An analytical link is an element connecting 2 separate analytical nodes. Creating analytical links simplifies and accelerates structural analysis of the model affecting the results to the acceptable extent.
Analytical links may be used in certain situations such as connecting offset columns or beams, or modeling rigid floor diaphragms. An analytical link will be created automatically from analytical beams to analytical columns based on the rules defined below.
Analytical Links (An Offset Column and a Rigid Floor Diaphragm)
Analytical links can be set to fully rigid or released in global directions. These analytical elements provide rigidity to the analytical model without adding a real physical object.
An analytical link is an instance property for columns and beams under Analytical Model properties. For beams, you can select On, Off, or From Column.
Columns that overlap but don't necessarily join the physical model of a beam can have analytical links with the beam.
In this case, the column is a potential candidate for analytical links as seen in the following illustration.
Beams that span multiple columns can accommodate analytical links similarly. All columns in the following illustration, whether joined or not, can have analytical links with the beam.
The following table shows analytical link behavior based on the settings of both the columns and the beam.
| Analytical Link Settings | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beam | Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 | Column 4 | |
 |
From Column | Yes | No | No | Yes |
 |
From Column | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
 |
From Column | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
 |
Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
 |
No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |