Creating Holes

You can create a hole or a hole pattern on a catalog member or on a steel detailing feature.

This task shows you how to:

Before you begin: Open a building containing a catalog member.

Create a Hole

You can create a hole whose position and orientation is automatically updated when you change the position or orientation of the host member.

  1. From the Steel Detailing section of the action bar, click Hole .
    The building is hidden, the catalog members and the steel detailing features are shown as transparent, and their neutral axes are displayed.
  2. Select a positioning point on the neutral axis of a member.
  3. In the Hole dialog box, select the shape of the hole.
    • To create a rectangular hole, perform the following steps:
      1. Click Rectangle .
      2. In the Length U and Length V boxes, specify the lengths of the rectangle in the U and V directions.
      3. In the Fillet radius box, specify the value of the fillet radius that will be applied to the corners of the rectangular hole.
      4. In the Rotation box, specify an angle by which the hole will be rotated.
    • To create a square hole, perform the following steps:
      1. Click Square .
      2. In the Length box, specify the length of the side of the square.
      3. In the Fillet radius box, specify the value of the fillet radius that will be applied to the corners of the square hole.
      4. In the Rotation box, specify an angle by which the hole will be rotated.
    • To create a round hole, perform the following steps:
      1. Click Round .
      2. In the Diameter box, specify the diameter of the hole.
    • To create a slot, perform the following steps:
      1. Click Slot .
      2. In the Diameter box, specify the diameter for the curved edges of the slot.
      3. In the Length dialog box, specify the distance from the center of the slot to the curved edges of the slot.
      4. In the Rotation box, specify an angle by which the hole will be rotated.
    • To create a hole of any other shape, perform the following steps:
      1. Click Profile .
      2. Select a closed profile.
      3. To rotate the closed profile 90 degrees about the profile's normal, click Snap Rotate About Normal .
      4. To flip the normal of the UV plane, click Reverse .
      5. In the Rotation box, specify an angle by which the hole will be rotated.
  4. In the Depth box, specify the depth of the hole.

    Note: You can select the Automatically determine depth check box to automatically compute the depth of the hole based on the selected host and on any detailing feature attached to the host.

  5. To position the origin of the U, V axes of the hole relative to the host, select any one alignment point.

    Note: The alignment points that can be selected are displayed in the work area.

  6. To change the orientation of the hole and link it to another plane relative to the host member, click Snap Rotation To Next Plane .
  7. Align the hole in the U direction.
    OptionDescription
    U plus Positions the hole on the positive side of the U axis.
    U center Positions the hole centered on the U axis.
    U minus Positions the hole on the negative side of the U axis.
  8. Align the hole in the V direction.
    OptionDescription
    V minus Positions the hole on the negative side of the V axis.
    V center Positions the hole centered on the V axis.
    V plus Positions the hole on the positive side of the V axis.
  9. Select the direction in which the material is removed for the hole.
    OptionDescription
    Front side Cuts the material on the positive side of the UV plane.
    Back side Cuts the material on the negative side of the UV plane.
    Both sides Cuts the material on both sides of the UV plane.
  10. Click Hole Options and specify the offsets for the plate in the U, V, and W directions.

    Notes:
    • You can click to reset the offset values to zero.
    • You can select the Show additional alignment points check box to display the additional alignment points that can be selected.

  11. Click Ok .
    The hole is created.

Create a Hole Pattern

You can create a hole pattern whose position and orientation is automatically updated when you change the position or orientation of the host member.

  1. From the Steel Detailing section of the action bar, click Hole Pattern .
    The building is hidden, the catalog members and the steel detailing features are shown as transparent, and their neutral axes are displayed.
  2. Select a positioning point on the neutral axis of a member.
  3. In the Hole Pattern dialog box, select the shape of the hole.
    • To create a rectangular hole, perform the following steps:
      1. Click Rectangle .
      2. In the Length U and Length V boxes, specify the lengths of the rectangle in the U and V directions.
      3. In the Fillet radius box, specify the value of the fillet radius that will be applied to the corners of the rectangular hole.
      4. In the Hole Rotation box, specify an angle by which the hole will be rotated.
    • To create a square hole, perform the following steps:
      1. Click Square .
      2. In the Length box, specify the length of the sides of the square.
      3. In the Fillet radius box, specify the value of the fillet radius that will be applied to the corners of the square hole.
      4. In the Hole Rotation box, specify an angle by which the hole will be rotated.
    • To create a round hole, perform the following steps:
      1. Click Round .
      2. In the Diameter box, specify the diameter of the hole.
    • To create a slot, perform the following steps:
      1. Click Slot .
      2. In the Diameter box, specify the diameter for the curved edges of the slot.
      3. In the Length dialog box, specify the distance from the center of the slot to the curved edges of the slot.
      4. In the Hole Rotation box, specify an angle by which the hole will be rotated.
    • To create a hole of any other shape, perform the following steps:
      1. Click Profile .
      2. Select a closed profile.
      3. To rotate the closed profile 90 degrees about the profile's normal, click Snap Rotate About Normal .
      4. To flip the normal of the UV plane, click Reverse .
      5. In the Hole Rotation box, specify an angle by which the hole will be rotated.

    Note: The angle specified in the Hole Rotation box rotates the individual holes about their local axes and does not rotate the entire pattern of holes.

  4. In the Hole Pattern dialog box, select the pattern of the holes.
    • To create rectangular pattern of holes, perform the following steps:
      1. Click .
      2. In the Count along U box, specify the number of holes required in the U direction.
      3. In the Count along V box, specify the number of holes required in the V direction.
      4. In the Spacing along U box, specify the distance between the center of one hole to the center of its adjacent hole in the U direction.
      5. In the Spacing along V box, specify the distance between the center of a hole to the center of its adjacent hole in the V direction.
      6. Click to swap the rows and columns.
      7. Click or to stagger the holes in even numbered rows or odd numbered rows respectively. To redistribute the holes without any stagger, click .
    • To create a radial pattern of holes, perform the following steps:
      1. Click .
      2. In the Count box, specify the number of holes required in a single ring of holes.
      3. In the Included angle box, specify the angle measured counter-clockwise between the first hole center and last hole center in each ring.
      4. In the Start angle box, specify the angle measured counter-clockwise from the U axis to specify the angular position of the first hole in the pattern.
      5. In the Number of rings box, specify the number of concentric rings of holes required in the radial hole pattern.
      6. In the Inner ring radius box, specify the radius of the innermost ring of holes.
      7. In the Outer ring offset box, specify the spacing between adjacent rings.
  5. In the Depth box, specify the depth of the hole.

    Note: You can select the Automatically determine depth check box to automatically compute the depth of the hole based on the selected host and on any detailing feature attached to the host.

  6. To position the origin of the U, V axes of the hole relative to the host, select any one alignment point.

    Note: The alignment points that can be selected are displayed in the work area.

  7. To change the orientation of the hole and link it to another plane relative to the host member, click Snap Rotation To Next Plane .
  8. Align the hole in the U direction.
    OptionDescription
    U plus Positions the hole pattern on the positive side of the U axis.
    U center Positions the hole pattern centered on the U axis.
    U minus Positions the hole pattern on the negative side of the U axis.
  9. Align the hole in the V direction.
    OptionDescription
    V minus Positions the hole pattern on the negative side of the V axis.
    V center Positions the hole pattern centered on the V axis.
    V plus Positions the hole pattern on the positive side of the V axis.
  10. Select the direction in which the material is removed for the hole.
    OptionDescription
    Front side Cuts the material on the positive side of the UV plane.
    Back side Cuts the material on the negative side of the UV plane.
    Both sides Cuts the material on both sides of the UV plane.
  11. Click Hole Pattern Options and specify the offsets for the plate in the U, V, and W directions.

    Hole Pattern Options for rectangular hole pattern presents two additional spacing options:

    1. In the Space Crossing U box specify the amount of extra space to be included in the space between the holes that are on the either side of the host member's axis U.
    2. In the Space Crossing V box specify the amount of extra space to be included in the space between the holes that are on the either side of the host member's axis V.

    Notes:
    • You can click to reset the offset values to zero.
    • You can select the Show additional alignment points check box to display the additional alignment points that can be selected.

  12. Click Ok .
    The hole pattern is created.