Left End & Near Side

Left end & near side, beams, columns, braces, joists, legacy misc (topic)

Left and right are terms that in everyday life are defined relative to you, the onlooker.
Certain SDS2 members, however, uses a non-relative, mathematical definition of left and right, which is described here .
The other topics on this page discuss various implications the mathematical definition of left and right. Here is a list of all of this help page's topics:

Also see :

Global coordinates (determine left end of a member)
Member coordinates (0, 0, 0 point of member is on left end)
Origin reference point (identifies member 0, 0, 0 point)
Left end of a SDS2 Concrete member (topic)

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The near side of members :

The near side of a beam, column or brace is the side that is shown in the main view of that member's detail. Here's how to determine near side in the Modeling .

In a plan view in Modeling , the near side web of a beam, column, brace, joist, legacy girt, purlin or stair is the face that looks toward the bottom or toward the right of the screen.

Web near side of a member is the face of that member that is shown in the main view on the member detail . When you are looking at the near side web of a beam, the left end of the beam is to your left, and its right end is to your right.
The near side for a legacy miscellaneous member added with two or more points in a plan view or elevation view is the face of that member that you see when looking at it in the view in which it was added (so long as its rotation with respect to its " Material " axes is 0, 0, 0).
The near side of a column is face B. The left end of a column is its bottom end.

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Determining a member's near side by knowing its left end :

The near side of a beam, column, or brace is the side that is shown in the main view of that member's detail. Knowing a member's left end can help you determine its near side in the model. When you are looking at web near side of a non-vertical member, its left end is to your left and its right end is to your right. The left end of a member that is detailed horizontal is also the end that appears on the left in its detail.

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Using piecemarks to determine a member's left end :

The piecemark label of a member not shown as a cross section in Modeling is on the left end of the member. Exception: if the member is relatively short or you " Swap member ends ," this does not hold true.

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A member's origin reference point is on its left end :

Hovering a beam, column, brace, joist, legacy girt or purlin with your mouse pointer ( ) or doing an Edit Member causes the member's origin reference point to be displayed. This reference point is at the member's left end.
The origin reference point is also the 0, 0, 0 member coordinate of the member and corresponds to the left end member work point. Also see: " Show member origin ."
If you are looking at the web of a member and the left end of the member is to your left, you are looking at the near side of the member.

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Left end/ near side in member isolation :

In member isolation , a member's MAIN VIEW is the same as that member's main view on its member detail, with its left end on the left (bottom in the case of a column), and its near side facing toward you.

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Using Status Display to show the left end and/or right end of members :

In Status Display , you can select ' Member ' or ' Ends ' or ' Left ' or ' Right ' as the item to be color coded .

This example of a status display condition color codes beam left ends in the color cyan . If ' Right ' had been selected as the item to be color coded , the beams' right ends -- instead of their left ends -- would be cyan.

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Relating a member's left end to global coordinates :

Key concept: The left end of a beam, column, brace, legacy miscellaneous or etc. is the end that is closest to the global axis 0, 0, 0 point .

As members are added to the 3D model, each work point of the member is assigned a global coordinate position. Based on that global coordinate position, the program determines which end is the left end of a member as follows:

If an X global coordinate for one work point of a member is less than the X global coordinate for the other work point, then the lesser X coordinate is the left end of the member.
If the X global coordinate for both work points of the member are the same (the case for a beam oriented vertically in a plan view), then the work point with the smallest Y global coordinate is the left end of the member.
If both the X and Y global coordinates of both work points of a member are the same (the case for a perfectly vertical column), then the work point with the smallest Z global coordinate (lowest elevation) is the left end of the member. Hence the bottom end of a column is its left end.
Rule of thumb: For any member that has positive global coordinates, the end of that member that is closest to the 0, 0, 0 global coordinate is the left end of that member.

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Left end of a member in a plan view :

The left end of a member in a plan view can be determined by observing how the member is oriented with respect to the computer screen.
The left end of a member that is perfectly horizontal in a plan view is the left end of the member.
The left end of a member that is perfectly vertical in a plan view is the member's lower end.
The left end of a member that is diagonal in a plan view is the most-to-the-left end.

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Left end of members in an elevation view :

In an elevation view , determining which end of a member is its left end can be a bit more tricky. This is because views have directions.

	Before : This example shows a section view being cut across the top flange of a beam in a plan view.
	After : The resulting section view shows the left end of the beam on your left.

	Before : Here's a section view being cut from right to left across the top flange of a beam in a plan view.
	After : The resulting section view shows the left end of the beam on your right.

Tip: In a plan view, face section view bottom up or right in. This will help you to more easily determine which end of a member is its left end. Click here for some examples.

An axes box is a tool that you can use to help you determine which end of a member is its left end in an elevation view.

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End [0] versus end [1] :

End [0] is the left end of a member. End [1 ] is the right end of a member. Member ends are referred to in this way at the following locations:

Reference	Location
end [0] or end [1]	Lock Ends Framing to Model Complete Member
[0] or [1]	Shear Thru Plate On [mem num] [end] and Change base/cap plate weld pattern
Ends[0] or Ends[1]	model module (parametrics) and Advanced Selection Dictionary

For a column, end [0] is the bottom end, end [1] is the top end.

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