About structural Axes

The axes of a structure create an additional grid, which can be used to define different elements of a structure and select structure components. The grid intersections form points that facilitate a designer's work by guiding cursor movements when defining a structure graphically with a mouse.

Structure axes are vital when moving within a structure model. Using them allows quick display of the selected work plane (the View dialog) and selection of elements positioned in structure axes.

Axis selection can be performed using descriptions positioned on either ends of a structure axis. Clicking on the description of the selected axis results in the selection of all structure elements located on this axis.

Selecting with rectangle an axis description selects all bars or panels located on the selected axes. It enables quick selection of the parts of the structure positioned on the axes. More advanced selection options (using geometrical coordinates and structure axes) are offered by the following option: Click Edit menu > Select Special > Structure Axes.

A structural axis grid can be defined as:

Rectangular grid in the Cartesian system (in the ZX plane in 2D structures, in the XY plane for 3D structures with Z direction as the height of the structure). The same axis grid as the one defined in the XY plane is created for each level when defining multiple structure levels.
Grid in the cylindrical or polar coordinate system.
Arbitrary axes (lines, semi-lines, and segments).

You can change the name of defined structural axis.

To do this, double-click the left mouse button on the name of the structure axis to edit the name. After you change the name press the <Enter> button. Before changing the name, an additional dialog box displays (Description of Structural Axes).

You can change the position of a Cartesian structural axis with structure parts located on it. To change a structure axis:

Highlight the description.
Right-click and select Object Properties from shortcut menu.