Beam Appearance in Coarse View

[jmartin728160]

Hello all,

I'm having a bit of a quandary wondering if there is a way to display my structure in a way a client is asking for. Basically, I have a large steel frame structure that is showing on all my sheets in coarse mode using stick symbols only. All of my stick figures are set to center since that is what the client wants. What they also want to know if I can do is also show everything in stick symbols with part of the beams, columns and braces showing true shape. Basically it is like looking at a stick figure on a framing elevation with the center 18" portion showing in medium or fine mode and the outer portions of that beam showing in coarse mode. They would like to know if it can be done and there has to be an easier way to do this without overlaying a component over top of the stick figure. With thousands of beams, braces and columns I hope it can be handled in the family type so that any changes are reflected easily without a lot of hassle.

I hope I am clear enough in my explanation. I look forward to hearing if there is a solution. Thanks for your time.

John M.

[Craig_L]

Totally possible
You need to edit the beam or column family.
In the family you will see in the properties box some visibility options
Here you need to select what is visible under each detail level
Select the extrusion, for example, and then click on the visibility options for that element.
Each element (ie extrusion, or symbolic line) need to be manipulated by selecting it, and then editing the visibility properties of that item in the properties box.
You could go as far as modelling another extrusion (basically a box shape) that might only be visible in medium for example. And you could set your centreline to be visible in medium and low detail. High detail you reserve for the proper extrusion.
Alternatively You could change your view template also to NOT show the hidden lines for beams/columns (ie you don't see the web hidden in an elevation) but you will still need to manage the stick symbol to show in medium detail as most of these families are set up to show the extrusion in medium/high and the stick symbol only in low detail.

In a few of my families (namely PFC and Angles, and also cold rolled C and Z sections for purlins)
I have also added centrelines that can be displaced off the real centre so rather than the centreline showing hard up against the wall, it shows an indicative line which is not essentially the TRUE centre of the angle or PFC or C/Z but is offset enough away from the wall to print nicely. Or in the example of my C/Z purlins, where they overlap at supports the lines are offset so I can clearly see the overlap. This is also easy to do.

This allows me to model my structural framing properly and in its proper placement, but graphically it requires nothing more than a toggle box be activated for each differing offset case.