Create Joint Groups

Define a master joint

1. Select any part of the joint.
2. Right click and select Advance joint properties from the context menu.
3. In the properties dialog box, in the Name field, enter the name of the master connection.

Create slave joints

The master joint is used as a template for other joints in new locations. The slave joints receive the same name automatically.

1. On the Tools tool palette, click .
2. Select any part of the template joint (e.g. the plate of a base plate joint) and press Enter.
3. One by one, select the elements on which the slave joints will be created and right click after each one.

For example, to create base plates, the columns to which the base plate will be copied should be selected one by one.

Note: If the selected elements differ in geometry from the elements connected by the master joint (e.g. they have a different section), the slave joints are not the same as the master connection and cannot be part of the group. In this case, a warning message is displayed. The slave joints can be created, but not as part of the group. Otherwise, the joints are created, but are highlighted.

Create multiple slave joints

The master joint is used as template for several other locations in the same time. The slave joints receive the same name automatically.

The joints are created all at once, with identical parameters to the one copied. As all created joints are part of the same group as the original joint, the slave joints receive the same name automatically.

Note

If the original joint is not in a group it will become the master of the new group.

1. On the Tools tool palette, click .
2. Select any part of the master joint (for example, the plate of a base plate joint) and press Enter.
3. Select all the elements, in all desired locations, corresponding to the first selected element to be connected by the joint and press Enter.
4. Select all the elements, in all desired locations, corresponding to the second selected element to be connected by the joint and press Enter.
5. If the joint requires a third element, select the corresponding element in all desired locations and press Enter.

• The joints are placed at every possible locations, all at once. All the joints are added to the same group as the original joint.

Example: To create column-beam connections, all the columns to which the joint will be copied should be selected at once, then all the beams.

Add joint to a joint group

Identical independent joints can be added to an existing joint group.

Note: Only one joint can be added at a time.

1. On the Tools tool palette, click .
2. Select any element of the joint to add to the group and press Enter.
3. Select the master joint and press Enter.

Using the same process you can add other joints to the joint group.

The joints are linked. Any modifications in the master connection is transferred immediately to all the connections in the group.