Bent Frames

[lneild]

I need to create bent frames for the roof of my building, which i seem to be able to do with the family editor. I created a new family and using the sweep tool was able to create a nice looking bent frame. However, it does not import into ETABS when i try to do an analysis. Is there something that i am missing? Does anyone know how to create bent frames usable by ETABS?

[Jshaver]

Did you create the analytical line portion of your bent frame within your family? I believe you must do this in order for it to export correctly but my experience with the etabs link is minimal.

[tvanniekerk]

I tried curved (bent .?) concrete beams also. what i found was if you create it as a sweep, it look correct, but the analytical workplan was a straight line between the ends. I exported this to Robot Millenium, but the program reads it as a straight beam.

the trick is to be able to "curve" the analytical workline, but i have not had much success so far. What if have managed though was to export is as a curved finite element, and then analyse that. The disadvantage is that Robot did analyse it as FE element, but would not design it as a beam, so back to the old hand calcs!!

i look forward to a plan on fixing this.

Theo

[troberts]

Ineild,
I am new to Revit Structures and i need a bent beam for a roof that I am woking on.
Could you post your Bent Beam? I'd like to learn how to do that. Does it work as a girder for a beam system?
Thanks, Tim

[Jim Merritt]

I don't recall where I read it, but I seem to remember reading that you can't currently use sweeps for analytical purposes. Someone please correct me if they know otherwise.

That is with instance parameters though.

Is it possible to use project parameters in a family to drive this also?
--Jim

[Jim Merritt]

I saw my answer to project parameters in another thread that there is not connection to families.

I have not dug into this aspect of the Revit API yet, but I'm willing to bet a program could be written to automate this also.
--Jim

[mmcfadden]

here is a simple arched roof beam created as a solid sweep.

[Jim Merritt]

here is a simple arched roof beam created as a solid sweep.

Can this be analyzed with RISA or other analysis programs? I heard the sweep beams could not.

[mmcfadden]

no, it doesnt have any analytical properties.