Tech Tip: Manage Your Structure with Advance Steel Workplanes

Did you know that you can create vertical workplanes (faςades) and attach elements to them? The following instructions will show you how to utilize the Advance Steel Project Explorer Workplanes to save time and enhance efficiency by moving elements and attaching them to workplanes!

You can also customize column heights using workplanes. In the following article I will explain how to do that using two Definition Methods.

1.   Create a workplane in the xOy plane of the current coordinate system.
2.  Create a workplane by using 3 points.

How to Create Workplanes in Your 3D Model

The Create Workplane toolset is located on the Home tab, Project panel, Project Explorer drop-down.

1.  Create a workplane in the xOy plane of the current coordinate system.

A Facade Workplane will be created at Grid line 1 for this demonstration. 

Place your UCS accordingly prior.

Expand the Project Explorer, Workplane tab; right-click and select Create Workplane from the contextual menu.

You will be prompted for a FOLDER name.  Name the folder.

“Facade” was used for this demonstration.

The Definition method dialog will be displayed.

From the dialog box, select the At the current UCS, in the XOY plane option.

You will be prompted to select a point in the XY plane you defined earlier.

Next, you will be prompted for a WORKPLANE name.

“FACADE @ GRID 1” was used for this demonstration.

On the command line, enter a name for the workplane, then hit the Enter key.

The workplane is created.

To bind or attach elements, select the columns and beams prior.

Select the Workplanes button.

Right click the text FACADE @ GRID 1 on the workplanes, then scroll and select the Properties panel.

Change the Default Level to Facade. Then select OK.

Again, right click the text FACADE @ GRID 1 on the workplanes. Scroll and select the Attach elements option.

You will be prompted to select the Geometry points; select the points you want to attach/bind to the workplane.

Then hit the Enter key.

Now, when the workplane FACADE @ GRID 1 is moved, the elements in which the geometry points were selected will be moved along, with the distance you specified.

2.  Create a Workplane by Using 3 Points.

For this demonstration, the Divide and Measure toolset was used prior, assisting in picking points for the slope.

Expand the Project Explorer Workplane tab, right-click, and select Create Workplane from the contextual menu.

You will be prompted for a FOLDER name.  Name the folder, then hit the Enter key.

“SLOPED_ROOF” was used for this demonstration.

The Definition method dialog will be displayed.

From the dialog box, select the By three points option.

You will be prompted to select first point:

Select the top node of the column at grid 2A, then the node of the column at grid 3C, and finally the node of the column at 1C.

Next, you will be prompted for a WORKPLANE name.

On the command line, enter a name for the workplane.

“SLOPED_ROOF” was used for this demonstration.

Then hit the Enter key. The workplane is created.

To bind or attach elements, select the columns prior.

Select the Workplanes button.

Right click the text SLOPED_ROOF on the workplanes, then scroll and select the Properties panel. Make sure the Attachment method is set to Level.

Select OK.

While the columns you want sloped are selected, right click the SLOPED_ROOF text and select the Attach elements option.

You will be prompted to select the red geometry point at the columns’ tops, as displayed in the figure below.

Hit the enter key when done.

The columns are sloped. Delete the AutoCAD point symbols. You should have something similar to the figure below.

Select the workplanes button to view the newly created SLOPE_ROOF workplane.

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Learn more about Advance Steel in the on-demand webinar: Advance Steel Workflows to Lighten Your Load.

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