ABD - Create new sections for beams and columns

I am trying to create a section, different from any of the the standard sections provided by ABD for beams and columns but I cant find a way to do it properly. From what I've heard so far, if we need a different section we have to draw the section by hand and then extrude it creating a smartsolid instead of a parametric object? Isnt there a proper way of creating an actual beam or column section in order to have it functioning in the 'place beam' or 'place column' tools? I ve been looking at PCS but it doesnt quite seems the way to do it. Also, what is the actual difference between a smartsolid and a parametric object? They are manipulated differently (easier in the smartsolids in my opinion) but even if a smartsolid starts with less information, i am able to 'feed' him almost the same information as if it was a parametric object. Is it just a matter of having this 'feeding' process speeded up?

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  • Ah.. thanks, Pedro.   I don't believe we have anything along the those lines at this time.  I think we may be adding a few new section types for the upcoming Ss6 release, but I'm not entirely sure if this is among them.  Other upcoming additions may also be useful for your situation but unfortunately it's too early to discuss...

    In the interim, I would suggest placing one of the existing Trapezoidal members (available in a few different section files) and cutting that to suit using a simple SmartLine, like this:

     



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