Erector Order

Assigns a value to the Order of Erection member custom property.
The list of members and their erection order can be exported as a report to a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet file (.xlsx).
This tool must be downloaded from SDS2 Toolbox and installed in order to use it.
  • General Overview
  • Step-By-Step
  • Display Labels
  • Tips and Tricks
  • Related Tools

General

Prefix: The string character(s) (letters, numbers, symbols, and spaces) entered here are assigned as a prefix to the Erection Order value of a member when it is added to Erector Order.

When Use is checked ( ), this field can be edited and its value will be applied when a member is added to Erector Order.

When Use is not checked (  ), this field is read-only and its value will not be applied.

Beginning Order of Erection: The numerical value entered here is the next number assigned to a member when it is added to Erector Order. The value entered here will automatically increment to the next available value as members are added to Erector Order.

Suffix: The string character(s) (letters, numbers, symbols, and spaces) entered here are assigned as a suffix to the Erection Order value of a member when it is added to Erector Order.

When Use is checked (  ), this field can be edited and its value will be applied when a member is added to Erector Order.

When Use is not checked (  ), this field is read-only and its value will not be applied.

Simulation Speed: Std, 2x Faster, 3x Faster, 4x Faster, 2x Slower, 3x Slower, 4x Slower, or No Delay. The option selected here controls the speed of the erection order simulation that takes place when the Simulate button is pressed.

Erector Data

Search: This searches the member data that has been added to Erector Order.

Note 1: A tooltip appears with examples of search instructions when you hover the mouse cursor over the search field. The Field Names are Erection Order, Piecemark, Description, Weight, Sequence, Nearest Grid Intersection, Elevation, Member Number, Zone.


Search Examples you can copy/paste:
Member Number = 1
Member Number = [1, 2]
Member Number = 1 ; Erection Order = 1
Member Number = [1, 2] ; Piecemark = J_21

Note 2: In order to perform a new search after performing one search, the search field must be reset. To reset the search field:

Step 1. Remove all contents from the search field.

Step 2. Click the Search button.

Erection Order: The value that was assigned to the Order of Erection member custom property when the member was added to Erector Order. By default, this value is based on what was set for Beginning Order of Erection, Prefix, and Suffix at the time the member was added to Erector Order.

Tip 1: You can manually change the value in this field by typing any string character (letters, numbers, symbols, and spaces) into the field. To manually change this value:

Step 1. Type in the new value in one of the fields.

Step 2. Press the Tab key or click a different Erection Order field. Save Changes and Reset Changes buttons appear.

Step 3. When you are done making changes to the different Erection Order fields, click the Save Changes button to keep the new value, or click the Reset Changes button to cancel the changes.

Tip 2: Clicking inside of each field zooms-to-fit and selects the member in the model, which highlights it using the color set for Primary selection surface (Home > Utilities > User and Site Options > Modeling).

Piecemark: The piecemark of the members that have been added to Erector Order.

Description: The member type of the members that have been added to Erector Order (e.g., Beam, Column, Vertical Brace, etc.).

Weight(units): The combined total weight of the member's main member material, attached submaterials, and attached bolts.

Sequence: The sequence of the members that have been added to Erector Order.

Nearest Grid Intersection: The nearest intersection of grid lines where a member's end is located. Preference is given to the grid intersection at a member's left end when a grid intersection is also near a member's right end.

Elevation: The elevation of the members that have been added to Erector Order. For columns and sloping members, the lowest elevation is displayed.

Additional columns that are disabled by default: (See Erector Order Setup window)

Member Number: The member number of the members that have been added to Erector Order.

Zone: The zone of the members that have been added to Erector Order.

Buttons

Simulate: Pressing this button simulates the erection of each member in the order of the member's Erection Order value.

Add: Pressing this button allows you to select members in the model and add them to Erector Order. The order in which you select the members determines the incrementation of the Erection Order value.

Remove: Pressing this button allows you to select members in the model which have already been added to Erector Order and remove them from Erector Order.

ReOrder: Pressing this button allows you to quickly unify the order of the Erection Order values for multiple members. If the table shows ten members with Erection Order values 1-5 for the first five members and 31-35 for the last five members, pressing the ReOrder button will change the values of the last five members to 6-10.

Note: This option only works when the Erection Order value is numerical data. It does not work if a Prefix or a Suffix has been applied, or if any string character has been manually added to the Erection Order value.

Create Excel Report: Pressing this button exports a report to a Microsoft Excel file (.xlsx). The Excel file is located at the file path set for Save Excel File As and opens automatically if Open Excel file after run is checked ( ).

Cancel: Pressing this button closes the Erector Order window.

Copy, Paste, Save, Load buttons:

  • The position of these "form" buttons on the window tells you what settings they apply to. Click here for more information.
  • You can Copy ( ) the settings on this window, then Paste ( ) those settings to a different edit window of the same type.
  • Save ( ) saves a file to a global folder ( ) that is used by your current version of SDS2. Give the file a name that will help other users identify its purpose. Load ( ) replaces the settings on this window (except Piecemark) with the settings that are stored in the file that you select.
  • When editing multiple windows at the same time, 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.

Excel reports

Save Excel File As: A file path. The file path and name of the XLSX file to be output. Type in the file path and name or press the Browse... button to set them.

Open Excel file after run:  or .

If this box is checked ( ), the XLSX file will open in your locally installed version of Microsoft Excel when you press Create Excel Report.

If this box is not checked (  ), the XLSX file will not open when you press Create Excel Report.

Page Layout

Left/Right/Top/Bottom margin: A distance in inches. This sets the distance from the edges of the page to the contents of the report. These options should not be confused with the header/footer margins.

LM = Left margin
RM = Right margin
TM = Top margin
BM = Bottom margin

Repeat column headers: or .

If this box is checked ( ), column headers are shown on the first page and on each subsequent page.

If this box is not checked (  ), column headers are shown on the first page only.

Repeat column headers
Repeat column headers

Enable filtering: or .

If this box is checked ( ), sorting filters are applied to each column.

If this box is not checked (  ), sorting filters are not applied to each column.

Enable filtering
Enable filtering

No cell borders: or .

If this box is checked ( ), cell gridlines are not visible. This is not to be confused with cell borders in Microsoft Excel.

If this box is not checked (  ), cell gridlines are visible.

No cell borders
No cell borders

Alternate fill:  or .

If this box is checked ( ), the First and Second alternate fill color settings appear in the window and background shading with the First... and Second alternate color is applied to every other row.

First alternate fill color: The color that you want applied to the background of alternate rows of cells after the title, starting with the first row. The button displays the selection that you make when you press it and pick a color on the Color window.

Second alternate fill color: The color that you want applied to the background of alternate rows of cells after the title, starting with the second row. This option is available when Alternate fill is checked ( ). The button displays the selection that you make when you press it and pick a color on the Color window.

If this box is not checked (  ), no background shading is applied to the rows of cells and the First and Second alternate fill color settings do not appear in the window.

Alternate fill
Alternate fill

Paper size: 8 1/2 x 11 or 11 x 17 or D size sheet etc. This is the size of each page of the report.

Paper orientation:  Portrait or Landscape. This option orients each page of the report.

Portrait
Landscape

Center horizontally: or .

If this box is checked ( ), the table will be centered horizontally between the page's left and right margins.

If this box is not checked (  ), the table on each page will be aligned against the left margin.

Center horizontally
Center horizontally

Center Vertically: or .

If this box is checked ( ), the table will be centered vertically between the page's top and bottom margins.

If this box is not checked (  ), the table on each page will be aligned against the top margin.

Center vertically
Center vertically

Column Title(s)

The title of the report is placed at the top of the table.
Column headers are placed at the top of each column below the title.
The title and column headers are affected by Column Title options.

Column title font type: A font that is installed on your workstation.

Column title font size: A size in points (typography).

Column title font color: A color. This changes the color of the text.

Column title text align: Center or Left or Right. This sets the alignment of the text.

Bold: or .

If this box is checked ( ), the text is shown with a bold font weight.

If this box is not checked (  ), the text is shown with a regular font weight.

Italic: or .

If this box is checked ( ), the text is shown with an italic font style.

If this box is not checked (  ), the text is shown with an regular font style.

Underline:  or .

If this box is checked ( ), the text is underlined.

If this box is not checked (  ), the text is not underlined.

Body Text

Body text is placed within the margins beneath the column headings.

Body font type: A font that is installed on your workstation.

Body font size: A size in points (typography).

Body font color: A color. This changes the color of the text.

Body text align: Center or Left or Right. This sets the alignment of the text.

Bold: or .

If this box is checked ( ), the text is shown with a bold font weight.

If this box is not checked (  ), the text is shown with a regular font weight.

Italic: or .

If this box is checked ( ), the text is shown with an italic font style.

If this box is not checked (  ), the text is shown with a regular font style.

Underline: or .

If this box is checked ( ), the text is underlined.

If this box is not checked (  ), the text is not underlined.

Print Header/Footer

Headers appear at the top of each page. Footers appear at the bottom of each page.

Left/Center/Right header/footer:  Text or Image

Choose Text when you want the header/footer to contain text only.

Choose Image when you want to use an image instead of text.

Note: The left footer is read-only by default and cannot be changed.

Image file: A file path. The location of an image file (GIF, JPEG, PNG, etc.). Type in the file path and name or press the Browse... button to set them. This option appears in the window when Image is chosen.

User header/footer information:  or . This option is available when Text is selected.

If this box is checked ( ), the text that you enter into the text field is added to the header/footer of each page.

If this box is not checked (  ), the text field becomes read-only and is either blank or populated with default information.

Header/Footer margin: A distance in inches. This determines the distance from the top of the page to the top of the header and from the bottom of the page to the bottom of the footer.

Header/Footer font type: A font that is installed on your workstation.

Header/Footer font size: A size in points (typography).

Header/Footer font color: A color. This changes the color of the text.

Bold: or .

If this box is checked ( ), the text is shown with a bold font weight.

If this box is not checked (  ), the text is shown with a regular font weight.

Italic: or .

If this box is checked ( ), the text is shown with an italic font style.

If this box is not checked (  ), the text is shown with a regular font style.

Underline:  or .

If this box is checked ( ), the text is underlined.

If this box is not checked (  ), the text is not underlined.

1 . Click Erector Order icon, which is pictured above. The icon can be found on the Toolbox page.

Alternative: Invoke Erector Order using the Find Tool by searching the command name and clicking the icon, which is pictured above.

2 . The Erector Order window appears. When you are done adjusting settings, click the Add button to add members to Erector Order.

2a . The Erector Order window disappears so you can select members in the model. Left-click on a member to add an Erection Order value to it. The order in which you select members determines the value of their Erection Order. The value increases with each member that you select.

Note: You can also left-click on a member to remove its Erection Order value at this stage.

Alternative: Press the Esc key or right-click and select Cancel to end the Add command. The window reappears.

2b . When you are done adding members, press the Enter key or right-click and select OK.

Alternative: Press the Esc key or right-click and select Cancel to close the window and end the command.

3 . The window reappears and is now populated with data for the members you selected. When you are done adjusting settings in the window, click the Create Excel Report button to export a report to a Microsoft Excel file (.xlsx).

Alternative: Other tools can be used such as Remove, ReOrder, Search, and Simulate. Please see the General Overview tab for more information.

4 . When you are done using Erector Order, click the Cancel button to close the window and end the command.

Note : You can run Erector Order as often as needed to make adjustments and export the report.

Since the Erection Order value is stored as a member custom property, you have the option to display it as a label in your 3D model and on your 2D erection diagrams.

Before following these steps, open Erector Order to automatically activate the SDS2Erector member custom properties or manually activate them at Home > Project Settings > Job > Custom Properties > Activate Custom Properties.

1 . Enable the member custom property's Erection View Member Labels.

1a . Go to Home > Project Settings > Job > Custom Properties > Member Properties.

1b . Expand SDS2Erector and select SDS2Erector.OrderofErection from the Edit Schema list. Then click the Details... button.

1c . On the Add/Edit Schema Entry window, check the box ( ) for Erection View Member Labels.

2 . Set the Erection View Member Labels.

2a . Go to Home > Project Settings > Fabricator > Detailing > Erection View Member Labels.

2b . On the Label Positioning tab, set one of the rows to the SDS2Erector.OrderofErection Property name. Also set options of Perspective, Horiz. position, Vert. position, and Priority.

3 . In Modeling, open Display Options > General Settings and make sure Member custom properties is checked ( ).

  • The Erection Order value can be manually edited at the member level. On the member edit window, click the Properties button and look for the Order Of Erection field.
  • Consider the number of columns in the chosen report when you select a Paper size and Paper orientation. If the report requires more columns than will fit on a page, an extra page will be generated to contain the rest of the columns.
  • You can change the default settings of Erector Order at Home > Project Settings > Job > Plugin Defaults > Command Plugin Defaults > Erector Order Setup.