There are several ways to assign a support to structure components:
- If no selection has been made before opening the Supports dialog - To assign a support to a structure, select the support type from the active list, then click the node or element in which the support is to be defined. The assigned support is marked (an arrow on the left side of the support type) on the active list. When the cursor is outside the dialog, it changes it shape to the assigned support. When the cursor is in the drawing area, the neighboring structure bar or node is highlighted.
- If a node is selected before the Supports dialog is opened - After opening this dialog, the selection list containing this selection is entered into the group Current selection field. To assign the appropriate support type to the elements from the selection list, select the support type from the active list and press ENTER or click Apply.
Note: After you click Apply, the list of objects no longer displays in the field.
- If the selection is made when the Supports dialog is already open dialog - Position the cursor in the Current Selection field. When you move the cursor outside the dialog, the cursor is in the selection mode. Therefore, you can select any structure component and their numbers are displayed in the Current Selection field. To assign the appropriate support type from the current list, select the support type and press ENTER or click Apply.
Note: After you click Apply, the list of objects no longer displays in the field.
You can define a support at a node only when the Nodal tab is selected in the Supports dialog. When the Linear tab is selected, supports can be defined on the edges; when the Planar tab is selected, supports can be defined only on panels.