then ' F ' is selected as the " Process ."

Joint type: None or B or C or T or BC or TC or BTC . The selection made here is automatically entered to the appropriate position in the " Prequalified tail text " (above) and on the weld symbol. See Table 8-2, AISC Thirteenth Edition , p. 8-34.

Tail Text Joint Type
 B butt joint
 C corner joint 
 T T-joint
 BC butt or corner joint
 TC T or corner joint
 BTC butt, T- or corner joint

Penetration: None or L or U or P . The selection made here is automatically entered to the appropriate position in the " Prequalified tail text " (above) and on the weld symbol. See Table 8-2, AISC Thirteenth Edition , p. 8-34.

Tail Text Penetration
 L limited thickness, full penetration
 U unlimited thickness, full penetration
 P partial-penetration

Joint designation: The entry you make here ( 1 character ) is automatically entered to the appropriate position in the " Prequalified tail text " (above) and on the weld symbol. Table 8-2 on page 8-34 of the AISC Thirteenth Edition states, "The lower case letters (e.g. a, b, c, d, etc.) are used to differentiate between joints that would otherwise have the same joint designation."

Process: None or S or G or F . The selection made here is automatically entered to the appropriate position in the " Prequalified tail text " (above) and on the weld symbol. See Table 8-2, AISC Thirteenth Edition , p. 8-34.

Tail Text Process
 S submerged arc welding (SAW)
G gas metal arc welding (GMAW)
 F flux cored arc welding (FCAW)

Position: None or F or H or V or OH . The selection made here is automatically entered to the appropriate position in the " Prequalified tail text " (above) and on the weld symbol. See Table 8-2, AISC Thirteenth Edition , p. 8-34.

Tail Text Position
 F flat
 H horizontal
 V vertical
OH overhead

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------ Arrow side (bottom) ------ | ------ Other side (top) ------

Entries to " Arrow Side " draw the specification (symbol) below the weld symbol's reference line. Entries to " Other Side " draw the specification above the reference line. " Arrow side " refers to the side of the joint to which the arrow points.

Type: None or Fillet or Square groove or Bevel groove or V groove or J groove or U groove or Flare bevel groove or Flare V groove or Plug or Backing weld or Backing bar or Stud .

Size: A distance ( any units ) that designates the depth of preparation, size or strength for the weld. This distance will appear on the weld symbol (reference b/B in the illustration below). You can type in the weld size or select a weld size from the combo box menu. The eye button's state ( or or ) can be changed.

( show ) results in weld symbols for the weld(s) you are editing being drawn to show the weld " Size. " If you are editing a single weld or possibly muliple similar welds, the " Size " of that single weld is depicted on the preview drawing on this window.

( don't show ) hides the weld size.

( mixed ) indicates that you are editing multiple welds whose shown-hidden state is mixed . Changing the state of the button to or will apply that choice to all of the multiple welds that are being edited.

Also see: The eye button ( or ) for weld " Size " on the Edit Weld(s) window in Modeling sets whether or not a particular shop weld will have its weld size depicted on its weld symbol when that weld symbol is generated by Detail Members in a full-featured SDS2 program.

Length: A distance ( any units , up to 15 characters) that designates the length of the weld. The weld length entered here -- even an entry of ' 0 ' -- appears in the appropriate location on the weld symbol (reference c/C in the illustration bellow) when the eye button is set to show the entry.

The eye button may be set to ( show ) or ( don't show ) or ( mixed ). It affects how weld symbols are drawn.

( show ) results in weld symbols for the weld(s) you are editing being drawn to show the weld " Length ." If you are editing a single weld or possibly muliple similar welds, the " Length " of that single weld is depicted on preview drawing on this window.

( don't show ) hides the weld length.

( mixed ) indicates that you are editing multiple welds whose shown-hidden state is mixed . Clicking to change the state of the button to or will apply that choice to all of the multiple welds that are being edited.

Also see: The eye button ( or ) for weld " Length " on the Edit Weld(s) window in Modeling sets whether or not a particular shop weld will have its weld length depicted on its weld symbol when that weld symbol is generated by Detail Members .

Root face: A distance (in any units ) that defines the root face for groove welds. The root face is the portion of a prepared edge that is not beveled or grooved.

  rf = root face

Root opening: A distance (in any units , up to 7 characters) that designates the root opening, depth of fillet for plug and slot welds (reference d/D in the illustration below).

Groove angle: The number of degrees of the groove angle or included angle of countersink for plug welds (reference e/E in the illustration below).

Contour: None or Flush or Convex or Concave or Smooth toes .

' None ' results in no contour symbol being included as part of the weld symbol.

' Flush ' adds a flat line as the contour symbol to the weld symbol.

' Concave ' adds a concave line as the contour symbol to the weld symbol.

' Convex ' adds a convex line as the contour symbol to the weld symbol.

' Smooth toes ' adds a contour symbol that looks like two back-to-back J's. It serves as an instruction to the welder to perform weld toe grinding.

Effective throat: A distance (in the primary dimension " Units " or other units ). In a fillet weld, this is the distance from the root to the face of the weld. This distance is measured in the plane where the weld is most likely to fail. An " Effective throat " distance may be applied to weld symbols for other types of welds, not just fillet welds.

Finish symbol: A single letter to appear on the weld symbol to designate the finish (reference f/F in the illustration below).

Fillet backup weld: or . A backup weld can be applied when ' Square groove ' or ' Bevel groove ' or ' J groove ' or ' Flare J groove ' is selected as the " Weld type ."

If this box is checked ( ), the supplementary symbol for a reinforcing fillet will be drawn as part of the weld symbol.

If the box is not checked ( ), the weld symbol will be drawn without the reinforcing fillet symbol.

Size: The size of the Fillet backup weld. The size field activates when the " Fillet backup weld " box is checked ( ) . The size must be manually typed or pasted into the field. The size is shown on the Fillet backup weld symbol. Leave the field blank if you do not want the size annotation shown on the fillet backup weld symbol.

------ Arrow side stitch welds ------
(also see other side stitch welds )

Stitch weld: or . This sets whether or not the arrow side's stitch weld supplementary symbol appears as part of the weld symbol.

If this box is checked ( ), you can enter the " Length " and " Spacing " that will be shown in the supplementary symbol for the stitch weld.

If the box is not checked ( ), the weld symbol is drawn without the arrow side's stitch weld supplementary symbol, unless auto detailing includes it as part of the " Length ." You can still, however, show the stitch weld symbol on the other side by choosing ' Independent ' as the " Stitch " for the other side.

Length: A distance (in the primary dimension " Units " or other units ). This is the length that appears on the arrow side's stitch weld supplementary symbol before the "@" symbol.

Spacing: The distance (in the primary dimension " Units " or other units ) This is the spacing distance that appears on the arrow side's stitch weld supplementary symbol after the "@" symbol.

------ Stud settings ------
(apply when ' Stud ' is selected as the arrow side " Weld type ")

Size: The stud diameter (a distance in the primary dimension " Units " or other units ). This applies when ' Stud ' is selected as the arrow side " Weld type ."

Size = ' 1/2 '

Count: The number of studs (a positive, whole number). This applies when ' Stud ' is selected as the arrow side " Weld type ."

Count = ' 6 '

Pitch: The stud spacing (a distance in the primary dimension " Units " or other units ). This is also the midpoint-to-midpoint spacing between stud welds. It applies when ' Stud ' is selected as the arrow side " Weld type ."

Pitch = ' 7 '

------ Other side stitch welds ------
(also see arrow side stitch welds )

Stitch: None or Independent or Opposite or Offset .

' None '

' Independent '

' Opposite '

' Offset '

' None ' results in no supplementary symbol for stitch weld as part of the weld symbol.

' Independent ' lets you specify the "Length" and "Spacing" that you want to appear in the supplementary symbol for stitch weld for the other side.

' Opposite ' draws the stitch weld symbol on the other side that mirrors the supplementary symbol for stitch weld on the arrow side .

' Offset ' generates a stitch weld symbol on the other side that is staggered with respect to the supplementary symbol for stitch weld on the arrow side .

Length: Same as " Length " for the arrow side , except that this applies to the other side.

Spacing: Same as " Spacing " for the arrow side , except that this applies to the other side.

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Supplementary tail text: Blank or a string of characters . When your cursor is in the text-entry area, the Enter key creates a line break, resulting in multi-line tail text such as that shown in the example below. Special characters can be added as " Label text " using Latin 1 characters 0160 to 0255 -- hold down the Alt key and type in the number using your numerical keypad, or copy and paste from the Character Map that can be launched from your operating system's Accessories menu.

Tail text entered here :
Tail text on weld symbol :

If this field is left ' blank ', a tail is not drawn on the weld symbol.

If a ' character string ' is entered, a tail with that character string as the tail text is drawn on the weld symbol.

Font: Any font that is listed can be selected for the " Supplementary tail text " and " Weld size " and " Weld length " on the weld symbol.

Here are some of the TrueType fonts that you may have available on your computer. With these fonts, what you see in the Drawing Editor is what you will get on the printed drawing. For the ' SDS2 ' font, the printed thickness of the font is set by the " Pen color ."

Be sure to also choose the " Font style " that you want. The " Weld symbols character height " (in Drawing Presentation setup) sets the font size. If you select the ' SDS2 ' font, be aware that the " Pen color " affects the thickness of the font when it is plotted.

Font style: The style (' Bold ' or ' Bold Italic ' or ' Italic ' or ' Regular ') of the selected weld symbol " Font ." Different fonts may have different styles available to them.

Available font styles are listed alphabetically in the font style list box , and the first style that is listed for a particular font is the style that is selected by default. You may, instead of using the default, prefer to choose ' Regular ', which is generally the most popular style for a particular font. ' Regular ' is the only choice that is available for the ' SDS2 ' font. To adjust the stroke thickness of the ' SDS2 ' font, you can change the " Pen color ."

Characters per line of symbol tail text: The maximum length for a line of supplementary tail text measured by the number of characters. In a full-featured SDS2 program, the text will wrap to the next line when this length is exceeded. The default value is 20. This value must be greater than or equal to 10 and less than or equal to 50. A preview of the tail text is drawn on the " 2D symbol ".

Also see: Home > Project Settings > Fabricator > Detailing > Detailing Symbol Settings > " Maximum number of characters per line of weld tail text "

Keep layout of symbol tail text as shown:  or . This applies to " Supplementary tail text " in a full-featured SDS2 program.

If this box is checked ( ), it overrides the " Characters per line of symbol tail text " setting. The tail text on the weld symbol will appear as it does in the Supplementary tail text field instead of wrapping to the next line.

If the box is not checked ( ), the " Characters per line of symbol tail text " setting is applied to the Supplementary tail text.

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For Edit Weld Symbol operations on comment layers only :

Weld _ of __ ( not applicable to Weld Add or multiple edit ): The number of the one weld symbol you are editing and the total count of all weld symbols in your current drawing. You can use the VCR buttons to select a different weld symbol that is on a comment layer and edit that weld symbol's settings while still on this window. When a weld symbol on a shown layer is selected, it is displayed in green. The selected weld symbol must be on a shown layer for it to be shown.

VCR buttons (first-previous-next-last) for selecting a weld symbol to edit.

Note: If you change one weld symbol, then select a different weld symbol number, the first weld symbol remains changed even if you press " Cancel " on this window.

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To close this window :

Possibility #1 :
Press the " OK " button if this window is for review only
(if you are editing an weld symbol that is not on a comment layer ).

Possibility #2 :
If you are adding/editing a weld symbol on a comment layer ,
the bottom of this window will show the following buttons:

"OK" (or the Enter key) closes this window and completes the Weld Add or Weld Edit or Weld Combo operation.

Defaults: When you press " OK ," the settings on this window -- except mixed entries -- become the default settings for the next weld symbol you Add or Combo during this session of the Drawing Editor . Even if all you do is double-click a weld symbol that is on a comment layer and press " OK " without making any changes on this window, this window's settings become the defaults for the next-added weld symbol. The settings on this window do not become the defaults for new weld symbols if you press " Cancel " to close this window (unless you used the " Weld _ of __ " widget).

"Cancel" (or the Esc key or the button) closes this window without saving changes you have made. " Cancel " only cancels the changes made to the weld symbol whose number is currently selected in the " Weld _ of __ " widget.

Tip 1: Although " Cancel " does not cancel changes made to more than one weld symbol, Undo (after you have closed this window) does undo all changes made using this window.

Tip 2: If you double-click a weld symbol that is on a comment layer just to review it and don't want to set the defaults for to-be-added weld symbols, the best way to close this window is to press " Cancel. "

"Clear" resets all fields on this window to null values. For example, it sets " Weld type " to ' None ', blanks out the " Supplementary tail text " and sets " Symbol rotation " to ' 0 '.

Tip: If you press " Clear " and don't like the results, " Reset " brings back the original settings that were on this window when it was first opened.

"Reset" brings back the original settings that were on this window when it was first opened. If you changed the number selected in the " Weld _ of __ " widget, then it brings back the original settings for that number. The window remains open.

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