Reinforcement drawings usually contain a large number of objects (reinforcement bars, bar distributions, reinforcement symbols and dimension lines). It is important that they are all positioned in a manner that does not make the entire ensemble look crowded or messy. The content of the reinforcement drawing should be easily read and comprehended.
There are various display modes for linear and variable distributions at the user's disposal, covering all the possibilities for reinforcement cages representations. The advantage is that there are multiple ways to adapt and efficiently organize reinforcement drawings.
Initially, after creation, bar distributions display all their bars. Sometimes, due to this type of representation, the drawing looks crowded, especially if there are more distributions, of various orientations, intersecting each other.
In order to use a different representation, the distribution is selected and the Properties window is opened.
On the "Representation" tab, in the "Display mode" drop-down list, there are 7 representation styles for bar distributions to choose from:
• Extremity bars
• Central bar
• Central bar rotated 90°
• 3 Bars edge
• 3 Bars in the middle
• Dimension line
If "Extremity bars" mode is selected, only the first and the last bar in the distribution will be displayed. The bars will be connected through a central line which designates the length and orientation of the distribution. The central line properties (color, style, thickness) can be changed on the "Representation" tab:
When choosing the "Central bar" display mode, only the middle bar of the distribution is shown together with a central line indicating the distribution's length and orientation.
If a representation that provides more information on the bar shape is required, "Central bar rotated 90°" can be used. When the straight bar has hooks, these will be visible in the distribution representation.
Another option for the distribution display is "3 Bars in the middle". Instead of a single central bar, 3 bars from the middle of the distribution are displayed. This option is available starting with Advance Concrete 2012.
The "3 Bars edge" mode displays a group of 3 bars on each extremity of the distribution's length, similar to the "Extremity bars" mode. This option is available starting with Advance Concrete 2012.
The last display mode in the list is "Dimension line". No bar is shown, only a central line indicating the length of the bar distribution. Like in all the other cases, the properties of the central line can be customized.
Regardless of the chosen representation, the position of the central line can also be changed. It can be positioned anywhere within the height of the distribution bars, by moving its middle grip point which is shown at selection.
