Create Members

Use the Members tool to create members between two joints.

  1. From the Skeleton ribbon, click the Members tool.
    Figure 1.


  2. Select a starting joint.
  3. Select an ending joint or a symmetry plane.
    Sections are created in between the two.
    Figure 2. . The primary joint is selected and then the symmetry plane. The preview shows the sections in symmetry, these can be edited as required .


  4. Click on the guide bar to define options.
    Number of control points
    The number of sections that are created throughout the symmetric member creation.
    Cut planes
    The default length and width of the cut plane.
    Realize member
    Create 1D mesh and the associated beam sections based on the cut plane sections.
    Auto weld section
    Will create an enclosed section by stitching flanges together.
    Auto detect thin solids
    Is a classification process of solid geometry to enhance the output of the member creation.
    Create sketch
    Will allow full ease-of-use edit capabilities in sketcher.
    Section cleanup
    Will remove overspill areas of a section to reduce the section to only what’s desired. The option will remove a large amount of manual cleanup.
    Figure 3.


    Figure 3 shows the current behavior without section cleanup. The over-capture of the section cut plane includes areas that are not desired. When the 1D mesh is created, the 1D sections include the over-capture which would need to be cleaned up manually.
    Figure 4.


    Figure 4 shows the behavior with the section cleanup capability enabled. Despite the section cut plane intersecting additional regions, those additional regions are filtered out automatically resulting in a clean output.
    Figure 5.


    In a real-world example, the difference between the two outputs is notable. The left side of Figure 5 is not using cleanup, while the right side of Figure 5 is using cleanup. The section cleanup capability will remove hours of manually cleaning up multiple sections.
    Create components across member
    Will dissect the member into components.
    Figure 6.


    The left side of Figure 6 shows the default behavior, one component per member. The right side of Figure 6 shows the multiple components created per member.
  5. Resize and reposition the planes in the following ways:
    • Click and drag the boxes at the edges of the plane(s) to resize and capture the appropriate structure.
    • Toggle in the microdialog to move each plane globally. Use the drop-down menu to control which section(s) display the manipulator.
    • Click in the microdialog to align the last member created. Press Ctrl + Z to undo.
  6. If the member is being realized , define the 1D mesh and the associated beam sections.
  7. Optional: Click the Exclude selector on the guide bar then pick entities to exclude from the member if required.
    Figure 7. . The member, 1D mesh, and beam sections are created and applied appropriately


  8. On the guide bar, click one of the following:
    • - Apply and stay in the tool
    • - Apply and close the tool
    • - Exit the tool without applying

Assign Beam Sections to Members or Member Sections

Use the Assign tool if a member is created without a beam section or the beam section needs to be changed.

  1. From the Skeleton ribbon, Member tool group, click the Assign tool.
    Figure 8.


  2. Select the members or member sections.
  3. Select the beam section to assign.
  4. On the guide bar, click one of the following:
    • - Apply and stay in the tool
    • - Apply and close the tool
    • - Exit the tool without applying