Extruding lines and members
By extruding lines and members, you can quickly create surfaces, grids, or grillages. But if you want to generate an irregular grid using extended specifications, it is recommended to use the Generate Grid dialog box (see Chapter 11.7.2).
Access the function by selecting the line and member entries in the menu
- Tools → Extrude.
You can also use the shortcut menu of the relevant line or member.
The selected line appears in the List of Lines. If necessary, more lines can be added by clicking them in the work window. Please note that all lines of the list must lie in one plane.
Enter the material, depth, and thickness of the new surface as the Surface Parameters. If an Offset is defined, the surface is created at a lateral distance that relates to the direction of the extrusion. In this case, specify the Side. The modified parameters are shown immediately in the graphic of the work window.
When several lines are extruded, there are different ways to adjust the copied lines in the Outer Corners dialog section. The figure above shows the lines (without axes) extruded with an offset and connected with an arc.
In the Extrude in Direction dialog section, specify the global or local direction of the extrusion. The direction is displayed in the graphic. It is specifically used for this dialog box and does not depend on the currently set work plane.
The selected member appears in the List of Members. If necessary, other members can be added by clicking them in the work window. All members of the list must lie in one plane.
In the Parameters of Perpendicular Members dialog section, enter the cross-section of the vertical members and the depth as the total height of the grid. Optionally, specify an eccentricity in order to connect the members via an eccentric connection (see Chapter 4.15).
The Number of Member Divisions dialog section controls the division into a uniform grid consisting of parallel and vertical members. Furthermore, you have the Option to do it without the generation of external vertical members.
In the Extrude in Direction dialog section, define the global or local direction where grid members are to be created. The direction is displayed in the graphic. It is specifically used for this dialog box and does not depend on the currently set work plane. The Rotation about x text box allows you to copy objects out of the plane.