Starting with Advance Steel 2012, user sections can be assigned to structural elements such as "Portal Frame", "Roof opening" and "Cage ladder". The advantage of this capability allows us to use any type of shape assigned to structural elements, completing the current library sections.
A user section is defined with a class name and a section using the “Generate selected option”.
For example, an “I asymmetric” user section is created, having the class name defined as “Iasymmetrc” and the section name as “Iasym300x150”.
The “Table Editor” is accessed from Graitec Advance Manager 2012. The database is opened using the “Open ODBC” option.
Automatically all the database (AstorProfiles, AStorSettings, AstorBase, AstorRules, AstorCurrentAddIn..., etc) are displayed arranged in categories.
The AstorProfiles database is opened and the user section is found in ProfileMasterTable. The filter is used to quickly find the table.
The “TypeNameText” column is selected and the “Ctrl+F” option is used in order to easier display the created user section.
In the “Find and Replace” window the available fields are completed from “Find” tab. (Find What, Look In and Match).
The internal name text assigned to the user section is copied from the “TypeNametext” column, in this case “Usr IAsymmetric”.
In the AstorRules database, go to the "JointsGUIAllowedSections" table. To quickly find the table, the filter available on the left-bottom side of the “Table editor” can be used.
Fill a new row in "JointsGUIAllowedSections" table, as follows:
- Add a unique number in the “Key” column.
- Fill the name of the joint (option) in “JointName” column. In this case, the name of the joint is “Portal Frame”.
- Fill the structural member type desired in the “JointControl” column. In this case the modification is made for the first column (Column1).
- Select the section type “Section Class” from the dropdown list. The “Section Class” type allows us to assign a single user section to the structural member from the joint.
- Fill in the “AllowedSection” column with the "Usr Iasymmetric" internal name assigned to the “ProfileMasterTable” column from the AstorProfiles database.
If the “Section shape” option is selected from the dropdown list of the “AllowedSection” column, then the “Andere” text is filled in the “AllowedSection” column.
This is in the “SubtypeName” column of the “ProfileMasterTable” table from the AstorProfiles database.
The “Section Shape” option displays all the user sections in the property joint.
The “Portal Frame” joint is created in Advance Steel. From its property page the defined user section can be selected and it is assigned to the first column.
