New in Advance Steel 2021

Learn about new features and enhancements in this release of the software.

For more detailed information about using Advance Steel, please visit the product help.

GENERAL APPLICATION

New dedicated SQL localdb instance for Advance Steel: Advance Steel is now creating and using a new, dedicated SQL localdb instance instead of the default one.
All SQL Server Editions are now supported by Advance Steel to allow custom access privileges to shared databases made by the SQL server, allowing either full read and write capabilities or restricting the Advance Steel functionalities on read-only rights. See SQL Server Support for Advance Steel.

Fixes

Fixed a contrast issue with the graphic of some ribbon icons on Dark theme.
The Migration Tool will no longer show an error during the migration of the WeldType and DetObjQualifier tables.
Tables related to material strength and class definition are now properly considered by the Migration Tool.
Improved the performance of snaps on folded plate references through Xref.
Fixed a crash during startup when access to the patch database folder was restricted to the current user.
Fixed an issue that caused the loss of Preferred sizes stored in the dwg file from another locale when opening the Project data dialog.
Fixed an issue where the library data stored in a DWG inserted from block or by copy-paste was lost on purge.
Fixed an issue where some profiles with end cuts were incorrectly exploded to ACIS.
Checkboxes will now appear correctly on 125% DPI scaling on connection dialogs.
Solved Bridging connection interlace issues when using 200% DPI scaling.
Fixed a display issue for the Browse text button on the "Select destination file" dialog which now will correctly fit on all translated languages.
The "User attribute" text can now be customized differently between object properties and project settings.
Fixed tooltip content for "Automatic leader line position for labels on hole patterns".
Updated the "Cut symbol scale for weld preparation cuts" default description in the Management Tools to highlight this is an obsolete setting.
Fixed a bug that caused Advance Steel to become unresponsive when clicking outside of a window that appeared as a result of an action in a parent window.
Fixed an issue that caused the incorrectly completed deletion of database table cell content in the Management Tools Table Editor, which happened when leaving and coming back to the respective database table in the Table Editor.
Fixed the Railing/Monowills drop-down from the Extended Modeling panel in the Home tab so that when clicking the button and not the arrow the connection command starts.
Enhanced the library data stored with model to support xref and behave more consistently in a number of scenarios including Advance Steel Objects Enabler.
Improved the Advance Steel stability of connecting to databases by ensuring the SQL instance is always setup properly and running.
Added measures to ensure proper handle of the migration process for a user with read-only rights on the SQL server AS Databases.
Fixed an issue that caused the loss of preferred sizes stored in a dwg file from another locale when opening the Project data dialog.

CREATE AND MANAGE DRAWINGS

New Element Properties Detail Sorting Tokens for Drawing Processes: Arrange details created by drawing processes based on the properties of the detailed elements. See Element Properties Detail Sorting Tokens for Drawing Processes.
New Commands for Adding or Removing Weld Symbol Leader Lines: Learn how to add or remove leader lines from automatic and manual, simple or combined weld symbols. See Weld Symbol Leader Lines.
New Management Tools Default to Automatically Combine Weld Symbols: Automatically combine weld symbols corresponding to welds connecting elements with the same single part numbers. See Create a Combined Weld Symbol.

Fixes

Added new sorting options in the Drawing Process Manager based on material, coating, name, user attributes, lot/phase.
Manual changes done to the "Front view plan" used as reference on General Arrangement drawings will be taken into consideration by the Alignment token that displays the offset distance of elements parallel to the detail plan.
Improved user changes stability on automatic cut views requested by connection objects when the detail is updated after the connection was updated.
Labels created on holes that are controlled by connections will correctly keep any manual changes during drawing update, if the model connections are updated.
Automatic radial dimensions will keep manual position changes during drawing update.
Fixed an issue that caused the recognition of the manual dimension points on beam and plate openings (other than those created by holes, bolts, anchors) to not work properly.
Manual dimensions created on holes that are controlled by connections will correctly keep any manual changes during drawing update, if the model connections are updated.
Dimension label characteristics can be modified for multiple dimensions at once.
Improved the stability of manual dimension lines when adding or removing different priority manual dimension points.
Fixed an issue where in a case the dimension text was overlapping.
Pipe elements originating from Plant 3D models will now be correctly detailed on General Arrangement drawings with a limited viewport.
Fixed an issue where the width value of a folded plate with weld preparation/cuts was incorrect.
Solved an issue that caused cut view symbols to be incorrectly placed on drawings created with a limited viewport.
Fixed an issue that caused hatch scale modifications for a grating to not work after detail update.
Gratings will now properly display the hatch when having the bearing direction modified by 90 degrees and their orientation using the creation coordinate system instead of the grating default direction.
Improved the stability of the detail process when model elements have very small edges that come from various tolerances or feature overlapping.
Fixed an issue that prevented the "Cut symbol scale for weld preparation cuts" default to be applied correctly when symbol templates from previous Advance Steel versions were used.
Linear sloped dimensions added manually on holes will keep their creation points during drawing update
Fixed a situation when an overview update lead to a manual dimension move.
Fixed the dimension values for clipped oblique grid lines. Now the manual dimensions using grid intersections on general arrangement views that show oblique grid lines, clipped along X or Y direction will provide an accurate dimension value and a correct dimension point, which will no longer shift during update to follow the unclipped version of the sheet.
Fixed an issue where a manually repositioned dimension line created with Nearest snaps moved at update
Fixed an issue that prevented radial dimensions to be created on corners with the radius smaller than 13/16" on imperial unit details.
Fixed an issue where weld symbols moved far away when combining rules no longer applied and they were split into multiple weld symbols.
Changed the behavior of the MODEL_DWG token from giving part of the file path to giving the file name of the model only.
Solved an issue that caused the ILength, MX, ISysLength, IObjectTopLevel, IObjectBottomLevel tokens to ignore the "Hide zero sign for feet" and "Hide zero sign for inch" settings in the Management Tools Defaults.
Fixed an issue causing the Label content text from Labeling strategies to be blank in the Drawing Style Manager User category, for the Czech installation.
Fixed an issue causing the "-" (minus) sign between the feet and inch values not to be displayed for the Width token (in plate name) in external BOM and BOM on drawing.
Solved an issue with bolts that are excluded from lists still being taken into account when calculating the bolts quantity displayed on Bill of Material lists.
Fixed an issue where connectors are missing from BOM lists when using "Selected objects", with the "Based on assembly" option unchecked.
The Exact Weight token now works correctly for bolts, nuts and washers on BOM lists.
Fixed an issue where having a "." (dot) inside the model filename prevented Advance Steel from creating the model extract used to generate BOM lists.
Changed the behavior of the "Apply" button in the Drawing Process Manager "Filename Selector" dialog, so that now it becomes available when editing the "Prototype".
Solved an issue that caused the Camera description token used on detail titles to incorrectly format the label during title label edit actions.
Fixed an issue causing the "0" (reference) "Linear, absolute" dimensions not to be displayed for dimension styles that had the "Unit format" set to "Fractional".
Fixed an issue that caused drawings to not be properly flagged for update required if the detailed plates on them got a new or modified weld preparation or skewed cut.
Fixed an issue where in some cases changing the prototype in the Document Manager would change the model colors to white.
Fixed an issue that caused Camera Drawings to be incorrectly flagged for update required after generating NC files.
Fixed an issue that caused the compass symbol to be placed far away in the assembly detail drawing.
Fixed an issue related to incorrect evaluation of the "Flat" token in drawing file names generated by the multi-step detail processes.
Fixed an issue regarding incorrect changing of the detail title when accessing cut view title contents.
Fixed an issue that caused the manual cut creation to break the "avoid duplicate drawings" functionality.
Fixed an issue that caused the disappearing of the cut view title after manually creating a cut view on an automatically generated section view.
Fixed an issue regarding unnecessary updates due to changes through Advance View properties after selecting multiple detail drawing elements.
Fixed an incorrect update of the slope triangle dimension values that happened when updating the detail drawing where they were displayed.
Fixed an issue for Contour Length values in Bills of Materials.
Fixed an issue where elements were missing from details for an incomplete selection in the 3D model.
Fixed an issue where the holes in a specific unfolded polyline beam detail were not visible.
Fixed an issue related to Left/Right view placement inside column details.

3D MODELING

New Panelized Monowills Connection: Use the new panelized monowills connection to create monowills railings with a max panel size, easier to fabricate and ship on site. See Place a Monowills Panelized Hand-Railing.
New Switch Connection Object Pattern Commands: Easily transform a connection object type pattern into a different one, using contextual menu options. See Switch Connection Object Patterns.
New Messaging Framework for User Section Creation: Changed the display of results and corresponding error messages for generating user sections. This information is now handled in the Data Panel, similarly to the results of part numbering and clash check analysis. See Check Generated User Sections.
Grip Point Extension for Beam Elements: You can now modify the length of beam elements by using the end grip points, without inadvertently changing the direction of the element. Using the Lengthen command or the Extension object snap, you can easily do this, regardless of the orientation of the element or the coordinate system. See Modify the Beam Length Using End Grip Points.
New Filter Options for Detailed Parts: You can now use the Search Filter to find the model elements detailed as single part and/or main part. See Search for Detailed Parts in the Model.

Fixes

The Lot/Phase properties are now correctly kept for the next created element.
Fixed an issue causing the beams to maintain the old rotation after undo, if one of the steps to be undone was a rotation of the beam axis.
Fixed incorrect custom connection placement in a particular case where the axis of the beam driver differed between the model and the custom connection template.
Fixed an issue where the properties for anchors created by certain Brick connections like Bolts on beam, Bolts on plates and Bolts on beam gauge lines could not be modified.
Enabled a default performance fix involving the copying of bolts in models containing multiple user profiles.
Fixed an issue that caused copied tapered beams to exponentially increase the amount of data saved into the dwg when using the Store Used Data command, and the time needed for this operation.
Fixed and issue with the position of the plates created by the Spacer plate connection when applying bolts using the Rectangular, Corner point command.
Changing the "Bolts on beam" connection will no longer change the Anchor type of any existing "Bolts on beam gauge" connection in the model.
Fixed an issue where the anchor type created by the "Stair anchor angle" connection would not update in the model after changing its type in the anchor properties dialog.
Fixed the issue with the X and Y number of bolts from the Railing connection that could not be properly modified, and the values would revert to the default one during connection update.
The Stabilized Plate connection now has its own dedicated library table to no longer overlap the library entries of the End Plate connection.
Fixed an issue where the purlin created by the Truss connection was moved when applying a purlin connection between the bracing and the chord.
The command to "Remove connection from a connection group" now allows multiple selection to remove more than one connection at a time.
Adjusted the grating hatch representation in models using imperial units.
Fixed a situation where invalid contour cuts disappeared when exploding to solids.
Stretching polybeams is now free in all directions when not using the next extension snap capabilities.
Elements that have corresponding single part drawings or/and assembly drawings can now be identified in the model using the new options "Has Single Part drawing" and "Has Assembly drawing" on the Behavior tab in the Search and mark objects dialog.
The corner cut angle parameter is now correctly applied to corner cut features created on beams with skewed saw cuts, where the corner cut is not applied on a 90-degree corner.
Improved the stability when using large radius values for folded beams with arcs.
Fixed an issue that prevented the representation mode option of the compound beam to keep its state after reopening the connection dialog.
Fixed a cut features issue that made the program hang.
Fixed a countersunk hole issue regarding facets representation in the model.
Fixed an issue where the length of slotted holes created by bolts was incorrectly displayed in the "Hole definition" tab of the bolt properties dialog.
Fixed the visibility issues with the hole graphic in the 3D model when configured to use a non-continuous line-type in the layer definition.
Fixed an issue where the UCS orientation was not kept when a model view created with "One point in UCS" method was activated.
Fixed some issues related to user sections that caused, for some cases of sections using inner contours, an incorrect display of these contours when using the Exact representation.
Fixed an issue related to user sections that triggered an incorrect positioning relative to the axis of beams when the Exact representation was used.
An error message is now issued when trying to generate a user section where there are overlaps between arc-type segments of the inner contours and the user section does not get generated.
Corrected the position of the beam axis when the beam is using a user section that was created using only an exact outer contour.
User sections that contain any of the special characters in their section name can be successfully added/generated and user sections that contain specific special characters listed here will issue an error and will not be generated.
Improved the placement of the coordinate systems for user sections by making them align to the contour edge that is selected during the coordinate system creation.
Fixed the behavior of the Gable wall end plate connection when applying it on a circular tube column and choosing to create stiffeners on flange instead of centered.
Fixed an issue that caused the nut and washer of anchors from connections to be reversed in models after adding/modifying the anchor length parameters in Management Tools.
Fixed a crash that would occur when trying to generate a user section for which there is a faulty entry already in the AstorProfile database (the entry is missing information in the SimpleSection and ExactSection columns).
Fixed a Model Browser issue related to keeping the added/removed columns after closing and re-opening Advance Steel, including the Object Type column.
Fixed an issue with the shear studs created by the Embed beam seat connection which were positioned incorrectly when the base plate layout was set to "Total".
Fixed an issue that caused the turnbuckle position to be incorrect when the "Location" parameter was set to "Middle" for the Turnbuckle gusset bracing connection.
Fixed an issue that caused wind bracing connection to create holes on the flange of the other profile.
Fixed an issue in the Monowills connection, where the bolt that connects the Kick Plate to the Posts was not aligned to the hole and created a collision.
Fixed an issue in the Monowills connection, where the angle that connects the Kick Plate to the Post was placed at the wrong location.
Fixed an issue in the Monowills connection, where the Stanchion Hole in Ball did not follow the slope of the stair and created a collision with the handrails.
Fixed an issue in the Monowills connection, where the predefined material was not assigned to all the components created by the connection.
Fixed an issue where the Code Check report would display the Moment - Rotation category without the graphs and calculations, when this category could not be calculated because not all parameters were defined by the user.
Fixed an issue that caused the "General punch marks" connection to abort its creation operation.
Fixed an issue that caused the Platform T connection to fail when parameter "6. Profile depth layout" from the Main member tab, T profile page was set to Depth or Projection.
Fixed an issue that caused the gusset plate to be in collision with the cover plate for the Single Brace Tube connection.
Fixed an issue that caused the distance between the gusset plate and the end plate to be incorrect for the Single Brace Tube connection.
Fixed an issue where the position of the kickplate and bracket created by a Monowills connection was incorrect.
Fixed an issue where the undo of the MatchProperties command on bolts/anchors would not restore their initial shape.

NUMBERING

Use Holes for Numbering: You can now choose to ignore the holes on elements during numbering - this gives you the possibility to have the same part mark for similar elements which only have different hole pattern characteristics. The Use hole for numbering checkbox is available in the properties dialog for holes, bolts and anchors and in the properties dialog of the elements, such as beams and plates, on which the holes, bolts and anchors are applied. See Use Holes for Numbering.

Fixed an issue that caused different plates with the same part number to exist when adding "Free remark", for the "Turnbuckle" connection.
Fixed an issue that caused equal plates to receive different numbers.
Fixed an issue that caused the numbering to be unstable when the default "Biggest part of an assembly will become the main part" was active.
Fixed an issue that caused the numbering format to not be saved when the "Use prefix" setting is disabled and the numbering format does not include the "%Prefix" token.
Fixed an issue where the name for unfolded beam was missing from the numbering list.

COLLABORATION

Fixed an issue with how beam sections are displayed in Advance Steel Object Enabler when opening two model files having the same section name saved in the dwg but configured with different geometrical parameters (height, thickness etc.).
Fixed a crash that occurred when using copy/paste on Advance Steel elements when under the Advance Steel Object Enabler.
Fixed an issue where sometimes weld preparations applied on folded plates would be skipped in NC files.
Unfolded Folded beams with circular features will now have arc segments instead of straight segments for the unfolded presentation of the circular cuts.
Fixed an issue where the "Explicit quantity" option was not taken into account in NC created based on main part numbers
Fixed an issue where the DXF views for plates would overlap when using the default "Write simple entities in Dxf file".
Fixed an inconsistency NC output for Tee-shaped beams where flange and web sizes were swapped in the header in the block definition.
Fixed an issue with the weld preparation information which was missing from NC files when generated by skewed circular cuts on hollow profiles.
Fixed a SFR export issue where the Drawing List exported file was incomplete and the Drawing Revision List file wasn't exported at all.
Fixed an issue related to the Advance Steel version in the IFC export file.
Fixed an issue that caused profiles that do not have mapping in the database to be mapped to the last used profile instead of triangular shape when importing a SMLX file and choosing "Ignore" option in the "Section conversion" dialog.
Fixed an issue where a specific model was not imported using the CIS2 command.
Fixed an issue in IFC export where the Inner Fillet and Outer Fillet values for rectangular hollow sections were switched between one another.
Fixed an issue in the IFC exporter where special characters from various languages were causing the export to stop at one point and not complete the creation of the IFC file.
Fixed an issue where the wall thickness for circular hollow sections was not exported with the correct value in the IFC Export file.
Fixed an issue that caused folded beams to not be present in Revit when linking an IFC file exported by Advance Steel.
Fixed an issue that caused plates to be incorrectly positioned (offset by their thickness) when imported from an IFC file.
Fixed an issue where a mapping line was saved inside the GTCMapping database if the user clicked the Ignore or Abort buttons in the manual mapping dialog, when importing a file in Advance Steel.
The weld location value is transferred correctly between Revit and Advance Steel.
Fixed an issue that caused the mapping dialog to appear multiple times when importing a STAAD file for each profile that did not have mapping, also adding duplicate records in the database.

API

Default Attribute State for Objects Controlled by Connections: Starting with Advance Steel 2021, all attributes of objects controlled by connections are accessible by default. Connection developers must now explicitly specify the attributes that the connection controls, which is done using the COM API by setting the Attribute property for specific attributes with the value 0, and simply enumerating them as before in the Attributes member of the corresponding CreatedObjectInformation structure with the .NET API. These attributes will become inaccessible from the object GUIs and will not be transferred on connection updates.
Connection developers have the possibility to switch back to the old behavior where the attributes of controlled objects were not accessible by default. This can be accomplished by setting the IJoint.DefaultAttributeStateAccessible property to the false value. If this is done, the developers must then specify the accessible attributes from within the connections, i.e. the attributes that the connection does not control, as before.

In order to preserve the old behavior for existing connections, the Version field was introduced in the HRLDefinition table. This is set to 24 (corresponding to Advance Steel 2020) for existing connections and the old behavior is, therefore, enforced - attributes are not accessible by default, the specified ones are accessible. New connections should have the Version field set as the current internal Advance Steel version. This ensures that new attributes, not known prior to a certain version are correctly excepted from the previously mentioned rules. The version can be found by looking at the major file version or product version of any dll from the currently installed Advance Steel binary folder (e.g. 25 for Advance Steel 2021).
Advance Steel 2021 .NET and COM API Changes

Added the ability to ignore holes during numbering in the public API. This API is available for Hole Features, Host Objects (i.e. Beams, Plates), Bolts and Anchors.
Refactored constructors exposed in the API for the Polyline3d class to eliminate cases which allowed the creation of invalid polylines, as well as refactoring the internal code behind these constructors.
API adjustments to avoid getting some beam hole inconsistencies when copying or moving beams with holes.
Introduced Autodesk.AdvanceSteel.Modelling.UnwindedBeam in the AS .NET API, encapsulating the unwinded beam functionality of Advance Steel.
API users can now correctly interrogate the type of a connection, of a fillet or of a contour that can define an advance steel object.

CONTENT/COUNTRIFICATION

Added the newly updated Vulcraft profiles to all functionalities as first pick.
Updated the Vulcraft profiles according to latest records from the manufacturer catalog.
Adjusted the UK drawing style "3D view - All, Assembly labels" to enhance the gratings representation in details.
Corrected the values for area, surface and weight for the HSS Square, HSS Rectangular, and HSS Pipe Canadian profiles.
Renamed the railing library records available in the French installation.
Replaced obsolete profiles used in the Stair Anchor connection from the French installation.
Replaced obsolete profiles used in the Cage Ladder from the French installation.
Filled sectional properties values for U DIN 1029 profiles.
Updated preferred sizes records for profiles in the French installation.
Added a dedicated GA cut symbol for the UK installation.
Added a new cut symbol for weld preparations.
Added nuts and washers up to 4" sizes for the US installation.
Added anchor bolt records up to 4" diameter.
Cleaned-up US drawing styles from dimensions rules that are no longer in use.
Enhanced dimension holes configurations in the US configuration for a cleaner presentation within drawings.
Enhanced feet - inches representation in details and BOM.
Reorganized dimension rules from US installation.
Corrected the definition of profile "Forster Norm-S50-32366".
Corrected several records definition for PN-EN ISO 4014 bolt standard.
Corrected the units for several Spanish BOM templates dwg.
Corrected the weight values for the Chile ICHA CA profiles.