Adding a Catalog Brace

You can select a standard brace shape from a catalog and use it to add one or more braces to the building project. Or, you can add a custom catalog brace with a cross section of your own design.

See Also
Creating a Building Structural Grid
Creating a Reference Plane Grid
  1. Create a structural grid if the project does not already have one.

    Use a structural grid that you create in either Buildings and Civil Structures Design or Buildings Space Planning with either the Building Grid or Reference Plane Grid .

  2. From the Steel section of the action bar, click Catalog Brace .
  3. To create a catalog brace from one of the standard steel shape catalogs, perform the following steps:
    1. In the Catalog Brace dialog box, to select source, click Catalog .

      While editing multiple structure features, you can click for different shapes of different members.

    2. From Standard, click the desired catalog.
      For example, to use a brace shape from the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), click AISC.
    3. From Shape, click a brace shape.

      Available selections depend on your Catalog selection.

      For example, if you are using AISC, a possible selection is W Shapes.
    4. From Size, click the brace size.

      Available selections depend on your Standard and Shape selections.

  4. To create a catalog brace using a cross section defined by an object type, perform the following steps:
    1. In the Catalog Brace dialog box, to select source, click Object Type .
    2. Click and select an object type from the list of imported object types.

      Notes:
      • Import an object type before creating the member. You can import an existing object type or create a new object type. For more information, see Building and Civil Assemblies User's Guide: Defining Object Type.
      • To undefine the object type, you can click .

    3. Click to display the graphic help of the object type.
    4. In the Size list, select the required size for the brace.

    The out of the box object types are found at Startup\Structure\ObjectTypes.

    To install additional content, select Install Optional Content Now.

    The SDD_DSA_Object_Type.3dxml file (for the DSA collection corresponding to the AISC standard) makes all the shapes available with a single import. The best practice is to import the 3dxml files with the option As Reference.

  5. To set the brace location, from the Create Mode, click one of the following:
    OptionDescription
    Single

    		 Inserts a brace at only the selected segments.
    Along gridline

    		 Inserts braces at all similar segments along the gridline of the selected segments.
    All in the story

    		 Inserts braces at all segments in the same story as the selected segments.
    Note: Your segment selections affect the additional braces that the system automatically locates in the adjacent bays. If both of the selected segments are part of a four-sided structural bay (including the vertical segments extending downward), the system copies the brace to other analogous structural bays in the story.
    Above and below

    		 Inserts braces at all horizontal segments above and below the selected segments.
    All in the building

    		 Inserts brace at all segments in the structural grid.
  6. To create a catalog brace in a new geometrical set, select the Create in a new geometrical set check box.
  7. To change the zero angle orientation for the brace, in the Catalog Brace dialog box, click either:
    • Snap Rotation Counterclockwise .
    • Snap Rotation Clockwise .

    For a brace, the zero angle orientation is the base orientation to which the system applies the rotation. Use this option to reorient the brace. The brace reorients 90 degrees about its axis.

  8. Align the brace.
    1. To align the brace along the U axis, click one of the following:

      Option Description
      U plus

      		 Positions the brace with the segment on +U side of the brace.
      U center

      		 Positions the brace with the segment centered in the U axis of the brace.
      U minus

      		 Positions the brace with the segment on the -U side of the brace.

      While editing multiple structure features, you can click for different alignments of different members.

    2. To align the brace along the V axis, click one of the following:

      Option Description
      V plus

      		 Positions the brace with the segment on the +V side of the brace.
      V center

      		 Positions the brace with the segment centered in the V axis of the brace.
      V minus

      		 Positions the brace on the -V side of the brace.

      While editing multiple structure features, you can click for different alignments of different members.

  9. From Position Type, click either:
    OptionDescription
    Length & Angle To place the brace by specifying the length and angle.
    Length & Length To place the brace by specifying the length along the two picked segments.
  10. To specify other catalog brace options, expand Options, and specify the corresponding values:
    1. To trim end 1 of the brace, from End 1 trim, enter the desired trim value.

      A negative value lengthens the brace.

      Note: The preview in the 3D area displays the number of each end and the effect of your entry.

    2. To trim end 2 of the brace, from End 2 trim, enter the desired trim value.

      A negative value lengthens the brace.

    3. To offset end 1 relative to the U* direction of the connected member, from End 1 u* offset, enter the desired offset.
    4. To offset end 1 relative to the V* direction of the connected member, from End 1 v* offset, enter the desired offset.
    5. To offset end 2 relative to the U* direction of the connected member, from End 2 u* offset, enter the desired offset.
    6. To offset end 2 relative to the V* direction of the connected member, from End 2 v* offset, enter the desired offset.
    7. To rotate the brace counterclockwise about its length, from Rotation, enter to the desired rotation angle.
  11. Expand Grid Segment Display and in the Grids to Display box, select the grids to display, and then select the checkboxes according to the requirement:
    1. In a structural grid with a mass, select from these check boxes:

      Option Description
      Show grid segments Display grid segments.
      Show neutral axes Display the axes in brace cross sections.
      Show slabs Display slabs.
      Show perimeter segments Displays grid segments and points on the perimeter of the structural grid.
      Show interior segments Displays grid segments and points in the interior of the structural grid.

    2. In a structural grid without a mass, select from these check boxes:

      Option Description
      Show grid segments Display grid segments, select the check box.
      Show neutral axes Display the neutral axes within brace cross sections.
      Show curved grid segments Generates curved grid segments from curved grid lines.
      Show perimeter segments Displays grid segments and points on the perimeter of the structural grid.
      Show interior segments Displays grid segments and points in the interior of the structural grid.

    Note: To hide the specified element, clear the check box.

  12. In the Catalog Brace dialog box, click .

The system adds the catalog brace to the tree under Structure.