Creating a Rebar

You can create rebar profiles from a catalog of predefined rebar types (with the Template mode), create new rebar object types, and create rebars from Template, Wire Selection, Strap, or Mesh mode.

This task shows you how to:

Select a Rebar Mode

You can select a mode, an object type and planes to create rebars.

  1. In the Rebar Creation assistant, select the creation mode from the following:
    • Template to select a predefined rebar profile.
    • Wire selection to create a rebar layer according to wires.
    • Strap to create a rebar layer around an existing rebar layer.
    • Mesh to create a rebar layer on another layer.
    In our example, keep the Template rebar creation mode.
  2. Click Search an Object Type.
    1. From the 6W Search, select the rebar type.
    2. Select a rebar type from the following categories:

      • A fixed rebar type when the rebar shape you envision is defined by a fixed dimension value. For example, each rebar layer has the same size, shape, and number of bends.
      • An adaptive rebar type limited by planes when the rebar follows the shape of the geometry such as surfaces until limiting planes.
      • An adaptive rebar type when the shape follows surfaces until its boundaries.
      • A freeform profile to adapt to isoparametric shapes such as curved bars.

    Notes:
    • To avoid intersections and allow bar selection in Strap mode, do not use too small a bar diameter.
    • If an adaptive rebar type (Following Surfaces or Limiting Planes) is chosen, an Identical bars check box appears in the Pattern tab. By default, it is not selected and all the bars follow the shape of the surfaces. If you select the check box, all the bars are identical to the first layer bar.
    • In the Wire selection mode, a Wire axis to axis check box appears in the Pattern tab. If you select the check box, all the bars are created at the pattern axis position by putting in coincidence the axis of the wire and the pattern axis. If the check box is cleared (by default), this coincidence is not applied.
  3. In Template mode, to display a preview of the selected object type in a side panel, click Template Helper .
    A template viewer opens and displays the shape of the bar type and planes. There is a link between the Helper, the 3D area, and the Rebar Creation dialog box, that is:
    • When you click a support or an axis system in the helper, it is highlighted on the 3D Shape.
    • If you click an element in the Helper (axis system or support), the geometric inputs are valuated in the 3D area automatically.

    In the Helper, you can move and zoom in the rebar object type. Click again the same element and the object type moves back to its initial position.

  4. Select the plane of the first bar in the 3D area.

    To have a previsualization of what the wire will be, the first bar appears highlighted as light blue in the 3D area interactively after each modification. This is a faithful representation of the bar taking the diameter, radius, angle, for example, into account.

    Mode Preview
    Template
    Wire selection
    Strap
    Mesh
    Note: The first bar plane is typically the plane on which the first bar is laid. It is perpendicular to the pattern direction.
  5. Click Apply after any modification.

    A progress bar at the bottom of the dialog box indicates the progression of an action, and contains information, for example: 30/50 rebars, to know the time required for rebar creation.

    To stop the computation, press the Escape, then the computation is stopped and the feature returns to the state before this computation.

Define Input Parameter

You can select input elements in the Input tab.

  1. Select the rebar configuration, that is the diameter.
  2. Modify the parameters for the selected rebar type.
  3. In the Input tab, expand the ifc Reinforcing bar section to verify the reinforcement details.

Select or Create Patterns

You can select or initialize a pattern layout.

Any change in the pattern specifications is reflected in the rebar shape and or the location of the bars. This feature is not displayed in the tree as it carries specifications but no 3D geometry. A rebar pattern can only be edited within the Rebar Creation command.

  1. Configure the pattern interactively using the direct manipulation and the flags options:
    1. Specify the axis orientation.
    2. Select the point to compute the pattern spacing.
    3. Drag bars to modify them.
    4. Determine the pattern layout.
    By default, Linear pattern is selected the Rebar Creation dialog box .
  2. To modify the pattern manually in a text editor, click the Pattern tab.

    The area contains pattern information and, commands to delete , edit or select another pattern (only possible after the deletion of the existing one).

    The linear pattern is chosen by default and it is defined in the text box. For example, if you type 10x300mm, the pattern will contain ten axis systems spaced by 300mm. The distribution text will be converted into pattern definition.

    The unit is set in Preferences. To change it, select Me > Preferences from the top bar, then click the Common Preferences tab and expand the Parameters, Measures, and Units > Units section.

    You can choose the Count or Spacing modes and, the active mode is indicated in the dialog box. For more information, see next step.

    A list of a minimum of three rebars containing the pattern is displayed. Click to expand the list.

    You can use keywords in the text field (% followed by a character):

    • %n: Number of bars in the rebar layer
    • %f: Designation selected in the Object Type’s configuration table
    • %d: Diameter of the bars
    • %s: Spacing distance between the bars
    • %c: Covering distance between the bars and the concrete borders
    • %l: Cumulated length of all the bars in the rebar layer
    • %w: Cumulated weight of all bars in the rebar layer
    • %r: BarMark identifier if computed

  3. To reinitialize the pattern distribution, do the following:
    • Edit the text in the box, for example: 300mm+2x400mm+335mm. The pattern will contain one axis system at 300mm, two axis systems every 400mm, and one more axis system at 335mm.

      With the textual distribution, it is no longer necessary to edit the pattern feature to modify or create pattern groups and their distribution. The general distribution text format is: C1 x S1 + C2 x S2 + C3 x S3.

      "Ci": is the number of axis of the group "i". If the number of axis of this group is equal to 1, it can be omitted.

      "Si": is the spacing length of this same group. It can be associated to a unit, or without unit (3x300), in this case, the unit set in Preferences is used. If a unit is typed to define a length, the same unit must be used for all lengths.

    • Create pattern groups: Points must be created/selected in the 3D area.
    • When you initialize the rebar layer layout, there is only one group in the pattern. The Count and Spacing modes can be changed with the combo box. If you click:
      • Count : Only count value modification and only one group are allowed. For example, if you only type 9, the text is automatically converted into 9x1000m
      • Spacing : Only spacing value modification and only one group are allowed. Spacing is the default mode and a number of bars is computed by default. For example, if you only type 2000m, the text is automatically converted into 5x2000m and a bar is created every two meters.
      • Count and Spacing : Count and Spacing values modification is allowed and several groups can be created. For example, when you type 13x3000mm+2x0.5m, the text is converted with the same unit 13x3000mm+2x500mm, the preview updates and the bar are displayed in the 3D area. You obtain two groups. If a Pattern end point is specified, a Limit Spacing option is available to shift the Pattern distribution.

      Invalid text is identified with an error message in the dialog box.

      If the current mode is Count and spacing, it can contain as many groups as required, separated by the plus sign. All the groups created are in the Count and spacing mode. There cannot be several groups with different modes. If you change the definition of one group, the text editor is grayed out. If a pattern end point is specified, a Limit Spacing option is available to shift the pattern distribution.

      If a start and/or end offset values are defined, distribution is done between these boundaries. The start and end offsets are not managed in the text editor, edit the pattern by clicking to modify their values.

    • Click to launch the pattern for more precise edition. The pattern dialog box opens. If you click a bar belonging to Group1 in the 3D area, the Group1 panel opens and you retrieve the input values you entered manually: 13x3000mm. You can do the same for Group2: 2x500mm.

      You can edit a bar locally in a Group panel. Then the text distribution is updated in the Rebar Creation window with the values you modified interactively, for example: 13x3000mm+1x150mm+1x445mm.

  4. Click Apply after any modification.

    A progress bar at the bottom of the dialog box indicates the progression of an action, and contains information, for instance: 30/50 rebars, to know the time required for rebar creation.

    To stop the computation, press the Escape, then computation is stopped and the feature returns to the state before this computation.

Manage Extremities

You can handle extremities which consists in adding extra edges at each extremity of the bars.

The rebar creation command enables you to add extra edges at each extremity of the bars.

  1. Click the Extremities tab.
  2. Specify the start and end hooks.
  3. Click Apply after any modification.

    A progress bar at the bottom of the dialog box indicates the progression of an action, and contains information, for instance: 30/50 rebars, to know the time required for rebar creation.

    To stop the computation, press the Escape, then computation is stopped and the feature returns to the state before this computation.

Create Bends

You can create bends also referred to as bending segments and specify the bending's radius on the rebar profile.

You can also specify the bending's radius on the rebar profile.

  1. Click the Bends tab, and create bends.
  2. Select the Create Bends check box to create a single bend on each sharp vertex of the wire.
  3. Change the radius value:
    • To change the bend radius value for all bends at a time, modify the default value.
    • To change the bend radius value for a single bend, select the corresponding Bend check box.
    • Alternatively, you can edit the bend radius value through the immersive flag in the 3D area. Each bend is assigned a flag.
  4. Click Apply after any modification.

    A progress bar at the bottom of the dialog box indicates the progression of an action, and contains information,for instance: 30/50 rebars, to know the time required for rebar creation.

    To stop the computation, press the Escape, then computation is stopped and the feature returns to the state before this computation.

Check Interferences

You can check rebar interferences. A rebar interference ensures the non-intersection of the rebar layer with itself or other elements (concrete body, neighbor layers).

  1. Click the Interference tab to check for interferences.
  2. Click Apply after any modification.

    A progress bar at the bottom of the dialog box indicates the progression of an action, and contains information, for instance: 30/50 rebars, to know the time required for rebar creation.

    To stop the computation, press the Escape, then computation is stopped and the feature returns to the state before this computation.