Create Custom Cross-Section Libraries and Shape Entries

Note: The information in this section applies to beam elements in both linear and nonlinear structural analyses.

You can create custom cross-section libraries to store user-defined beam cross-sections. By creating custom libraries and shapes, you can quickly recall the properties of nonstandard beams or those that are not included within the provided cross-section libraries. You can also define properties of a built-up beam (or beam subassembly).

Note: You cannot add to the pre-installed cross-section libraries nor modify their contents. You must create a custom library to contain your custom shape properties.

How to Create a New Library

1. Access the Cross-Section Libraries dialog box using the following sequence:
   1. In the browser (tree view), double-click the Element Definition heading under a beam element part.
   2. If you are setting up a nonlinear analysis, ensure that the Section Type is set to Pre-defined. Otherwise, continue to Step C.
   3. Select a row of the Sectional Properties table and click the Cross-Section Libraries button.
2. Click the Add button below the Section database drop-down menu.
3. Navigate to the folder where you want to store your custom library.
4. Enter a name for the database file and click Open.
5. The new library appears in the Section database drop-down menu.

Tip: You can also navigate to a previously created custom library file and add it to the Section database menu. Use this technique to copy a library to another workstation.

How to Add a Cross Section to a Library

1. Access the Cross-Section Libraries dialog box using the following sequence:
   1. In the browser, double-click the Element Definition heading under a beam element part.
   2. If you are setting up a nonlinear analysis, ensure that the Section Type is set to Pre-defined. Otherwise, continue to Step C.
   3. Select a row of the Sectional Properties table and click the Cross-Section Libraries button.
2. Select a user-defined library in the Section database: drop-down menu.
3. Click the Add button below the Section name: list. The list will initially be empty for a new library.
4. Type in a name for your new cross-section and click OK. The section name appears in the Section name list.
5. Select the new section and then follow the instructions in step A or B, depending on the analysis type:
   1. For linear analyses: Choose one of the following two beam specification methods:
      • Enter the values in the Cross-sectional properties input fields (Area, Torsional Resistance, Moments of Inertia, and so on), or
      • Choose one of the common shapes listed in the pull-down menu at the upper right corner of the dialog box. Then, type in the needed dimensions in the data fields that appear.
   2. For nonlinear analyses: Dimensions describing the actual shape must be known for nonlinear beams. You cannot manually specify the individual cross-sectional properties (Area, Torsional Resistance, Moments of Inertia, and so on) because these properties do not provide dimensional or shape data. Therefore, only dimensioned common shapes can be saved as user-defined sections.
      • Choose one of the common shapes listed in the pull-down menu at the upper right corner of the dialog box. Then, type in the needed dimensions in the data fields that appear.
6. Click the Save button.

Note: The Section type drop-down menu is not available for custom libraries. You cannot organize custom shapes into separate groups within a custom library. For convenience, you may wish to assemble sets of particular beam shapes into separate custom libraries.