| Applies To | |||
| Product(s): | STAAD.Pro | ||
| Version(s): | ALL | ||
| Environment: | ALL | ||
| Area: | Modeling Solutions | ||
| Subarea: | Other | ||
| Original Author: | Bentley Technical Support Group | ||
Assigning Properties, Specification, and Design Parameters using Beam Groups.
When working with models with a big quantity of members, it is common to get member assignments broken into two or more lists; making the review process a difficult task.
For example, when assigning the same Section Property to a lot of members, STAAD may end up with multiple entries of the same section and two independent sets of members. Refer to the image below, where the W14X90 shape was assigned to several members.
Since you now have two entries with the same property there is no easy way to highlight all the members with the same section. How to overcome this limitation?
- Section properties & Specifications
Try creating groups according to the assignments that you want to perform. In this example a grouped every girder into a Beam Group called BEAMS. Grouping is also tied to the limit of members, so the group definition will still be split in two list in the Command File, but don't worry, in the groups window you'll only see a single group.
As explained in TR.16.1 Listing of Entities by Specifying Groups you can assign the section using the previously created groups by changing the list by an underscore and the group's name as shown in the image below:
A single item appears in the section properties as expected. The same process works with member specifications as well.
- Design Parameters
When it comes to Design Parameters, you have the option to directly select which group get the parameter assigned.
Select the parameter you want to assign > Click the "Select Group/Deck" button > A new window will appear > Select the group. Alternatively you can use the _groupname in the list field.
Refer to the attached model for further clarification.