Industrial Buildings Using PDMS

Industrial Building Design Using VANTAGE PDMS
Version 11.6
pdms1160/Industrial Buildings Using PDMS issue 240804
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Revision History
Date Ocober 2003 August 2004 Version 11.5 11.6 Notes Updated to incorporate the Design Explorer and the new view manipulation facilities introduced at this version of PDMS. Updated to reflect changes in Design Explorer, Draw List, and Reference List.
Industrial Building Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6
Revision History-i
Revision History
Revision History-ii
Contents
1
1.1
Read This First............................................................ 1-1

The scope of this guide............................................................................................ 1-1 1.1.1 Intended audience...................................................................................... 1-1 1.1.2 Assumptions.............................................................................................. 1-1 1.1.3 About the tutorial exercise ........................................................................ 1-1 1.1.4 Further reading .......................................................................................... 1-2 Text conventions ..................................................................................................... 1-2 Terminology ............................................................................................................ 1-2 How the guide is organised ..................................................................................... 1-3 Further training in the use of PDMS ....................................................................... 1-3
1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5
2
2.1 2.2 2.3
Introducing VANTAGE PDMS.................................... 2-1

Introducing the structure of PDMS ......................................................................... 2-1 The strengths of PDMS .......................................................................................... 2-1 PDMS industrial building design features............................................................... 2-2
3
3.1 3.2 3.3
Getting Started............................................................ 3-1

Logging in ............................................................................................................... 3-1 Using the mouse ...................................................................................................... 3-2 Using forms ............................................................................................................. 3-2 3.3.1 Using text boxes........................................................................................ 3-2 3.3.2 Using drop-down lists ............................................................................... 3-3 3.4 The PDMS startup display....................................................................................... 3-4 3.5 Using menus ............................................................................................................ 3-5 3.6 Using the tool bar .................................................................................................... 3-6 3.7 Using the Design Explorer ...................................................................................... 3-7 3.8 Using the status bar ................................................................................................. 3-8 3.9 More on using forms ............................................................................................... 3-8 3.9.1 Using option buttons ................................................................................. 3-9 3.9.2 Using check boxes .................................................................................... 3-9 3.9.3 Using scrollable lists ................................................................................. 3-9 3.9.4 Using action buttons................................................................................ 3-10 3.10 Responding to alert forms.................................................................................... 3-10 3.11 Using on-line Help............................................................................................... 3-10
4
4.1 4.2
Setting Up the PDMS Database Hierarchy ............... 4-1

How PDMS stores design data ................................................................................ 4-1 4.1.1 PDMS design data definitions................................................................... 4-2 Design element soft types........................................................................................ 4-3
Contents-i
Contents
4.3 4.4
4.5 4.6
Starting the Walls & Floors application .................................................................. 4-3 Creating administrative elements ............................................................................ 4-3 4.4.1 Creating a site............................................................................................ 4-4 4.4.2 Creating a zone below a site...................................................................... 4-5 4.4.3 Creating a structure below a zone ............................................................. 4-6 4.4.4 Creating frameworks below a structure .................................................... 4-6 4.4.5 Creating compound floors and walls ........................................................ 4-8 4.4.6 Creating a second structure to floors and walls level................................ 4-9 4.4.7 Setting floor level elevations................................................................... 4-10 Adding a floor level storage area........................................................................... 4-11 Setting storage areas for data types ....................................................................... 4-13
5
5.1 5.2
Working with geometry in PDMS .............................. 5-1

Design-to-catalogue cross-referencing.................................................................... 5-1 How PDMS represents floors and straight walls..................................................... 5-1 5.2.1 Floors ........................................................................................................ 5-1 5.2.2 Straight walls............................................................................................. 5-2 Preparing to define geometry .................................................................................. 5-3 5.3.1 Selecting the current working level........................................................... 5-3 5.3.2 Setting default specifications .................................................................... 5-4 5.3.3 Creating a working grid ............................................................................ 5-7 5.3.4 Introduction to event-driven graphics mode ........................................... 5-10 Creating a floor panel ............................................................................................ 5-11 Viewing the design ................................................................................................ 5-12 5.5.1 Defining what appears in the view.......................................................... 5-13 5.5.2 Manipulating the displayed view ............................................................ 5-14 Modifying the floor panel geometry...................................................................... 5-16 Saving your changes and leaving your design session......................................... 5-19
5.3
5.4 5.5
5.6 5.7
6
6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6
Creating a Simple Building........................................ 6-1

Restoring a previously saved PDMS setup ............................................................. 6-1 Creating the outer walls........................................................................................... 6-2 Adding internal walls .............................................................................................. 6-6 Checking and correcting connectivity ................................................................... 6-11 Inserting doors and windows................................................................................. 6-12 Changing the view representation ......................................................................... 6-16
7
7.1 7.2
Modifying the Building............................................... 7-1

Adding beams and columns..................................................................................... 7-1 Adjusting the walls and floors................................................................................. 7-5
8
8.1 8.2
Adding Extra Storeys ................................................. 8-1

Adding a floor and walls at level 2.......................................................................... 8-1 Adding a floor at level 3.......................................................................................... 8-3
Contents-ii
Contents
8.3 8.4
Creating negative extrusions ................................................................................... 8-4 Completing the stairwell.......................................................................................... 8-7
9
9.1
Checking and Outputting Design Data..................... 9-1

Checking for clashes................................................................................................ 9-1 9.1.1 Obstruction levels...................................................................................... 9-1 9.1.2 Extent of clashing...................................................................................... 9-1 9.1.3 The clash detection process....................................................................... 9-2 Generating a data output report ............................................................................... 9-4 9.2.1 Generating a tabulated data report ............................................................ 9-4 Querying mass properties ........................................................................................ 9-6 Plotting the design model ........................................................................................ 9-7
9.2 9.3 9.4
10
10.1 10.2
Adding Curved Walls and Beams ........................... 10-1
How PDMS represents curved walls and beams ................................................. 10-1 Creating a semicircular vestibule......................................................................... 10-2 10.2.1 Setting the design defaults ...................................................................... 10-3 10.2.2 Creating a ring wall................................................................................. 10-3 10.2.3 Adding a semicircular roof...................................................................... 10-4 10.2.4 Modifying the existing floor slab............................................................ 10-4 10.2.5 Inserting a door and some windows........................................................ 10-6 10.3 Creating a runway beam with multiple curves .................................................... 10-6 10.3.1 Some initial preparations......................................................................... 10-7 10.3.2 Defining a working grid .......................................................................... 10-7 10.3.3 Creating a curved section ........................................................................ 10-8 10.3.4 Modifying a curved section..................................................................... 10-9 10.4 Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 10-10
A
A.1 A.2 A.3
Other Relevant Documentation................................ A-1

PDMS introductory guides ......................................................................................A-1 PDMS reference manuals ........................................................................................A-2 General guides .........................................................................................................A-2
Contents-iii
Contents
Contents-iv
Read This First
1.1
The scope of this guide

This guide introduces some of the facilities provided by VANTAGE PDMS for the design and documentation of interconnected walls and floors for a wide range of plant design industries. It explains the main concepts underlying PDMS and its supporting applications, and shows how you can apply these to your own design projects. The chapters of this guide take the form of a hands-on tutorial exercise combined with frequent explanation of the underlying concepts. As you work progressively through the exercise, you will gain practical experience of the ways in which you can use PDMS while learning about the powerful facilities it provides.
1.1.1 Intended audience

This guide has been written for engineers familiar with structural design practices, who may or may not have prior knowledge of PDMS.
1.1.2 Assumptions
For you to use this guide, the sample PDMS project, Project SAM, must be correctly installed on your system, and you must have read/write access to the project databases. It is assumed that you know: where to find PDMS on your computer system you know how to use the Windows operating system installed on your site. Contact your systems administrator if you need help in either of these areas.
1.1.3 About the tutorial exercise

All the steps of the exercise are numbered sequentially throughout the guide. The start and end of each part of the exercise is marked by lines across the page to separate them from the general information sections, like this:
1-1
Read This First
1.1.4 Further reading

You can find a list of relevant AVEVA documentation in the appendices of this guide.
1.2 Text conventions

This guide uses the following text conventions: Serif Bold Serif italic
Sans-serif
for the majority of the text. to highlight important information, and to introduce special terminology. to denote internal cross references and citations. to denote keys on your keyboard.
Sans-serif bold for menu names and options, and for the names of forms. Typewriter
for text within a form, including text that you enter yourself using the keyboard.
1.3
Terminology
You can switch rapidly between the different parts of the program, so that the distinctions between them become almost imperceptible, but you need to recognise what is happening when you select from the different functions available to you from the various menus. The following terms are used throughout this guide to describe what action to carry out: Enter Click Type text into the specified dialogue box, then press the Enter (or
Return) key to confirm the entry.
Place the mouse cursor over a specified point, then quickly press and release the designated mouse button. If no button is specified, use the left-hand mouse button. Click on the required item to select it. Place the mouse cursor over a specified point, then press and hold down the required mouse button while moving the cursor to a second specified point. Release the button over the second point. Place the mouse cursor over a specified point, then click the lefthand mouse button twice in quick succession.
Pick Drag
Double-click
1-2
Read This First
1.4
How the guide is organised

This guide is divided into three parts, including some appendices, as follows: Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 introduces this guide and summarises its scope. gives a general overview of the main design facilities provided within the pipework application. gives you a general guide to using the PDMS graphical user interface, including an explanation of how to access detailed online help. A running example is used from this chapter on, to illustrate essential concepts. explains how PDMS stores its design data and shows you how to organise your data. adds more detail about how floors and walls data is stored. It then guides you through the steps needed to create a rectangular concrete floor and subsequently modify its shape. continues the design exercise by adding some walls to the existing floor and inserting doors and windows into these walls. shows how to modify the design in various ways. It includes details of how to add concrete beams and columns within the building, and how to move a wall and restore the design integrity. describes the addition of upper storeys to the building, followed by the insertion of a vertical stairwell linking all floors. shows how to check your design for clashes, and how to generate reports and plots directly from the design data. explains how curved walls and beams are represented and illustrates their use. It concludes the worked example. identifies other sources of information which supplement, and expand upon, the brief details given in this guide.
Chapter 4 Chapter 5
Chapter 6 Chapter 7
Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Appendix A
The guide concludes with an index, allowing you to refer back to any specific topics about whose details you need to be reminded.
1.5
Further training in the use of PDMS

This guide teaches you to about the key features of using PDMS for structural designs only.
1-3
Read This First
If you wish to learn more about the wide-ranging facilities of PDMS, AVEVA provides a wide range of training courses, covering all levels of expertise and all design disciplines. For details of courses, and to arrange course attendance, contact your nearest AVEVA support office (see the copyright page at the front of this guide for our web address).
1-4
Introducing VANTAGE PDMS

This chapter provides: an introduction to PDMS an explanation of the structure of PDMS the strengths of PDMS industrial building design features.
2.1 Introducing the structure of PDMS

PDMS comprises the following functional parts: modules applications. A module is a subdivision of PDMS that you use to carry out specific types of operation. This guide covers the following modules: Design, which you use for creating the 3D design model Draft, which you use for generating annotated and dimensioned drawings of your design. An application is supplementary program that has been tailored to provide easy control of operations that are specific to a particular discipline. The applications you will use for structural design work in this guide are: Walls & Floors Beams & Columns Panels & Plates. You can switch quickly and easily between different parts of PDMS.
2.2
The strengths of PDMS

In VANTAGE PDMS, you have a powerful suite of facilities for the modification, design validation and documentation of logically interconnected steelwork and/or concrete structures. The emphasis is on maximising both design consistency and design productivity: The design modelling functions incorporate a degree of apparent intelligence that enables them to make sensible decisions about the consequential effects of many of your design choices. This allows you to implement a sequence of related decisions with a minimum of effort.
2-1
You can incorporate modifications into your design at any stage without fear of invalidating any of your prior work, because data consistency-checking is an integral part of the product. PDMS automatically manages drawing production, material take-off reports, and so on, by reading all design data directly from a common set of databases, to prevent errors from being introduced by transcribing information between different disciplines. The applications let you check all aspects of your design as work progresses. This includes on-line interdisciplinary clash detection, so the chances of errors and inconsistencies reaching the final documented design are reduced to an exceptionally low level. The applications are controlled from a graphical user interface. This means that all design, drawing and reporting operations are initiated by selecting choices from menus, and by entering data into on-screen forms. For ease of use, many common actions are also represented by pictorial icons. On-screen help is available to assist you whenever you need help.
2.3 PDMS industrial building design features

VANTAGE PDMS has been designed by structural engineers for structural engineers. The structural applications offer the following key benefits: The applications are designed to use specification data when selecting steelwork components from the Catalogue database, so that design consistency and conformity to standards are ensured. It is important, therefore, that the Structural Catalogue databases are properly maintained: a Specification Generator facility is provided to enable this to be achieved with a minimum of effort. You can name structural elements in accordance with a predefined set of rules, so that their positions in the database hierarchy are always obvious without you having to enter specific texts during the design process. You can set up pointers to define the storage areas in which specific types of design element are to be held in the database hierarchy. This, especially when combined with the rule-based naming facility, minimises the amount of data which you have to enter explicitly as you build up your design model. You can set up temporary lists of elements, so that you can carry out a design operation on all elements within the list simultaneously. This can avoid a great deal of repetitive work when you carry out commonly-repeated design modifications. The applications incorporate a number of geometric design aids, such as 3D positioning grids, design pins and 2D routing planes, to make it easy for you to position structural elements accurately within the design model. In most cases you can specify the points at which design items are to be positioned using the cursor to pick the required points in a 3D model view.
2-2
Non-standard structural components, such as complex panels and floor slabs, can be created by defining the required shape as a 2D profile and then extruding this to the desired thickness. Negative primitives and shapes can be used in the structural catalogue to define complex joint geometry and end preparations for structural sections, so that fitting allowances etc. can be modelled easily. You can create multiple copies of design components by specifying the number of copies required and their relative positions and orientations. For example, a complete roof structure can be created by designing a single roof truss and then, in one operation, making as many copies as are necessary to support the length of the roof, with each truss displaced by a given distance relative to the preceding one. Much repetitive work can be avoided in symmetrical designs by making copies of interconnected parts of the structure and reflecting them about specified axes, so that the design pattern is repeated as required. Joint positions can be finely adjusted to ensure accurate assembly, using any standard datum line to define the precise alignment of a joint with its attached sections. Sections, panels, walls, floor slabs, etc. can be divided at intersections, after the overall size and shape have been defined, without affecting any of their logical interconnections. This enables you to design the macrostructure (for example, complete areas to be covered) first and then to subdivide this into a manageable microstructure for fabrication purposes at a later stage (typically, to make the most efficient use of stock material sizes). The edges of panels can be notched to fit around section profiles, and the edges of adjacent panels can be shaped such they interlock automatically. Penetrations can be created as catalogue elements. Such a penetration, which can incorporate appropriate sleeving, kick plates, etc., can be inserted into a structural section or panel as a complete entity, with the dimensions and position of the penetration derived automatically from the dimensions of the pipe/duct/cable tray passing though it. The applications make it easy for you to create floor slabs and other structural panels by using intelligent cursor picking to enhance the interaction between the displayed graphics and the design creation process. A very wide range of construction lines can be added and viewed as you build up a panel outline, allowing you to define the detailed shape in almost any way you might choose. You can carry out multi-disciplinary clash checks at any stage of the design, thus avoiding spatial conflicts within the overall model which could be expensive to rectify at the construction stage. This is particularly important where different features of the design model are under the control of different designers. At any stage of your work, you can create reports listing specified data from the current database. You can specify a standard report template, so you can derive lists of commonly-required information very quickly, or you can design a oneoff report format to suit special needs. The resultant output, which can include
2-3
data from any design discipline, sorted in any way you require, can be either displayed on your screen or sent to a file (for storage and/or for printing). You can, for example, generate schedules listing all doors and windows within the building, or calculate the mass or volume of concrete needed for any part of the construction.
2-4
Getting Started
This chapter explains: how to log in to PDMS how to use the windows, menus and forms that comprise the PDMS graphical user interface on-line help.
3.1
Logging in
This is the first step of the tutorial exercise. If you do not know where the PDMS program is stored on your system, you will have to contact your system administrator at this point.
Exercise begins:
1.
Start PDMS by double-clicking on the PDMS icon. The VANTAGE PDMS Login form that appears requires you to specify a number of details at the outset of your session.
Ignore any entries currently shown in this form. The next section describes how to complete the boxes, and the exercise continues afterwards.
3-1
Getting Started
3.2
Using the mouse

You use the mouse to steer the graphics cursor around the screen and to select or pick items by using the mouse buttons. The buttons perform different tasks depending on the type of window, and the position within the window, where the cursor is positioned. The appearance of the cursor changes according to the type of display item that is underneath it. The left-hand mouse button has three functions: On a graphical view, clicking the left-hand button with the cursor over a design element results in that element becoming the current element (that is, the design item on which you want to carry out the next operation). In a sequence of menus, dragging with the left-hand button activates the command represented by the highlighted menu option when the button is released. On a form, the effect varies according to what you select. The middle mouse button is used primarily to manipulate a graphical view; the righthand button is used to access the menu options specific to the graphical view window. Note: the right-hand mouse button menu will henceforth be referred to as the shortcut menu.
3.3
Using forms
Forms can include any of the following: text boxes drop-down lists option buttons check boxes scrollable lists action buttons. Text boxes and drop-down lists are explained below; the remainder are explained later in this chapter.
3.3.1 Using text boxes

Text boxes are the areas where you type in alphanumeric data such as names or dimensions. A text box will usually have a label to tell you what to enter. When you first open a form which contains text boxes, the first text-box on the form is current and a text editing cursor (a vertical bar) is displayed in the box. A text-box often contains a default entry (such as unset) when first displayed. Some text boxes
3-2
Getting Started
accept only text or only numeric data, and entries with the wrong type of data are not accepted. To enter data into a text box: Click in the box to insert the text editing cursor. Type in the required data, editing any existing entry as necessary. (You may need to delete the existing entry first.) When you have finished, confirm the entry by pressing the Enter (or Return) key. Any text box with an unconfirmed setting is highlighted by a yellow background.
3.3.2 Using drop-down lists

Drop-down lists let you choose one option from a multiple selection. The list will usually have a label to tell you what you are setting and will show the current selection. They typically have the following appearance:
To change the setting, click on the down arrow or button face to reveal the full list of available options, then pick the required option.
Exercise continues:
2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
Click on the VANTAGE PDMS Login form to make it active. Give the name of the Project in which you want to work: enter SAM. Give your allocated Username: enter STRUC. Give your allocated Password: enter STRUC. Give the part of the project Multiple Database (MDB) you want to work in: enter STRUC. Give the name of the module you wish to use: select Design. Make sure that you leave the Read Only box unchecked, so that you can modify the database as you work.
8.
You must specify which files to load at startup. You can choose either the application default settings (Load from Macro Files) or a customised setup saved during an earlier session (Load from Binary Files). Select Macro Files. When you have entered all the necessary details, the form looks like this:
3-3
Getting Started
Click on the
button.
3.4
The PDMS startup display

When PDMS has loaded, your screen looks like this:
Title Bar Main menu Bar Main Tool Bar
3D View Tool Bar
3D Graphical View
Design Explorer
Status Bar
As labelled above, the display comprises the following: Title Bar This shows the current PDMS module, and its sub-application if applicable.
3-4
Getting Started
Main Menu Bar This is the area you use to make menu selections. Main Tool Bar This has a number of icon buttons and drop-down lists that offer shortcuts to a selection common PDMS operations and standard settings. Design Explorer This shows your current position in the PDMS database hierarchy. To move to a different point in the database, you click on the appropriate item in the list. Section 3.7 below explains more about how to use the Design Explorer. 3D Graphical View This is the window in which you display the design model graphically as you build it. A pop-up menu (which you access with the right-hand mouse button) enables you to control how the model is represented. This window also has its own tool bar. Status Bar This displays information about the current status of your operations. You can reposition or minimise these windows at any time using standard window management facilities.
3.5
Using menus
Menu options in pull-down or pop-up menus can be in any of three formats: Standalone options initiate an action immediately. Options followed by three dots display a form. Options followed by a pointer, display a subsidiary menu that offers a further range of options. Throughout this guide, related selections from menus are abbreviated form using the > symbol as a separator. For example: Select Position>Move>Distance means:
1) Select Position from the bar menu. 2) Select Move from the resulting pull-down menu 3) Move the cursor to the right and select Distance from the resultant submenu.
3-5
Getting Started
3.6
Using the tool bar

The tool bar is displayed immediately below the main menu bar in the application window. It contains a number of icon buttons which let you carry out common tasks without searching for the options in the menus. The actions of the buttons are explained in the on-line help. If you pause the cursor over a button, a tool-tip pop-up box will remind you of the function of the button. To activate a button, you click on it. Note: The tool bar can be switched off, or displayed with larger icons. To do so, select Settings>System from the main menu bar and then set the required options on the resulting System Settings form.
3-6
Getting Started
3.7
Using the Design Explorer

The Design Explorer presents a hierarchical view of the PDMS databases and makes navigating around the Design Database quick and easy. The figure below shows a typical example of the information the Design Explorer displays:
To expand or collapse any branch of the tree, click on the
or
icon.
You can reduce the amount of information the tree displays by ticking the filter checkbox and selecting one of the predefined core filters from the drop-down combo-box list. If you want to narrow the view down even more, you can change the settings in the Explorer Settings, which you can access by selecting Settings>Explorer from the main menu. If you place the mouse-pointer over an element, you will get a ToolTip that gives the elements name, type, and description; clicking-the right mouse-button while the cursor is over an element will bring up a context menu from which you can choose to perform various actions. What actions are available depend on which DB and module you are using.
3-7
Getting Started
You can drag-and-drop elements within the Design Explorer to copy them, or you can drag-and-drop from the Explorer to add elements to the 3D view and My Data. The Current Element is highlighted in the tree view and the Current Element will change to follow selections made elsewhere, even if the Explorer is not the active window. If you set the Expand to CE check box in the Explorer Settings, the tree will automatically expand to show the Current Element if it is not currently in view. The Current Element is also the displayed in the History List, which you will find by default on the main menu bar. However, you can undock the History List and have it as a free-floating window. The figure below shows the History List as a free-floating window.
You can make another element the Current Element using the History List by: typing the elements name into the combo box; selecting a previously typed in element from the combo-boxs pull-down list. Note that if you dock the window vertically, it will not display the combobox.; navigating through the history one element at a time using the backwards and forwards buttons; selecting elements from anywhere in the History List using the drop down lists on the backwards and forwards buttons.
3.8
Using the status bar

The status bar displays messages telling you what actions the application is carrying out. You should look at it frequently, especially if the system appears to be waiting for you to do something, since it will always prompt you for any input or action which is required to carry out the next step of your current activity. If the prompt lets you repeat a task an unspecified number of times, such as picking a selection of items using the cursor, you must press the Escape key when you have finished to indicate that you are ready to move to the next operation.
3.9
More on using forms

Forms are used both to display information and to let you enter new data. Forms typically comprise an arrangement of buttons of various types, text-boxes, and scrollable lists. Input to a form is usually via a combination of mouse and keyboard.
3-8
Getting Started
While you have access to a form, you can change a setting, return to the initial values, accept and act on the current data, or cancel the form without applying any changes, according to the nature of the form. You were introduced to text boxers and drop-down lists in Section 3.3; this section describes the remaining boxes, buttons and lists: option buttons check boxes scrollable lists action buttons.
3.9.1 Using option buttons

Option buttons are used to select one, and only one, from a group of options. The selection is mutually exclusive, so that selecting one option deselects others in that group automatically. They typically have the following appearance: Option selected Option not selected To change the selected option button in a group, click the required button.
3.9.2 Using check boxes

Check boxes are used to switch an option between two states, typically set and unset. Unlike option buttons, they do not interact, so that you can set any combination of check boxes at the same time. They typically have the following appearance: Set Unset
3.9.3 Using scrollable lists

A scrollable list is displayed as a vertical list of options within the form, with vertical and horizontal scroll bars along its sides. To select an option, click on the line you want. The selected line is highlighted. Some scrollable lists let you make only a single selection, so that selecting any option deselects all others automatically. Other lists let you make multiple selections, with all selected options highlighted simultaneously. You can deselect a highlighted option in a multiple-choice list, by clicking on it again (repeated clicks toggle a selection).
3-9
Getting Started
3.9.4 Using action buttons

Most forms include one or more action buttons. You use these to tell PDMS what to do with the details you have entered in the form. The common action buttons are: Tells PDMS to accept the current form settings, and closes the form. Cancels any changes you have made to the form, and closes the form. Tells PDMS to accept the current form settings, and leaves the form displayed for further use. Cancels any changes you have made to the form, and leaves the form displayed for further use. Closes the form, keeping the current settings. Some forms contain more specific types of control button which carry out particular command options. The action is indicated by the name of the button (such Add or Remove).
3.10 Responding to alert forms

Alert forms are used to display information such as error messages, prompts and requests for confirmation of changes. You should respond by carrying out the task prompted for, or by clicking on the control buttons on the form (usually an OK or Cancel button).
3.11 Using on-line Help

Most bar menus end with a Help option. Where available, on-line help gives detailed instructions on how to use the forms and menus from which you control each application.
3-10
Getting Started
Choosing one of the Help options will bring up the Help window. The picture below shows a typical example of what you will see:
The pane on the right shows by default a clickable image of the main PDMS Design window. If you click on an area of the image, the image will be replaced by text that describes the part of the image you clicked on. The left pane contains a set of tabs that allow you to use Help in different ways. Choosing one of the options described below activates the relevant tab for you so it is at the front when the Help window comes up. The Help option gives you the following choices from its submenu:
Help>Contents
This displays the Help window so that you can find the required topic from the hierarchical contents list.
Help>Index
This displays the Help window with the Index tab selected, so that you can browse for the topic you want to read about from the alphabetically-arranged list. You can locate topics quickly by typing in the first few letters of their title.
Help>Search
This displays the Help window with the Search tab at the front so that you can find all topics containing the keywords you specify.
3-11
Getting Started
Help>About
This displays information about the current operating system on your computer and about the versions of PDMS and its applications to which you have access. Pressing the F1 key at any time will display the help topic for the currently active window.
Exercise continues:
9.
Experiment with each of the Help options until you understand the search and navigation facilities for finding specific items of information. Use the Help>On Context option to read the help texts for any forms which you can currently see on your screen. When you are ready to continue, close any forms which you have been experimenting with as follows: If a form has a Dismiss button, click this button. If a form has its own menu bar, select Control>Close from that menu. Close any Help windows which are displayed by double-clicking in the control box in the top left-hand corner of each window. Alternatively, select File>Exit from the Help window menu bar. Do not close the Design Explorer or the 3D View windows, because you will use these in the next parts of the exercise.
10.
You are advised to make full use of the on-line help facilities whenever you want clarification of any operations during the later steps of the exercise.
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Setting Up the PDMS Database Hierarchy

In this chapter, you will: learn how PDMS stores design data learn about design element soft types use the Floors & Walls application to create administrative elements for a simple three-storey building specify where you will store the definitions of the walls and floors that will make up the building model.
4.1
How PDMS stores design data

All PDMS data is stored in the form of a hierarchy. A PDMS Design database has: a top level, World (usually represented by the symbolic name /*) two principal administrative sublevels, Site and Zone. The names used to identify database levels below Zone depend on the specific engineering discipline for which the data is used. For structural design data, the lower administrative levels (and their PDMS abbreviations) are: Structure (STRU) Framework (FRMW)
Subframework (SBFR). Subframeworks are optional for some applications, but are used in a very specific way when creating walls and floors. The data which defines the physical design of the individual structural components is held below Subframework level, giving the following overall format:
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WORLD (/*)
SITE
ZONE
STRUCTURE (STRU)
FRAMEWORK (FRMW)
SUBFRAMEWORK (SBFR)
CWALL
CFLOOR
CSCREED
Design data defining individual structural components which make up the design model
4.1.1 PDMS design data definitions

All data is represented in the database (DB) as follows: Each identifiable item of data is known as a PDMS element. Each element has a number of associated pieces of information which, together, completely define its properties. These are known as its attributes. Every element is identified within the database structure by an automaticallyallocated reference number and, optionally, by a user-specified name. Additional items of information about an element which can be stored as attribute settings include, the: element type element physical dimensions and technical specifications element physical location and orientation in the design model element connectivity. Some attribute settings must be defined by you when you create a new element, others will be defined automatically by PDMS. When you are modifying a database (for example, when you are creating new elements or changing the settings of their attributes), you can consider yourself to be positioned at a specific point within the hierarchy. The element at this location is called the current element (usually abbreviated to CE). In many cases, commands which you give for modifying the attributes of an element will assume that the changes are to be applied to the current element unless you specify otherwise, so you must understand this concept and always be aware of your current position in the database hierarchy. The Design Explorer displays this information continuously. The vertical link between two elements on adjacent levels of the database hierarchy is defined as an owner-member relationship. The element on the upper level is the owner of those elements directly linked below it. The lower
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level elements are members of their owning element. Each element can have many members, but it can have only one owner. You can navigate from any element to any other, thereby changing the current element, by following the owner-member links up and down the hierarchy.
4.2 Design element soft types

In the hierarchy diagram shown in the previous section, you can see that there are three element types shown at the same level as the Subframework (SBFR):
CWALL (compound walls)
CFLOOR (compound floors) CSCREED (compound screeds). These elements have exactly the same set of attributes as Subframeworks, except that they have names that are more meaningful to the context in which they are used. These elements are described as soft types of the SBFR element.
4.3 Starting the Walls & Floors application
Exercise continues:
11.
The first structural application you will use is that for designing interconnected walls and floors. To access this application, select Design>Structures>Walls & Floors from the main bar menu. When loading is complete, the main menu bar and tool bar shows some extra options:
4.4
Creating administrative elements

Administrative elements are elements that represent a hierarchical filing system. During the exercise, you will design a simple three storey building with the following initial ground-floor hierarchy:
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WORLD (/*)
SITE /BUILDING.SITE ZONE /Building_01
STRU /Building_01_LEVEL_01
STRU /Building_01_LEVEL_02 etc.
FRMW /Building_01_LEVEL_01_FLOORS_01 CFLOOR 1
FRMW /Building_01_LEVEL_01_WALLS_01 CWALL 1
(Components representing floors for Level 1 will be stored here)
(Components representing walls for Level 1 will be stored here)
4.4.1 Creating a site

You will create your hierarchy from the top down, starting with a site.
Exercise continues:
12.
Make sure that you are at World level in the Design Explorer, then select Create>Site to display the Create Site form:
13.
Type BUILDING.SITE in the Name text box, and press the Enter key to confirm the name. The system automatically adds a / prefix to this name so that it conforms with the internal PDMS file naming conventions: /BUILDING.SITE.
14.
The Purpose setting is optional, and is used for selecting particular categories of element for use in compiling reports etc.
4-4
Identify your Site as one that holds civils modelling data by selecting CIV
Industrial Buildings.
Your settings now look like this:
15.
Click OK to create the Site element. Your first element appears in the Design Explorer as the current element:
4.4.2 Creating a zone below a site
Exercise continues:
16. 17.
Choose Create>Zone: You will let the system name the Zone. On the Create Zone form:
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Set the Name option to Autoname
Set the Purpose to CIV Building.
18.
Click OK to create the Zone element. Again, the new element appears in the Design Explorer as the current element, and it has been automatically named Building_01.
4.4.3 Creating a structure below a zone

You will use a separate Structure element to represent each floor level of the building.
Exercise continues:
19.
Select Create>Structure. Select Autoname. Set the Purpose to LEVL Building Level.
20.
Click OK to create the Structure, which is automatically named Building_01_LEVEL_01.
4.4.4 Creating frameworks below a structure

Each Structure (floor level) in your building requires two Framework elements. These will store separate: floor panel definitions wall definitions. Note: You will not use screeds in this exercise.
Exercise continues:
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21.
To create a framework for the floor definitions, select Create>Framework. Select Autoname. Set Purpose to FLOO Floors
22. 23. 24.
Click Apply. The framework is created with the name Building_01_LEVEL_01_FLOORS_01. To create a framework for the wall definitions, in the Design Explorer, click on Building_01_LEVEL_01 to navigate back to Structure level. Select Create>Framework again. Select Autoname. Set Purpose to WALL Walls
25.
Click Apply. The framework is created with the name Building_01_LEVEL_01_ WALLS_01. Your Design Explorer now looks similar to this:
Note: 26.
If you or other users have accessed this database before, the list may also contain other elements.
You can see the list of elements that will appear in the View by looking at the
Draw List. To view the Draw List, select the option Display>Draw List from
the main menu bar. Your Draw List should look like this:
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You specify which elements of your design you wish to display, by adding them to or removing them from the draw list. To add an element to the Draw List, select it in the Design Explorer, then right-click the mouse and select 3D
View>Add.
Alternatively, you can click the right or left mouse-button and drag-and-drop the element into the 3D View.
4.4.5 Creating compound floors and walls

The elements below Framework level for holding detailed design data are the soft types: CFLOOR CWALL.
Exercise continues:
27.
To create a CFLOOR element, click on Building_01_LEVEL_01_FLOORS_01 in the Design Explorer. Select Create>Compound>Floor, and then just click OK. (This leaves the CFLOOR unnamed and its purpose unset.) To create a CWALL element, click on Building_01_LEVEL_01_WALLS_01 in the Design Explorer. Select Create>Compound>Wall, and, again, click OK to leave the CWALL unnamed and its purpose unset.
28.
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4.4.6 Creating a second structure to floors and walls level
Exercise continues:
29. 30.
In the Design Explorer, click back on Building_01. Select Create>Structure. Select Autoname. Set the Purpose to LEVL Building Level.
31. 32.
Click OK to create the Structure, which is automatically named Building_01_LEVEL_02. Select Create>Framework. Select Autoname. Set Purpose to FLOO Floors
33. 34. 35.
Click OK. The framework is created with the name Building_01_LEVEL_2_FLOORS_01. Select Create>Compound>Floor, and click OK. Click on Building_01_LEVEL_02 in the Design Explorer again to navigate back to Structure level.
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36.
Select Create>Framework. Select Autoname. Set Purpose to WALL Walls
37. 38.
Click Apply. The framework is created with the name Building_01_LEVEL_2_WALLS_01. Select Create>Compound>Wall, and click OK:
Note:
You may have to expand items to see the whole of the structure.
4.4.7 Setting floor level elevations
Exercise continues:
39.
From the main bar menu, select Settings>Storage Areas. This displays the Building Levels form:
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40.
Click on Building_01_LEVEL_01 within this form, then select Control>CE from the Building Levels menu bar. Click Yes in the Confirm alert box. The upper list is updated to show all Structure elements below the current Zone that are suitable for use as storage areas. Note: All elements were already listed, so the form appears unchanged. You can see from the form that, by default, both levels have zero elevation. You will leave Building_01_LEVEL_01 as it is, but move Building_01_LEVEL_02 up to an elevation of 4000.
41.
Click on Building_01_LEVEL_02, then select Modify>Elevation from the Building Levels menu bar. On the Elevation form which appears, change the Elevation value to 4000:
42.
Click OK. Notice how the levels are automatically listed in order of elevation.
4.5
Adding a floor level storage area

You will add the third floor level Structure now, setting the elevation as the element is created, rather than performing separate operations. This method of creation also sets the Purpose to LEVL automatically.
Exercise continues:
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43. 44.
From the Building Levels menu bar, select Create>Level. On the resulting Create Level form: Select Autoname. Set Elevation to 8000. Click OK. The new level, Building_01_LEVEL_03, is inserted into the upper list in the correct elevation sequence; in this case, at the end of the list:
45.
You can now complete the hierarchy below the new level. 46. Select Create>Framework. Select Autoname. Set Purpose to FLOO Floors 47. 48. 49. 50. Click OK. The framework is created with the name Building_01_LEVEL_3_FLOORS_01. Select Create>Compound>Floor, and click OK. Click on Building_01_LEVEL_03 in the Design Explorer again to navigate back to Structure level. Select Create>Framework. Select Autoname. Set Purpose to WALL Walls 51. 52. Click OK. The framework is created with the name Building_01_LEVEL_3_WALLS_01. Select Create>Compound>Wall, and click OK.
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4.6
Setting storage areas for data types

To complete your administrative element hierarchy, you must associate a data type (floor or wall) with each framework storage area. It is normal practice to store data types within the appropriate floor level.
Exercise continues:
53. 54. 55.
On the Building Levels form still displayed, select Building_01_LEVEL_01. In the Design Explorer, click on the CWALL 1 element below Building_01_LEVEL_01_WALLS_01. Back in the Building Levels form, click on the Walls entry in the Storage Areas list. This sets the selected storage area to the current element.
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56. 57.
Return to the Design Explorer, and click on the CFLOOR 1 element below Building_01_LEVEL_01_FLOORS_01. Again in the Building Levels form, click on the Floors entry in the Storage Areas list. The storage areas are now set as follows:
You can now repeat this procedure to set the storage areas for the walls and floors in the remaining building levels. 58. 59. On the Building Levels form, select Building_01_LEVEL_02. In the Design Explorer, click on the CWALL 1 element below Building_01_LEVEL_02_WALLS_01.
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60. 61. 62. 63. 64. 65. 66. 67. 68.
Back in the Building Levels form, click on the Walls entry in the Storage Areas list. Return to the Design Explorer, and click on the CFLOOR 1 element below Building_01_LEVEL_02_FLOORS_01. Again in the Building Levels form, click on the Floors entry in the Storage Areas list. Remaining in the Building Levels form, select Building_01_LEVEL_03. In the Design Explorer, click on the CWALL 1 element below Building_01_LEVEL_03_WALLS_01. Back in the Building Levels form, click on the Walls entry in the Storage Areas list. Return to the Design Explorer, and click on the CFLOOR 1 element below Building_01_LEVEL_03_FLOORS_01. Finally, in the Building Levels form, click on the Floors entry in the Storage Areas list. Close the Building Levels form by selecting Control>Close from its menu bar.
You have now finished setting up the complete administrative database hierarchy for your design model.
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Working with geometry in PDMS

In this chapter, you will: learn how some of the items which make up the design are represented and accessed in the PDMS databases start to design a building by creating and modifying a floor.
5.1 Design-to-catalogue cross-referencing

To ensure design consistency and conformity with predefined standards, the basic definitions of all items that you can use in structural design can be held: in a separate Catalogue database as predefined Design Templates in a special part of the PDMS Design database. These database areas hold definitions of all available profiles and materials for: structural floors, walls, columns, beams, and so on all standard types of joint, all auxiliary fittings, and so on. When you add an item to your design model, you store the position, orientation etc. for the item in the PDMS Design database, but you specify the physical properties of the item by setting up a cross-reference (Specification Reference or SpecRef) which points to an appropriate entry in either the Catalogue database or the Design Template area.
5.2 How PDMS represents floors and straight walls

Although, in their simplest form, floors and straight walls are both rectangular boxes, PDMS represents them differently in the design model: A floor is represented by one or more Floor elements. A straight wall is represented by a Straight Wall element.
Each of these is explained in turn below.
5.2.1 Floors
A Floor (FLOOR) element is a soft type of the Panel (PANE) element available in other PDMS structural applications.
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Floors are used to represent any sheet material used in a structural model; here, it will represent a concrete slab. Each Floor is represented by extruding a user-defined 2D shape. Its geometry is defined by two types of data: The planar area of the Floor is defined by a Panel Loop (PLOO) element. A Panel Loop is itself defined by linking together a set of Panel Vertex (PAVE) elements, each of which has a specific position in the 2D coordinate system of the panel. Each panel Edge is defined by a line joining adjacent vertices. The floor thickness is defined by setting the Height (HEIG) attribute of the Panel Loop. This represents the distance through which the 2D Panel Loop is extruded to form the 3D floor panel.
Floor thickness = HEIG of PLOO
Floor (FLOOR)
= Panel Loop (PLOO)
= Panel Vertex (PAVE)
Each Panel Vertex can have an optional Fillet Radius setting which represents a circular arc which curves towards (positive radius) or away from (negative radius) the vertex position:
PAVE with +ve radius PAVE with -ve radius
The vertex itself has a fillet radius of zero (the default fillet radius).
5.2.2 Straight walls

Each straight wall is represented in PDMS by a Straight Wall (STWALL) element, which is a soft type of the Section (SCTN) element available in other PDMS structural applications. The geometry of a Straight Wall is defined by attribute settings: The wall cross-section is defined by reference to a Catalogue Profile (PROF) element, typically a rectangle. All other aspects of its geometry are defined by setting specific design attributes (in most cases these are set automatically by PDMS as you manipulate the model graphically).
5-2
Two of the most important attributes are the Start Position (POSS) and the End Position (POSE), because the positions of these points effectively determine the length and orientation of the wall. To provide a method for referring to individual edges and faces of a Straight Wall, each is identified by a named line running along its length. These reference lines (which are derived from the Straight Walls Profile definition in the catalogue) are called p-lines. As an example, the standard p-lines for a rectangular Profile, viewed in the Start-to-End direction, might be positioned and named as follows:
CTOW ITOW OTOW Straight Wall P-line (CTOW)
Profile
End Position Start Position P-line Naming NA = Neutral Axis ITOW = Inside Top of Wall CTOW = Centre Top of Wall OTOW = Outside Top of Wall IBOW = Inside Bottom of Wall and so on
NA CBOW IBOW OBOW
5.3 Preparing to define geometry

In this section you will: select the working floor level set default specifications for floor panels and straight walls create a working grid to assist you in setting out your building plan learn how to use the cursor to pick points within event-driven graphics mode.
5.3.1 Selecting the current working level

Your structure has the three building levels. You must always make sure that the currently selected level is the one in which you want to be working.
5-3
Exercise continues:
69.
Redisplay the Building Levels form (by selecting Settings>Storage Areas). Because it is the last one you created, the currently selected level in the upper list is Building_01_LEVEL_03 at elevation 8000.
70.
You are going to design the lowest level first, so select Building_01_LEVEL_01 at elevation 0.
5.3.2 Setting default specifications

Default specifications are pointers to standard catalogue items representing the constructional specifications: for floors, the default specification defines the construction material, and the thickness (or valid range of thicknesses) for walls, the default specification defines the material and cross-sectional profile. You will set these now.
Exercise continues:
71.
button in the second row of the main tool bar to display the Floor/Screed Specification (Default) form. This gives you access to all floor and screed specifications available from the structural catalogue. Set the following: Specification to Floor Specification The thickness range to: 201 to 2000. Leave the Thickness set to the default of 201:
Click the
72.
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73. 74.
Click Apply, then Dismiss the form. Click on the button to display the Wall Specification (Default) form:
set Specification to Concrete Walls set Generic Type to Wall set Variable_thk_wall In the Pline Settings area of the form:
Justification determines the relative alignment of connected walls Member Line determines how walls are shown in wireline views and
drawings
Joint Line determines the position of a joint relative to an attached wall.
75.
In the Pline Settings area, set the p-line:

Justification to OBOW (outside bottom of wall)
Member Line to OBOW Leave the Joint Line setting at its default.
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76.
To set the wall cross-sectional dimensions, click the Properties button. The displayed Modify Properties form lets you set values for the parameterised definition of the wall profile in the catalogue. Set: Thickness to 250
Height to 4000 (this corresponds to the vertical separation between the
floor levels at elevations of 0, 4000 and 8000).
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77. 78.
Click OK on the Modify Properties form Click Apply, then Dismiss on the Wall Specification (Default) form. When you have finished setting the default specifications, the current settings are shown in the tool bar next to the applicable buttons.
If you want to check the full current specification for walls or floors, position the cursor over the corresponding setting to display the expanded data.
5.3.3 Creating a working grid

To set out the floor plan of your building by picking positions graphically, you are advised to define a horizontal working grid for use as a reference aid.
Exercise continues:
5-7
79.
From the main menu bar, select Utilities>Working Plane.
80.
From the menu on the resulting Working Plane form, select Define>Linear Grid. This displays two forms: the Working Plane - Linear Grid form
5-8
the Positioning Control form.
81.
On the Working Plane - Linear Grid form: set Spacing X to 5000 set Spacing Y to 5000 leave Number of Visible Lines set to 10 leave Position and Orientation settings at their defaults. This will create a horizontal grid, with its centre at the World origin, and with its Y axis pointing North and its X axis pointing East.
82. 83.
Click the Preview button to see the grid in the 3D View. To scale the view so that you can see all of the grid, with the pointer in the graphical view area, select Middle Button Drag>Zoom In/Out from the shortcut menu. Hold down the middle mouse button, and move the mouse towards you (downwards on the screen) to zoom out until the whole grid fits inside the graphical area. Alternatively, if your mouse has a wheel, rotate the wheel towards you. Note: View manipulation is explained in detail later. On the Working Plane - Linear Grid form, set the Detail check box, and click Preview again to number the grid lines. OK the Working Plane - Linear Grid form. The Positioning Control form is closed automatically On the Working Plane form: set the Active check box so that the grid is effective set the Visible check box so that the grid is visible in the graphical view set the Working Grid Snap check box to enable you later to pick positions on the grid, such that the picked point always snaps to the grid intersection nearest to the cursor position.
84. 85. 86.
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87.
Select Control>Close from the Working Plane form menu bar.
5.3.4 Introduction to event-driven graphics mode

You can choose a specific point in your 3D View either by identifying it explicitly, or by using the cursor to pick the point in the 3D View itself. This section introduces ways of using the cursor to pick points in the graphical view. Whenever the Pick-mode prompt says Navigate, any design element that you pick in the 3D View will automatically become the current element (this provides an alternative to picking the required element in the Design Explorer). Whenever the Positioning Control form is displayed (as it was just now while you defined the linear grid), the graphical view is switched automatically into eventdriven graphics mode. Event-driven graphics enable you to pick a point in the displayed graphics. When you pick a point, what you are doing (the current event), controls how PDMS interprets your action. The current event is identified in the Pick-mode prompt which is above the 3D View graphical area. For the purposes of this guide, you will always use event-driven graphics mode will always be used to pick a position. The position derived from your cursor pick can be the exact point at which you have placed the cursor or, more commonly, it can be a position that is related to the picked point in a specified way. This is where the snap facility is particularly useful. Snap automatically chooses the nearest key point (such as a vertex) to the picked point, so you can be less accurate when positioning the cursor. The full range of options available for identifying positions is extensive. For example, you can specify a position at: a given offset from the nearest snap point
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the mid-point of a picked item the intersection of two picked items a given proportion along the length of a picked item. You will see how some of these work in the rest of the exercise. Note: When you are first learning to use PDMS, it can be easy to forget that you are in event-driven graphics mode. You can then try to navigate to an item by picking it in the 3D View, and find instead that you have carried out some unintended operation. To avoid this, always Dismiss/Cancel the form which generated the Positioning Control form as soon as you have completed your current event-driven graphics operation.
5.4 Creating a floor panel

You will start your building by creating a rectangular floor that you will later modify. You do this by defining four vertices as shown below, to create a Panel Loop. The Panel Loop together with the vertices, represents the floor.
Y
Vertex 1
4 3
Vertex 2
-5
-4
-3
-2
-1 -1 -2 -3
Vertex 4
-4 -5
Vertex 3
Exercise continues:
88. 89.
In the Design Explorer, click on the CFLOOR 1 element of Building_01_LEVEL_01_FLOORS_01. Select Create>Floor from the main menu bar. The Create Floor form that is displayed includes amongst its settings, various ways of specifying the positions of vertices. Select Autoname Set Thickness to 500
5-11
Set Justification to Top (this enables you to position walls and so on, relative to the upper surface of the floor panel) Leave the Representation set to Predefined: Default. Levels and Obstruction affect the way items are shown in graphical views; the defaults are adequate for this exercise. The Create Methods buttons give you a number of ways define each vertex. Note that the Pick-mode prompt above the 3D View currently reads Navigate. 90. Click the button.
The Positioning Control form appears, and the Pick-mode prompt changes to Define vertex (Snap) WP Snap. This shows that you are now in eventdriven graphics mode, and PDMS is waiting for you to identify the position of the first vertex. You will define the vertex positions by picking intersection points on the working grid. 91. Leave the settings on the Positioning Control form at the defaults:
Pick Type: Any (you can pick any element or graphical aid in the 3D View Pick Method: Snap (the picked position will snap to the nearest
significant point. 92. To position Vertex 1, pick a point at or near the intersection of the grid lines (X -5, Y 4). The picked position is labelled Origin in the 3D View. The text in the Create Methods area of the Create Floor form now says 1 Vertices defined (no Floor created). 93. Define the positions of the other three vertices, as shown in the above diagram,
2 by picking grid intersections (X 5, Y 4), (X 5, Y -4), and (X -5, Y -4). As you pick each vertex, it is labelled in the 3D View, and a floor panel area is visible from the third pick onwards.
If you make a mistake at any stage, click the Remove Previous Point button repeatedly, to step back through the creation sequence. 94. 95. When you have defined the floor panel correctly (shown shaded in the preceding diagram), click OK to complete the creation process. In the Design Explorer, you can see that you have created a FLOOR, a PLOO (Panel Loop) and four PAVEs (Panel Vertices), below the CFLOOR.
5.5
Viewing the design

In order to see what your design looks like as you build it up, and to enable you to identify design items by simply pointing to them rather than by navigating to them
5-12
in the Design Explorer, you will now display your current design in a 3D View window, and learn how to manipulate this display.
5.5.1 Defining what appears in the view

In this section you will identify your equipment zone as the contents of the graphical display, and view isometrically.
Exercise continues:
96. 97.
If the Design Explorer is not already on display, display it by selecting Display> Design Explorer from the main menu bar. You can use the Draw List to build up a list of all elements that you want to display. Display the Draw List by selecting Display>Draw List from the main menu bar. With the pointer in the Draw List, remove the elements currently in the Draw List by selecting all the elements and then selecting Remove from the popup menu that appears when you click the right mouse-button while the pointer is over the highlighted elements. To select all the elements in the Draw List you can select each one individually with the mouse while the Ctrl key is depressed, or select the first element and then select the last element while the SHIFT key is depressed, or use Ctrl+A while the Draw List is the current window.
98.
99.
To set the Draw List so that you can see each item as you create it, you need to select your building Zone. Do this by clicking on Building_01 in the Design Explorer. Now, with the pointer over Building_01, from the Design Explorer hierarchy, right-click the mouse and select 3D View>Add. This adds the Zone to the Draw List. Alternatively, you can click the right or left mouse-button and drag-and-drop the element into the 3D View
100.
101. 102.
Remove the Design Explorer by clicking the form.
button at the top right of the
Now, in the 3D View tool bar, click on the Limits CE button, . This adjusts the scale of the view automatically such that it corresponds to a volume just large enough to hold the chosen element(s); in this case, the Zone. To set an isometric view direction, position the pointer in the 3D View window and hold down the right-hand mouse button to display the pop-up menu. Select Isometric>Iso 3 from it.
103.
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104. 105.
Display horizontal and vertical border sliders by selecting View>Settings>Borders (or hit F9). Experiment with the View menu options:
View>Look View>Plan View>Isometric.
(These options are also available from the shortcut menu.) 106. When you have an understanding of the different view directions, revert to View>Isometric>Iso 3.
5.5.2 Manipulating the displayed view

You can manipulate the displayed model view in a number of ways. The three view manipulation modes are: Rotate the view Pan the view across the display area Zoom in or out to magnify or reduce the view.
5-14
The current manipulation mode is shown in the status line at the bottom of the 3D
View window, and is currently set to Zoom, (because you used Zoom earlier).
To change the view manipulation mode, use the 3D View tool bar buttons, or the function keys, as follows: or F2 selects Zoom mode or F3 selects Pan mode or F5 selects Rotate mode. You can also choose the view manipulation mode, from the options on the View>Middle Button>Drag menu or the shortcut menu with the pointer in the graphical view area.
Exercise continues:
107. 108.
Click
Position the cursor in the view area and hold down the middle mouse button, then move the mouse slowly from side to side while watching the effect on the displayed model. The initial direction of movement determines how the view appears to rotate; starting with a left or right movement causes the observers eye-point to move across the view.
109.
Now release the mouse button, hold it down again and move the mouse away from you and towards you; this time the observers eye-point appears to rotate up and down around the model. Repeat the rotation operations while holding down the Ctrl key. Note that the word Fast appears in the status line and that the rate of rotation is increased. Repeat the rotation operations, but this time hold down the key. Note that the word Slow appears in the status line and that the rate of rotation is decreased. For an alternative way of rotating the model, try dragging the horizontal and vertical sliders to new positions along the view borders. You can rotate the model in this way at any time, regardless of the current manipulation mode.
110. 111.
112. 113.
Click
Position the pointer in the view area and hold down the middle mouse button, then move the mouse slowly in all directions. Note that it is the observers eye-point which follows the mouse movement (while the viewing direction remains unchanged), so that the displayed model appears to move in the opposite direction to the mouse; in effect, you move the mouse towards that part of the view which you want to see.
5-15
114. 115. 116.
Repeat the pan operations while holding down first the Ctrl key (to increase the panning speed) and then the key (to decrease the panning speed). Click .
Position the pointer in the view area and hold down the middle mouse button, then move the mouse slowly up and down. Moving the mouse away from you (up) zooms in, effectively magnifying the view; moving the mouse towards you (down) zooms out, effectively reducing the view. Note that these operations work by changing the viewing angle (like changing the focal length of a camera lens); they do not change the observers eye-point or the view direction.
117. 118.
Repeat the zoom operations while holding down first the Ctrl key and then the key. Position the pointer near any corner of the panel and click (do not hold down) the middle mouse button. Notice how the view changes so that the picked point is now at the centre of the view. Whenever you click the middle button, whatever the current manipulation mode, you reset the centre of interest. Set the centre of interest to the panel corner, then zoom in for a close-up view. You will find this a very useful technique when making small adjustments to the design. To restore the original view when you have finished, click on the floor panel in the 3D View, click on the Limits CE button, and reselect View>Plan>North.
119.
5.6 Modifying the floor panel geometry

In the next part of the exercise, you will modify the shape of the floor panel by adding to, and moving, the vertices which define its edges.
Exercise continues:
120. 121.
Click on any part of the floor panel in the 3D View to navigate to the FLOOR (check the Design Explorer). Select Modify>Floor/Screed>Definition from the main menu bar. You will see a Loop Vertex Editor form.
5-16
The Positioning Control form also appears, and the pick-mode prompt changes. Together these forms provide a wide range of facilities for manipulating the shapes of panel loops. You will use two of these functions to modify the floor panel to the following shape:
Vertex 1
Vertex 2
Vertex 3 Vertex 4
Vertex 6
Vertex 5
The floor, when modified to the new shape, will all vertices after Vertex 2 renumbered as shown. The Loop Vertex Editor form shows Vertex 1 as the current vertex. Modifications are applied to different vertices as follows:
5-17
a newly-created vertex is inserted after the current vertex a repositioning operation applies to the current vertex. It is therefore very important to make sure that you are at the correct vertex number before each editing action. 122. Look at the Settings menu on the Loop Vertex Editor form and make sure that both Confirm (on creation) and Confirm on delete are set (shown by check marks on the menu). These enable you to correct mistakes more easily. First, you will create a new vertex at (X 5, Y 0). This is labelled Vertex 3 above.. Set the current vertex to 2 (click the up/down arrows next to the vertex number to cycle through the vertices). The current vertex is labelled <2> in the 3D View, and the edge direction (the direction in which the vertices are numbered) is shown by a large arrow-head. In the Mode Selection area of the Loop Vertex Editor form, click the
Create points button . The New vertex label in the graphics shows where the new vertex would be positioned if you confirmed the creation now; at present this is coincident with Vertex 2, with the event-driven graphics ready for you to pick the intended position.
123. 124.
125.
126.
Rather than using the working grid, you will define the position as the mid-point of the edge of the panel between Vertex 2 and Vertex 3. On the Positioning Control form, set Pick Type to Graphics (this lets you pick different types of graphical object, with the cursor shape changing to show the object type) and set Pick Method to Mid-Point. Position the cursor over the floor panel, hold down the left-hand mouse button, and move the pointer: notice how the cursor changes its shape to a sloping line when it is over a panel edge. Pick any point on the required edge: the New vertex label will move to the mid-point of the edge and the Vertex: Position data at the bottom of the form will show the position relative to the Floor origin (the origin is at Vertex 1; see Step 23). Click the Create button to confirm the creation of the new vertex (now labelled Vertex 3, and now the current vertex). You will next move Vertex 4 from (X 5, Y -4) to (X 1, Y 0) on the working grid. In the Mode Selection area, click the Select point to modify button . When prompted to Pick Vertex, pick the vertex which you want to move, namely Vertex 4. To do so, position the cursor over the floor panel area before you hold down the mouse button (to clarify which set of vertices are to be considered for picking), then pick Vertex 4.
127. 128. 129.
130.
Reset the Positioning Control form options to Pick Type: Any, Pick Method: Snap ready to pick the intersection point on the working grid.
5-18
131.
So that you can more easily see the working grid at the required position, switch the displayed model from colour-shaded mode to wireline mode. To do so, deselect shading by selecting View>Settings>Shaded or press the F8 key. The floor panel is now shown simply as a rectangular outline. Pick the grid intersection at (X 1, Y 0) to define the new position, then click the Modify button to confirm the move. Finally, create a new vertex (Vertex 5) at (X 1, Y -4) on the working grid to give the floor shape shown in the diagram in Step 34. Revert to colourshaded display mode (press F8) to see this more clearly. Select Control>Close to dismiss the Loop Vertex Editor form.
132. 133.
134.
5.7 Saving your changes and leaving your design session

It is good practice regularly to save changes to your design as you build it up. This avoids the need to start all over again in the event of loss of work due to an unforeseen interruption, such as a power failure.
Exercise continues:
135. 136.
Update the database to store changes to the design model so far by clicking on , or selecting Design>Save Work. You should also save your current screen layout and display settings, so that next time you use the application you can easily pick up your design as it stands. Do this by selecting Display>Save>Forms & Display. You can now leave PDMS and return to the operating system. Do this by selecting Design>Exit. Ordinarily, if you had made any changes since your last Save Work operation, an alert form would ask whether you want to save those changes; this time, you are just asked to confirm that you want to leave PDMS.
137.
138.
Click OK.
5-19
Creating a Simple Building

You have now created a floor panel and saved the design by updating the database before leaving PDMS. Here, you will resume from this point, and add some straight walls around the floor panel edges and within the building.
6.1 Restoring a previously saved PDMS setup

So that you can continue developing the structural model you have created so far, you need to reload the display setup you saved earlier. If you intend to continue from where you finish at the end of any PDMS Design session, it is quicker to use the Display>Save>... options to save your current layout to a file which you can reload later, rather than to reload the applications from their source macros each time you use the PDMS Design module. You can now go back into PDMS Design.
Exercise continues:
Note:
It is assumed from now on that you know how to use the OK, Apply, Cancel and Dismiss buttons on forms, so they will not always be mentioned in the rest of the exercise.
139.
Restart PDMS and enter the Design module as you did at the start of the exercise, but this time set the Load from option on the PDMS Login form to Users Binary. When loading is complete, your screen should look the same as it did when you saved the layout in the previous chapter. If you intend to continue your design when you finish a PDMS Design session, it is always advisable to use the Display>Save>Forms & Display option (as you did previously) so that you can reload the binary files in this way. The alternative is to reload the applications from their source macros, but this takes more time. You can revert to the most recently saved layout at any time by selecting
Display>Restore>Forms & Display.
140.
Because the binary files hold all relevant data settings, the storage areas that you have already set up, are still valid. To check this, select Settings>Storage Areas to redisplay the Building Levels form. Similarly, your previously-defined default specifications for Walls and Floors are still valid, as shown by the fields in the second row of the main tool bar.
6-1
6.2 Creating the outer walls

You are going to specify the outer walls by tracing around the floor panel, so that a Straight Wall element is created automatically for each of the panel edges.
Exercise continues:
141. 142. 143.
Make sure that Building_01_LEVEL_01 is still selected, so that the walls created in the next part of the exercise will be stored correctly. Set the viewing direction to Iso Three (3D View pop-up menu) so that you will be able to see what is happening. Make sure that your current element is the floor panel (click on FLOOR 1 in the Design Explorer, or simply click on the floor in the Display), then select Create>Trace Boundary. The displayed Boundary Tracing form enables you to create a sequence of walls, an overlying screed, or another floor panel, by tracing the edges of the current floor: Set the Trace FLOOR boundary with option to Walls. You want the walls to rest on the surface of the floor panel, with their outer faces aligned with the panel edges, so leave both the Offsets: Boundary and Elevation settings as 0.0. Select the Mitre Walls check box.
144.
Click Apply and click Yes in the alert box to confirm the wall creation.
6-2
You will see from the Design Explorer that six Straight Wall elements (and six Primary Nodes) have been created in the specified storage area for Walls, namely below the CWALL element for Building_01_LEVEL_01.
6-3
The item /Single_leaf_wall, which was referenced when you created the walls, is a rectangular Profile element in the Catalogue database, as explained earlier. When you picked the floor panel to be traced, the following sequence was initiated: A Primary Node (PNODE) element was created at each end of each panel edge (i.e. at each Panel Vertex). These elements are used in the current context to define the positions of the starts (POSS) and ends (POSE) of the straight walls and of the joints which connect them. They are stored in the currently defined wall storage area; that is, below the CWALL for Building_01_LEVEL_01 . Two Primary Joints (PJOINT) were created at each Primary Node. These represent the connections of the start of one wall and the end of the adjoining wall at each location, effectively connecting the adjoining walls together. The actual connection is made by setting reference pointers from PJOIs to the POIS (Start Point) and POIE (End Point) of the walls, and vice versa.
6-4
A Straight Wall (STWALL) element was created along each edge of the floor panel. They are stored below the CWALL for Building_01_LEVEL_01 . The cross-section of each wall is defined by the catalogue Profile /Single_leaf_wall; its dimensions, corresponding to the thickness and height of the wall, are controlled by the parameters whose values you set in Step 19 (thickness 250, height 4000). The 3D wall is created by extruding this profile between the Primary Nodes at each end of the panel edge. Note that, regardless of the order in which the floor panel vertices are numbered, the walls are always traced anticlockwise, so that wall between Vertex 1 and Vertex 2 has its Start at Vertex 2 and its End at Vertex 1, and so on. The end faces of adjoining walls were mitred automatically (click on a wall and zoom in to one of its ends to see this more clearly). The resulting hierarchy of elements, as shown by the Design Explorer, is:
STRU (for Level 1) FRMW (for Walls) CWALL 5 more PNODs
Connects start of one wall (JOIS) Connects end of adjoining wall (JOIE)
5 more STWALLs PNOD PJOI PJOI STWALL

SpecRef points to catalogue Profile
(Note that the Design Explorer gives the STRU and the FRMW names (in this case) beginning Building_01. Note that the element icons are different, depicting a STRU and a FRMW.) The alignment of the walls relative to the floor panel is determined by the Justification settings for the walls and for the floors. The current settings were specified as follows: When you set the default wall specification earlier, you set the
Justification Pline for Walls to OBOW (Outside Bottom of Wall).
When you created the floor panel, you set the Justification Plane for the Floor to Top. The combined effect is to position the outside bottom edge of each wall along the corresponding top edge of the floor panel:
6-5
Top face of Floor
OBOW pline for wall
6.3 Adding internal walls

You created the external walls by letting the application do all of the necessary operations automatically to suit the existing floor. You will now add an internal wall explicitly.
Exercise continues:
145.
You will not use the working grid for this part of the exercise, so you will make it inactive and invisible to simplify the 3D View. To do so, select Utilities>Working Plane and switch off the Active toggle on the Working Plane form (the Visible toggle is off automatically when the plane is not active). You will add an internal wall in the following position (your current view is Iso 3, so that North is towards the top left corner of the graphics):
1 2
146.
End new wall
Start 4 Y=N X=E
147.
Select Create>Wall>Straight. You will see a Straight Wall form which, together with the Positioning Control form, controls how the start and end points of the walls are specified. Make sure that:
6-6
the String Method is set to Single (which means that you will define independent start and end positions for each wall)
Secondary Nodes is selected.
148.
Select Verification: Confirm. This enables you to verify the position of the new wall before it is added to the database.
The start of the new wall will be at Vertex 4. 149. Set Positioning Control to: Pick Type: Element Pick Method: Snap 150. Pick the wall joining Vertex 4 and Vertex 5 (this will be referred to as Wall 45): pick close to Vertex 4. A Start label appears in the graphical view. There are several ways by which you could calculate the end position for the new wall. In this instance, you will derive the intersection point of Wall 34 (projected) and Wall 61. 151. Set Positioning Control to: Pick Type: Element Pick Method: Intersect 152. 153. 154. Pick Wall 34 first, then pick Wall 61. Both the Start and End of the new wall are now shown in the 3D View by a line. Click the Verification: Accept button on the Straight Wall form to complete the creation.
Dismiss the Straight Wall form to quit event-driven graphics mode. Check the Design Explorer, noting that the new wall is represented by a seventh STWALL
6-7
element under the CWALL storage area (the new wall is actually STWALL 1 in the list).
6-8
155.
Zoom in close to the start of the new wall at Vertex 4.
New wall
You will see that the internal wall is not correctly aligned with the outer wall (Wall 34). This is because, although both walls have their justification line set to OBOW, they have opposite orientations; that is, the start-to-end direction is E for Wall 34 (which was traced anticlockwise round the floor panel), while the start-to-end direction for the internal wall is W (defined explicitly). The positions of all p-lines (such as OBOW) are defined by the catalogue profile for the wall as viewed from start to end, so the effect is as follows (with only the two relevant walls shown and the mitred end ignored for simplicity):
Start OBOW
Wall 34
End
OBOW End Internal wall Start W E
You will correct this by changing the justification line for the internal wall from its outside face to its inside face:
End
Internal wall
Start
Start
Wall 34
End
IBOW
OBOW
156.
Navigate to the internal wall and select Modify>Wall> Justification. You will see a Wall Justification form showing the setting for the current element,
6-9
namely OBOW. Change this to IBOW and watch the wall in the 3D View as you click Apply:
Using a similar procedure, you will create a second internal wall starting at Vertex 4 and running North to abut Wall 12, like this:
1 End new wall 2
Start 4 Y=N X=E 6 5
157.
Reselect the Straight Wall form. Set Positioning Control to: Pick Type: Element Pick Method: Snap
158. 159.
Snap to the end of Wall 34 to position the start of the new wall. Set Positioning Control to: Pick Type: Element Pick Method: Intersect
160. 161. 162.
Pick Wall 45 first, then pick Wall 12. Both the Start and End of the new wall are now shown in the 3D View by a line. Click the Verification: Accept button on the Straight Wall form to complete the creation. Dismiss the Straight Wall form to quit event-driven graphics mode. Check the Design Explorer, noting that the new wall is represented by a eighth STWALL
6-10
element under the CWALL storage area (the new wall is actually STWALL 1 in the list). 163. Check the alignment of the new wall and think why the result is correct this time. Dismiss the Straight Wall form.
6.4 Checking and correcting connectivity

When you create a straight wall, the positions of its start and end points can be defined by reference to the positions of primary or secondary Nodes which represent basic analytical points within the structure. A Primary Node (PNOD) has its position specified independently of other elements, whereas a Secondary Node (SNOD) is positioned along the axis of an owning wall, at a specified distance from that wall start position. A connection at a wall end is made by setting a reference from that wall end to a Joint (and vice versa). The joint is owned by a node: a primary node owns a Primary Joint (PJOI); a secondary node owns a Secondary Joint (SJOI). In order to achieve logical connectivity, it is important that connections between walls at positions other than their start or end points should use secondary joints, so that when the wall owning the joint is moved, the other wall end can move with it to maintain the correct connectivity and geometry. You will now see how this applies to your current building model.
6-11
Exercise continues:
164.
To make sure that all wall ends are correctly connected, select Query>End Connections. The resulting Highlight Connections form lets you see the connectivity status of all relevant members of the current element. Navigate to the Framework holding the Building_01_LEVEL_01 walls and click the CE button on the Highlight Connections form to update the displayed data. The numbers on the coloured buttons show the number of walls in each category: they should show 6 walls with both ends connected and 2 walls with one end unconnected. Set the corresponding Highlight buttons to On to colour the relevant walls in the 3D View; click on a coloured button if you would prefer a different highlight colour. Each internal wall has an unconnected end where it meets an outer wall at the position calculated using the intersection construction. To connect the first internal wall, which you created in Step 45, select Connect>Wall to Wall from the main menu bar. You will be prompted to Identify wall to be connected to: pick Wall 61. You will now be prompted to Identify wall end to be connected: pick the end of the internal wall which abuts Wall 61. Since you only want to connect one wall end to Wall 61, Escape the next prompt. You will now see the first prompt, Identify wall to be connected to, again: this time pick Wall 12 and use the same procedure to connect the end of the second internal wall. Escape all further prompts. Still at the Building_01_LEVEL_01 wall Framework, click CE on the Highlight Connections form to refresh the diagnostics and make sure that all 8 walls now show both ends connected. Dismiss the form to remove the highlighting and revert to the standard viewing colours. Check the Design Explorer. You will see that Walls 61 and 12 now each owns a secondary node, which in turn owns a secondary joint connecting it to the abutting end of the relevant internal wall.
165.
166.
6.5 Inserting doors and windows

You will complete the basic building design by inserting some doors and windows into the walls which you have created so far. You will position them as follows:
6-12
1 internal door 2
window
internal door 1
3 window Y=N
6 window external door
X=E
167.
Doors and windows are represented in the database as standard Fitting elements. Navigate to Wall 56 and select Create>Wall Fitting>Standard. You will see a Wall Fittings form which lets you choose and position the required items. The Specification Data area of the form lets you narrow down your choice of catalogue fitting by a progressive question-and-answer sequence. At each stage of the search, you select from the options in the lower list (whose title changes to reflect its content) and the progress of the search is summarised in the Current Selection list. You will first add the double door at the centre of Wall 56, so select the Specification: Standard Door. From the Door Type list, click on Doors for any wall (this is the only option at this stage). Notice how this selection is copied to the Current Selection list, while the lower list now shows four Sub Type options. Select External Escape Door. Now select in turn: Double Door Opening outwards (no step) 1710mm Wide
EE-DOO-NS/1710x2045. Note that the lower list title now says Selection complete and that this list is now empty: the Current Selection list
168.
shows the fully-specified door:
Before you create the door, you will specify its position both along the wall and within the wall thickness.
6-13
169.
You will position the door at the mid-point of the wall. In the Positioning area of the form, click the button to enter event-driven graphics positioning mode. Set the Positioning Control to Element, Mid-Point, and pick Wall 56. The Dist along wall setting will say 15000 (always measured from the wall start) and the Elevation will say 0.0. The wrt field shows the datum from which this elevation is referenced: in this case it shows the wall which will own the fitting. Notice how the Inside/Outside of Wall labels in the 3D View have moved to the current position.
170.
Set the Dist offset from option to Outside of Wall (notice how the inside and outside of the current wall are labelled in the 3D View as an aid; zoom in close to see this) and leave this offset at the default of 0.0. This positions the fitting flush with the outer face of the wall; you will adjust this to inset the door into the wall in the next operation. Click the Properties button. You will see a Modify Properties form which lets you set those parameters which do not have fixed values in the catalogue definition. Set Inset from wall face to 50 (this adjusts the position within the wall thickness) and set Open Angle to 45 (this defines how the door will be shown open in the 3D View). Click OK on the Modify Properties form, then Apply on the Wall Fittings form. Study the door in the 3D View. Navigate to the internal wall which you created in Step 146 and reselect
Create Standard on the Wall Fittings form to reset the form for the next door. Insert a standard single door in the centre of this wall (internal door 1
171.
172.
in the diagram at the beginning of this section). Remember that the face of the wall from which this door is to open is the inside face (as explained in Step 156), so the full specification will be:
Note:
The Positioning: Dist offset from option should be set to Inside of wall and the inward/outward opening is therefore defined relative to the inside face; that is, you must select an outward opening door to make it open towards the inside face of the wall. The concepts of inside and outside applied to an internal wall simply refer to the catalogue profile definitions as viewed in the wall start to end direction.
173.
Insert another standard single door, this time at the centre of the internal wall created in Step 157 (shown as internal door 2). This door will also be positioned relative to the inside face of its owning wall, so the same conditions apply as in Step 172.
6-14
Note:
The Specification Data and Properties are already correct (retained from Step 50), so you only need to set the Positioning for this door.
174.
Navigate to Wall 56 again and insert a window approximately midway between the double door and Vertex 6. From the Wall Fittings form change Specification Data to Standard Window, select any type of opening window you like and set Dist offset from to Outside of Wall. To pick the position, click the button, set the Positioning Control to Element, Fraction, and enter 4 in the text-box next to the Fraction option. This means that the event-driven graphics will pick the position at the nearest quarter subdivision of the wall length. Pick close to the required window position. Note: The Dist along wall should be 7500. If you derive a different distance, the working grid is probably active. Use the Working Plane toggle on the left-hand side of the Positioning Control form to switch it off and pick again.
175.
Enter the Elevation as 2000, so that the lower edge of the window frame (one end of which is defined as its origin in the catalogue) is halfway up the wall. Check the appearance of the window in the 3D View and use the Modify CE option on the Wall Fittings form if you want to change it in any way.
176.
You will insert the next window in Wall 61, midway between Vertex 1 and the end of the internal wall. To specify the position, set the Positioning Control to Element, Mid-Point and pick near the required position. To see why this gives the correct position, rather than the midpoint of Wall 61, you must look in more detail at how the picking options work. From the main menu bar, select Settings>Graphics>Picking. The resulting Pick Settings form controls which features of the design model are taken into account when picking positions in event-driven graphics mode. The setting relevant to your last pick was Significant Snaps, which has the default setting of On. This means that the positioning Pick Method (in this case MidPoint) is derived not only from the start and end of the picked item (in this case Wall 61), but from other significant points within the picked item. To see which points are considered to be significant, select Context>Sections/Walls from the Pick Settings form menu. The relevant settings on the resulting Section/Wall Pick Settings form are the Significant Snap Points buttons near the bottom of the form. By default, the Fittings and Joints settings are Off and the Nodes setting is On. This means that when you picked the position on Wall 61 in Step 176, the mid-point was calculated between the wall start and end or any node encountered, whichever was nearest to the picked point. In this case, the secondary node at the wall junction with the internal wall was used, rather than the more distant end of the wall at Vertex 6:
177.
6-15
View of Wall 61 looking East:

Internal Wall 1 Wall Start Pick here, say Secondary Node Midpoint between Wall Start and Node 6 Wall End
178.
Complete the creation of the window in Wall 61, then insert a window midway along Wall 34, plus other windows elsewhere if you want to experiment with the positioning options. Dismiss the Wall Fittings form when you have finished.
6.6 Changing the view representation

You have already seen how to control which design elements appear in the 3D View by using the Draw List to add or remove items as required. You have also seen how to control the viewing direction by using the Look, Plan and Isometric options from the View pull-down menu (or the shortcut menu). You will now see how you can further refine the view by specifying different levels of detail for the items being displayed.
Exercise continues:
179.
The amount of detail shown in the 3D View for different types of component is controlled by the current representation settings. To see these, select Settings>Graphics>Representation. You will see a Representation form. You will look at just two of the options here. The geometric representation of a catalogue component can include, in addition to its normal physical shape, an obstruction volume which represents the space around a component needed for maintenance or operational access. The fittings which you have just created are examples of such items, since they need free space within which to open. To see what the obstruction volumes look like, first click the Steelwork tab button to display the Steelwork form. On the latter, set Obstruction to solid and click OK. On the Graphics Settings form, click Apply and then click OK. Zoom in close to each of the doors in turn and see how their appearance has changed. Look in both colour shaded and wireline viewing mode.
180.
6-16
181.
To reset the normal view, bring back the Graphics Settings and Steelwork forms. On the latter, set Obstruction to Off. On the Graphics Settings form click OK again. The holes through the walls, where the doors and windows have been inserted, may be shown either as outline boxes or as true holes. To switch to a more realistic representation, bring back the Representation form, select Holes Drawn, and click OK. Look carefully at each door and window from both sides. You will now be able to see how they penetrate the walls in which they have been inserted and how their frames are recessed into the wall (for example, the frame for the external double door is inset from the outside face of the wall by 50 mm, as specified on the Modify Properties form in Step 167).
182.
That ends the preliminary design of the first level of the simple building structure. In the next steps of the exercise you will modify this design by adding some beams and columns, and by extending the length of the building.
6-17
6-18
Modifying the Building

In this chapter you will first add some supporting beams and columns, using a different structural application to the one you have used so far. You will then move one of the outer walls to enlarge the building, and show how to modify its connected walls and its underlying floor panel to suit the new position.
7.1 Adding beams and columns

So far you have created only planar components representing floor panels and straight walls. You will now add some supporting concrete beams and columns, like this:
1 2
horizontal beams
vertical columns from beam to floor
Y=N 5 X=E
Beams and columns are represented in PDMS by Section (SCTN) elements, which have the same properties as the Straight Wall (STWALL) elements described in Section 5.2.2. The only difference is in the catalogue definitions of their Profiles and associated P-lines. Because beam and column design can involve more complex constructions than walls and floors, particularly where metal sections rather than concrete sections are involved, their creation uses a different application from the Walls & Floors application which you have used so far.
Exercise continues:
183.
To change from the current Walls & Floors application to the Beams & Columns application, either select Design>Structures>Beams & Columns from the main menu bar or click the button in the tool bar.
7-1
184.
You will store your Sections below the same administrative

Building_01_LEVEL_01 Structure as the Floor and Walls, but under a
separate Framework. 185. Navigate to the Structure /Building_01_LEVEL_01 and create a new Framework named /Building_01_LEVEL_01_BEAMS_01 with Purpose set to STRU Support Structures. Hint: To save typing the whole name, use Autoname to create the element, then select Modify>Name to edit the last part of the name. 186. The Beams & Columns application lets you set the storage areas for structural sections and for primary nodes independently: you will set both to the framework which you created for this purpose in Step 185. Navigate to the new framework, then click the buttons in turn. 187. (Section Storage) and (Node Storage)
By default, each time you create a new section it will be associated with a catalogue profile automatically. Also by default, primary nodes will not be created automatically at unconnected section ends. These settings are shown, and controlled, by the following two buttons in the tool bar:
Primary Nodes will not be created automatically Profiles referenced from Catalogue automatically
Leave both default settings as they are. 188. There is only one default profile in force at any one time for structural section creation: you must change between profiles suitable for beams and columns as necessary. The first section you will create will be a concrete beam, so you will set the default profile to something suitable. Click on the button to display the Section Specification (Default) form. Select Specification: Concrete Sections, Generic Type: Rectangular Beams, 800x600_Beam. In the Pline Settings area, set Justification to TOS (Top of Section) and leave Member Line and Joint Line set to NA (Neutral Axis). Click Apply, then Dismiss. You want the top face of the beam to align with the top faces of the walls. You have just set the Justification for the beam to TOS, so you now need to ensure that the picked positions for the section start and end will be at the same elevation as the tops of the walls. To do this, you will define an active working plane at this elevation. Select Utilities>Working Plane; then, from the menu on the Working Plane form, select Define>Pick. Now pick any point on the upper face of any of the walls (you must pick a facet, shown by a pointer symbol; not a pline; you may need to zoom in so you can see the tops of he wall so the correct pointer symbol is shown.). Make sure that the Active and Visible buttons are On and notice how the plane is shown symbolically in the 3D View. While this working plane is active, any position which you pick will be constrained to this elevation.
189.
190.
191.
7-2
192.
To begin creation of the required beam, select Create>Sections> Straight from the main menu bar. You will see a Section form and a Positioning Control form. (The Section form is the same as the Straight Wall form which you used in Step 146, since the elements created by both forms have the same properties.) On the Section form, make sure that String Method is set to Single and that the Secondary Nodes and Confirm buttons are On. With Positioning Control set to Pick Type: Element, Pick Method: Mid-Point, pick any part of Wall 45 to position the start of the beam. To position the end of the beam, use the same Positioning Control settings and pick Wall 61 between Vertex 6 and the junction with the internal wall; that is, somewhere near the actual required position. This gives the correct position for the reasons explained in Step 177:
Mid p o in t o n to Wo rk in g
193. 194.
P ic k h e re , Wo rk in g P la n e In te rn a l Wa ll
Wa ll S ta rt
Node Mid p o in t N o d e a n d Wa ll
Wa ll En d
Vie w o f Wa ll 61 lo o k in g Ea s t 195. 196.

Accept the creation of the beam.
Dismiss all forms relating to section creation and observe the new additions to the 3D View and the Design Explorer. The beam is represented by a Section (SCTN) element under the Framework /Building_01_LEVEL_01_BEAMS_01. Each wall between which it runs has a new Secondary Node (SNOD), which in turn owns a Secondary Joint (SJOI) forming the logical connection. You will now add two columns as intermediate supports for the beam, equally spaced along the beam length. Click the button to reset the default specification to suit the required columns. Select Specification: Concrete Sections, Generic Type: Square Beams, 600x600_Column. Set all Pline Settings to NA. Select Create>Sections>Straight. De-activate the working plane by clicking on the Positioning Control form. To position the start of the first column, set the Positioning Control options to Element, Fraction (3) and pick approximately a third of the way along the beam from either end.
197. 198.
199.
7-3
200.
Rather than specifying the end position explicitly, you will define it relative to the start. To do so, click the button on the Section form. You will see a Define section end form. The end position will be vertically below the start, at floor level. Set the Direction to Down and set the adjacent Lock button to On. Pick the floor panel: the vertical Distance will be calculated as 4000. Complete the creation.
201.
Use a similar sequence to create the second column, but beware! If you use exactly the same settings, the start position for the second column will be calculated as a third of the distance between the new secondary node (at the first column start) and the beam end. Remember, therefore, to change the Positioning Control Fraction value to 2. Add two more 800 x 600 beams, as shown in the diagram at the beginning of Section 7.1 (i.e. aligned with the columns which you have just created). Remember to reset the default specification and to make the working plane active. Keep the creation Confirm option On, so that you can easily reject any incorrectly positioned ends if you make a mistake. If you get a beam position completely wrong and cannot see how to correct it, navigate to the beam and click the Then begin again. button to delete it from the database.
202.
203.
204. 205.
When you are satisfied with the results, dismiss all section creation forms and de-activate the working plane. You will now recheck the connectivity for whole model, as explained in Section 6.4. Navigate to the Building_01_LEVEL_01 Structure and select Query>End Connections to display the Highlight Connections form. You checked the connections between adjoining walls in Step 164, so you should only find unconnected ends for the beams and columns which you have added since that check. Assuming that there is at least one Neither end connected or One end unconnected diagnosis, set the relevant Highlight button(s) to On to show where the problems are. The bottom ends of both columns will be unconnected, since it is not possible to connect a section to a panel. It is also possible that at least one end of a beam will also be unconnected, depending on how you specified their start and end positions. If all beams have both ends connected, dismiss the Highlight Connection form and go to Section 7.2; if not, continue with Step 207. Because the beam ends have an elevation of 4000, while the nodes to which they will be connected have an elevation of 0 (at the bottom of the wall), you must first de-activate a constraint on connectivity which applies by default. To do so, select Settings> Tolerances. On the resulting Section Tolerances form, look at the Reconnection Constraints settings. These define what geometry is acceptable for the relative positions and orientations of connected items. The one you are concerned with here is the maximum permitted Offset
206.
207.
7-4
of 200. Either change this value to a distance greater than 4000 or, preferably, switch the Active toggle for this setting to Off.
208.
To connect any beam end diagnosed as unconnected, select Connect>Connect. When prompted to Identify section to be connected to, pick the wall. When prompted to Identify section end to be connected, pick all beam ends to be connected to that wall. Escape the prompt(s) when you have finished. Notice how the connected beams have been trimmed to the correct length.
7.2 Adjusting the walls and floors

In this section, you will carry out the following changes: Move an end wall out and increase the lengths of the side walls to maintain the correct geometry. Increase the size of the floor panel to match the new building plan.
Exercise continues:
209.
Change from the Beams & Columns application to the Walls & Floors application. To do so, either select Design>Structures> Walls & Floors from the main menu bar or click the button in the tool bar. Navigate to Wall 23. You will move this wall eastwards to increase the length of the room by 2000 mm, like this:
1 2 Move wall to here
210.
3 Y=N
2000
X=E
211.
To maintain correct connectivity, you must reposition the nodes (and hence the joints) at the wall ends as well as moving the wall itself. The explicit positioning facility allows us to do this. Select Position>Explicitly (AT): you
7-5
will see an Explicit Position form showing the current coordinates of the wall. The precise position within the wall whose coordinates are shown is determined by the Datum option: set this to Centre, so that you can reposition the whole wall in a single operation.
212.
To move the wall by 2000 mm towards the East, change the East coordinate from 25000 to 27000. To move the nodes at the wall ends simultaneously, make sure that the Settings>Move attached node(s) option on the Explicit Position form menu is set to On (shown by a tick). Click Apply to move all of the required elements. You will now extend the side walls so that they again meet the end wall. You will do this by trimming them automatically, so that their new lengths are derived from the positions of the primary joints to which they are connected. Select Connect>Trim>Wall End. You will be prompted to Identify section/wall end to be trimmed. Pick each side wall end in turn, then Escape the prompt to show that you have finished picking. Both side walls will be extended as required. Finally, you will modify the floor panel by extending it to suit the new wall layout. Navigate to the Floor and select Modify>Floor/ Screed>Definition. You will see the Loop Vertex Editor form, which lets you edit the shape of the Panel Loop by moving individual vertices, edges, groups of vertices, etc. Make sure that the Settings>Confirm option is On (ticked) in the form menus. In the Mode Selection area, click on the Select edge to modify button . When prompted, pick a point on the panel near the edge which is to be moved towards the new wall position. Notice that the area at the bottom of the form is now entitled Edge. Set the option gadget in this area to Aligned (you are going to align the edge through a picked position) and set Positioning Control to Graphics, Snap. Zoom in close to Wall 23 and pick a p-line on the outer face of the wall (OTOW is probably the easiest to see). The new panel edge position should be shown along the outer bottom edge of the wall. When you have positioned it correctly, click the Modify button to extend the floor. Select Control>Close to dismiss the Loop Vertex Editor form.
213.
214.
215.
216.
217.
218.
219.
In the next part of the exercise, you will add two more storeys to the building and insert a stairwell linking the floors vertically.
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7-7
Adding Extra Storeys

In this chapter you will add two more storeys to the existing building. You will then insert a stairwell through the intermediate floor panels so that you can link the floors vertically.
Exercise continues:
8.1 Adding a floor and walls at level 2

220.
Before you begin to create the design elements representing the second level of the building, reset the current storage areas for walls and floors to the appropriate part of the hierarchy. To do so, select Settings>Storage Areas to display the Building Levels form and select Level Building_01_LEVEL_02, at Elevation 4000, in the upper list. Although the elevation for this level is 4000, you actually want to position the top of the next floor panel above this elevation by the thickness of the panel, so that the bottom of the panel rests on the tops of the walls. To achieve this, set the Offset on the Building Levels form to 200 (which will be the thickness of the intermediate floors). Future positioning operations at this level, such as when you create internal walls resting on the new floor, will use this offset elevation (at 4200) as the datum. Notice how changing the current level creates and activates a working plane at this level automatically (look carefully at the 3D View to see the axes showing this).
221.
You will use a thinner panel for the intermediate floors, so click the button to show the Floor/Screed Specification (Default) form. Select Floor Specification, 200, and notice how the Thickness text-box is now greyed out, since the thickness is predefined by the specification. You will create a floor on top of your existing walls by tracing the outline of the existing floor panel. Navigate to the Building_01_LEVEL_01 floor and select Create>Trace Boundary. You will see the Boundary Tracing form which you used to create the outer walls in Step 141. Set the Trace FLOOR boundary with option to Floor. You want to express the elevation of the new floor with respect to Building_01_LEVEL_02: notice that the wrt text-box says Building_01_LEVEL_02, derived from the current storage level setting. The Offsets: Elevation setting says 200, derived from the offset currently specified for this storage level.
8-1
222.
223.
224.
You will make the new floor slightly smaller than the
Building_01_LEVEL_01 floor, so that its edges come within the wall thickness. To inset each edge by 100 mm, set Offsets: Boundary to 100.
225.
Click Apply and confirm the creation of the new floor. Do not dismiss the Boundary Tracing form: you will use it again to create the Building_01_LEVEL_02 outer walls. The result you want is as follows (not to scale; beams not shown):
8000 Le v e l
3800 Ele v a tio n o ffs e t 200 4000 Le v e l B o u n d a ry Offse t 100 200
4000
0 Le v e l
500
226.
The new floor obscures the internal walls, beams and columns in the 3D View. To give a clearer view of the whole structure, you will make the floor representation translucent, so that you can see through it to the underlying design elements. On the Draw List, click on the HVACFLOOR element. In the Draw List section, click on FLOOR 1 of CFLOOR 1 of FRAMEWORK /Building_01_LEVEL_02_FLOORS_01. You can now use the controls in the Draw List to set the colour and translucency from the popup palette. Set Translucency to 25%.Try some other Translucency percentages, and observe the different effects you can get. You will now add the outer walls for Building_01_LEVEL_02. These will be aligned vertically with, and directly on top of, the Building_01_LEVEL_01 walls. Refer to the Boundary Tracing form, and study the graphical aids in the 3D View. The latter will show the start position for tracing, and the lower outer edges of the intended walls, as you change the form settings.
227.
228.
8-2
229. 230.
Select Trace FLOOR boundary with Walls. Set Mitre Walls to On. To achieve the correct vertical alignment for the new walls, you can either trace the Building_01_LEVEL_01 floor with zero Offset Boundary, or trace the Building_01_LEVEL_02 floor with +100 Offset Boundary. Depending on which you prefer, navigate to the appropriate floor and reselect the CE option to refresh the form data. To achieve the correct elevation for the bottoms of the walls, so that they rest directly on top of the Building_01_LEVEL_01 walls, change the Offset Elevation from 200 to zero. For a quick way of doing this, position the cursor over the field, press the right- hand mouse button, and select 0.0 from the pop-up menu. When the graphical aids are correctly positioned, click Apply and, if the walls are as intended, confirm the creation. Change the view direction to Look North, switch to wireline mode, and zoom in close to the westernmost walls to make sure that they match the diagram at the end of Step 225. Switch back to colour-shaded mode and an Iso Three view, and make the westernmost walls translucent (or all of the outer walls if you prefer). Create internal walls for the new floor level, positioning them directly above those at Building_01_LEVEL_01 . The Building_01_LEVEL_02 internal walls must be only 3800 high, since they will rest on top of the Building_01_LEVEL_02 floor (see diagram), so reset the default wall specification to achieve this. (Go back to step 76 if you have forgotten how to do this.) Check and, if necessary, correct the wall alignments and connectivity. Add some windows and internal doors for Building_01_LEVEL_02.
231.
232.
233. 234.
235.
8.2 Adding a floor at level 3

236.
Using the principles described in Section 8.2, add a 200 mm thick floor for
Building_01_LEVEL_03, inset by 100 mm as before. You can use either of
the existing floors as the basis for tracing, but must adjust the Offset Boundary setting to suit the one you choose. Make this new floor translucent.
237.
Add outer (4000 high) and inner (3800 high) walls, adjusting the Offset Boundary and Offset Elevation settings as necessary. Add doors and windows for Building_01_LEVEL_03, as for Building_01_LEVEL_02. Finally, add a 200 mm flat roof panel on top of, and extending to the outer faces of, the uppermost walls. Use the Building_01_LEVEL_03 storage area for the roof panel, adjusting the Offset Elevation setting to give the correct position. Make the roof translucent. Look North, change to wireline mode, and zoom in to check the elevations and boundaries of all floors and the roof. If you have got the roof elevation wrong,
8-3
238.
239.
use the Position>Relatively (BY) menu option to move it up or down by the required distance.
The appearance of the model in the 3D View should now be something like the following (the roof and intermediate floors have been removed from the illustration for greater clarity). The precise colour shading effects which you see will depend on which element is current.
8.3 Creating negative extrusions

You have so far created three separate building levels with no means of access between them. You will next insert a stairwell via which they can be interconnected vertically. In exactly the same way that you position Panel Vertex elements to define the shape of a 2D Panel Loop and then extrude this by the required thickness to create a 3D Floor Panel, as illustrated in Section 5.2.1, so you can also position Vertex (VERT) elements to form a 2D Loop (LOOP) and then extrude this to create a 3D Negative Extrusion (NXTR). The difference is that, as the name implies, the negative extrusion represents a negative volume, that is, a hole. (You have already encountered negative volumes used in the catalogue definitions of doors and windows, where they were used to penetrate the walls in which the fittings were inserted. They became visible when you switched hole representation on in Step 182.)
8-4
A negative extrusion is owned by the floor panel through which the hole is required. You will use this facility to insert holes through both intermediate floors where you want to position the stairwell. You will position the stairwell as follows (not to scale):
22000
Internal Wall
20000
2700
Negative Extrusion
4
4200
Y=N 3 X=E
Exercise continues:
240.
Because a negative extrusion can only represent a hole through its owning panel, you must create a separate negative extrusion for each floor. You will first insert a hole through the Building_01_LEVEL_03 floor (at 8000 elevation). To make it easier to navigate to this floor by picking in the 3D View, remove the roof panel from the display (even though the roof is shown as translucent, you cannot pick through it to items behind it). To do this, navigate to the roof panel, then select Remove From Draw List from the shortcut menu. Pick the Building_01_LEVEL_03 floor, then select Create>Negative Extrusion. You will see a Create Negative Extrusion form, similar to the form you used earlier to create the floor panels. In the Settings area of the form, click the Surface button and, when prompted, zoom in close and pick the surface of the floor panel. The surface picked defines the datum from which the depth of the hole into the panel is measured. You can only see the upper surface to pick, but since the hole is to pass right through the floor, both surfaces will give the same effect. Set Hole depth to 200. You will position the first vertex (and origin) of the negative extrusion at the internal corner near the panel Vertex 4. Zoom in close to the tops of the walls near this position. In the Create Methods area, click the button.
241.
242.
243.
8-5
244.
Set the Positioning Control to Pick Type: Graphics, Pick Method: Cursor, hold down the left-hand mouse button and move the cursor over the top faces of the walls near the floor panel Vertex 4. Notice how the cursor changes shape as it passes over different types of graphical entity: over a panel face (top, bottom, or side); over a over a panel edge; corner; etc. Release the button over the inner corner where the first vertex is required. Notice how the origin is shown automatically in the plane of the floor panel, even though you picked a position at the top of the walls.
245.
Since the dimensions of the stairwell are predefined, you will use these to derive the positions of the other negative extrusion vertices. Click the button and, on the resulting Define Vertex form, enter Direction E and Distance 2700 to create the second vertex. Repeat this procedure, changing the Direction and Distance appropriately, to create the third and fourth vertices defining the negative extrusion outline.
2700
Nega t ive E xt r u sion
4200
In t er n a l Wa lls
1
E xt er n a l Walls F loor Ver t ex 4
Y=N
X=E
246. 247. 248.
When all four vertices are correctly positioned, OK the Create Negative
Extrusion form to complete the operation.
Create a second negative extrusion, penetrating the Building_01_LEVEL_02 floor immediately below the first hole, as follows. With holes drawn representation switched on, it is possible to see the
Building_01_LEVEL_02 floor through the hole which you have just created.
Pick this floor to navigate to it and pick it again to set the Surface datum on the
Create Negative Extrusion form.
249.
To position all four vertices, switch to wireline viewing mode, click the button, set the Positioning Control to Graphics, Cursor and pick the four corners of the existing negative extrusion in the order in which you created
8-6
them. Revert to colour-shaded viewing mode when you have created the second hole.
8.4 Completing the stairwell

To complete the stairwell, you will add walls to enclose the open sides of the negative extrusions (allowing clearance to create suitable landing areas), and insert doors to give access from each floor level:
End Start
250
End 4 3
1200
Negative Extrusion
4200
1
2700
Start
Y=N X=E
250
250.
You will create the walls for Building_01_LEVEL_01 first, so set your current storage level appropriately. Change the view direction to give a clear view of the working area (Iso 1 is suggested) and temporarily remove any items from the Drawlist which obstruct your view. Remember that the internal walls for Building_01_LEVEL_01 are 4000 high, while those for Building_01_LEVEL_02 and Building_01_LEVEL_03 are 3800 high. You will create the two walls in a sequence such that the start of the second wall is positioned automatically at the end of the first wall. Select Create>Wall>Straight and, on the Straight Wall form, set String Method to Continuous. Create the first wall with its start at Vertex 2 of the negative extrusion, created for Building 01_LEVEL_ 02 or 03 (set Positioning Control to Graphics, Cursor and pick the corner). Remember that since your building levels are defined he wall with be shown on LEVEL_02 Click the button and position the end at Direction North, Distance 5400 (to achieve the specified 1200 internal clearance beyond the end of the hole). Notice that when you click Accept to create the wall, the start position for the
251.
8-7
next wall is shown automatically at the end of the current wall. Position the end of the second wall.
252.
Whether or not the correct face of the longer wall is aligned along the edge of the negative extrusion depends on the current wall justification setting (OBOW) and the start-to-end direction of the wall. If you have followed the instructions accurately, the alignment will be incorrect: the longer wall will overlap the hole, and the shorter wall will be too close to the hole by 250 mm (its thickness). To correct this, select Modify>Wall>Justification and change the justification pline for each wall to IBOW. Check whether the ends of the new walls are connected. You will find that they are connected to each other (and to primary nodes positioned at their other ends), but are not connected to the original walls which they abut. This is because the positioning options used for the start of the first wall and the end of the second wall made no reference to the existing walls. To achieve the required connectivity, use the Connect>Wall to Wall option to reconnect the relevant wall ends, then use Delete>Tidy Nodes to remove any primary nodes which are no longer required. Insert a door in the approximate position shown in the preceding diagram. Modify the specification and/or justification if necessary to achieve the opening configuration shown. Rather than create the two walls and the door separately for Building_01_LEVEL_02, you will copy the configuration you have just completed and position the copy at the required elevation. This will demonstrate two new facilities: creating a list of items, so that they can be manipulated simultaneously; and copying an item and repositioning the copy simultaneously.
253.
254.
255.
Select Utilities>Lists from the main menu or click the button on the main tool bar. You will see a Lists/Collections form for controlling the existence and contents of all lists for the current session. If any lists existed, you would be able to select the one which you wanted to modify from the List options. Since you have not yet used this facility, this will simply say No List. From the Lists/Collections menu bar, select Add>List. In the Description box on the Create List form, enter STAIRWALLS. From the Lists/Collections menu bar, select Add>Identified. Pick both walls to be copied, then Escape the prompt. Note that you do not have to add the door explicitly, since it is owned by one of the walls and will therefore be included automatically. Select Control>Close to dismiss the Lists/Collections form when you have finished with it. Notice that the new list automatically becomes the current list:
256. 257.
258.
259.
Select Create>Copy>Offset. You will see a Copy with Offset form which allows you to specify what you want to copy (Object), where the copies are to
8-8
be stored in the database hierarchy (to), how many copies you want, and how each copy is to be positioned relative to its preceding neighbour (Offset).
260. 261. 262.
Set the Object to be copied to List; since only one list exists, its name (STAIRWALLS) will be shown without further selection. To set the to option, navigate to the storage area for Building_01_LEVEL_02 walls (i.e. the CWALL) and then select CE. Set the Number of Copies to 1. The Offset data must be set using the coordinate system of the element defined by the to option, namely the Building_01_LEVEL_02 storage area at an elevation of 4000. Refer back to the diagram in Step 222: you want the new wall to rest on top of the Building_01_LEVEL_02 floor at an elevation of 4200, so set the Z Offset to 200. (You will realise here that the new walls will be too high; you will adjust this in the next step.)
263. 264.
Click Apply and see how the new walls have been created. Repeat this sequence to create the stairwell walls for
Building_01_LEVEL_03, using the same Object (the list), but resetting the to option to the Building_01_LEVEL_03 storage area and setting the Z Offset appropriately.
265.
As observed in the preceding step, the heights of the stairwell walls at Building_01_LEVEL_02 and Building_01_LEVEL_03 are now 4000, rather than the required 3800. To change these, select Modify>Wall> Specification to display the Wall Specification form. Navigate to one of the walls, select CE, click Properties to see the Modify Properties form, and change the Height to 3800. Repeat for the other three walls. The starts and ends of the new walls will have been positioned correctly, but will not yet have any connectivity (use Query>End Connections at Zone level to check this). To connect the ends of the new stairwell walls where they abut the original internal walls (to form T-connections), use the Connect>Wall to Wall option and follow the prompts carefully to establish the necessary connections. To connect the other ends of the new stairwell walls to each other (to form mitred L-connections), use the Connect>Wall Ends option and follow the prompts.
266.
267.
268.
HINT: When picking the wall ends for connection, pick near the bottom of each wall (i.e. near its justification line) to ensure that you pick the intended end. Note carefully the distinction between Start and End in any displayed messages to make sure that they refer to the end which you intended to pick.
8-9
This completes the introduction to basic building. In the following parts of the exercise you will look at some ways of checking the design model and outputting some design data derived from the database settings.
8-10
8-11
Checking and Outputting Design Data

To ensure maximum design integrity, the structural applications let you check the data in several ways so that any potential mistakes are drawn to your attention. In this chapter you will look at one of these checking facilities, namely the method of checking for clashes (spatial interferences) between design elements. Finally, you will look at three ways of outputting design data derived from the structural model: the generation of a tabulated report showing the material required to build the design; the analysis of some mass properties of the concrete structure (centre of gravity, surface area and weight calculations); and the creation of a plot showing the building layout.
Note:
The facilities which you will be using here are available from all structural applications (from all PDMS Design applications, in fact), so it does not matter which application you are currently using.
9.1 Checking for clashes

The types of clash identified depend on two factors: The obstruction levels of the clashing elements The current touch and clearance tolerances
9.1.1 Obstruction levels

All design primitives and all catalogue primitives have an obstruction attribute (OBST) which defines the physical type of obstruction which the primitive represents: A hard obstruction (OBST=2) represents a rigid and impenetrable object, such as a steel beam or a plant vessel. A soft obstruction (OBST=1) represents a volume which is not solid but which needs to be kept clear for access. Any primitive with OBST=0 represents a freely accessible volume and is ignored for clash checking purposes.
9.1.2 Extent of clashing

As well as distinguishing between hard and soft clashing items, the checking utility recognises three categories of clash between them, depending on how far the two primitives intrude on each others allocated space. These categories are:
9-1
A physical clash: the primitive volumes overlap by more than a specified amount. This usually means that a definite interference exists. A touch: the primitives either overlap by less than the amount needed to cause a clash or are separated at their closest point by less than a specified distance. This may simply mean that one item is resting upon another as intended, or it may indicate a problem. A clearance: the primitives are separated at their closest point by more than the amount necessary to constitute a touch but less than a specified clearance distance. This represents a near miss, which you may want to investigate. These three classes are illustrated below for the clash specifications: Touch limits: 5mm overlap to 2mm gap Clearance limit: 8mm so that the following criteria apply: If the items overlap by more than 5mm, a clash is reported If the items overlap by less than 5mm, a touch is reported If the items do not overlap but are separated by less than 2mm, a touch is reported If the items are separated by more than 2mm but less than 8mm, a clearance is reported If the items are separated by more than 8mm, no interference is found
overlap > 5mm a physical clash
overlap < 5mm
gap < 2mm touches
2mm < gap < 8mm a clearance
9.1.3 The clash detection process

Each element which is to be checked for clashes has its own geometry checked against that of all other elements which are specified by a current obstruction list. Items which are not in the obstruction list are ignored during the clash checking operations. By default, the obstruction list includes all elements in the database, so that each element to be clash checked is tested against every other element. To control the amount of checking carried out in a large database, you can restrict the obstruction list to a few specific elements and/or you can specify a 3D volume (the clash limits) within which the clash checking is to be confined. To highlight the locations where clashes are found, the clashing and obstruction items are shown in contrasting colours in the graphical view (two shades of red, by default).
9-2
Exercise continues:
269.
To see the default settings for clash checking, select Settings> Clasher>Defaults to display the Clash Defaults form. Think about the meaning of each setting shown (refer to the preceding introduction; ignore the reference to Branch, which relates to piping designs only). You want to check for hard clashes only, not touches, so set Touches are Ignored. You also do not want clashes to be diagnosed where items are connected together, so set Connections are Ignored. OK the form. As a demonstration of how you can edit the obstruction list to check against specified items only, select Settings>Clasher>Obstruction>List. You will see an Add/Remove Obstruction Items form. Remove all current entries and then Add all members of the Zone /Building_01. (You have not actually changed anything by doing this, because the whole model was already in the obstruction list by default.) To access the clash-checking facility, select Utilities>Clashes. You will see a Clash Display form. The left-hand side of this form controls the clash checking process; the right-hand side consists of a 3D view in which you can look in detail at any clashes diagnosed. You want to check every item in the model against every other item, so navigate to the Zone and select Control>Check CE from the form left-hand menu bar to run the clash checking process. When completed, look at the Clash List which shows any clashes found. You will see 12 hard-hard (HH) clashes where the intermediate floors are embedded in the outside walls for Building_01_LEVEL_02 and Building_01_LEVEL_03:
Outer Walls HH clash with upper wall diagnosed
270.
271.
Floor Panel
Touch with lower wall ignored
272.
To see a summary of the clashes found, select Query>Clash>Summary from the form menu. The resulting Summary form shows the total number of clashes in each category:
9-3
273.
To study any clash in detail, select the corresponding line in the Clash List and then select Query>Clash>Detail. The Clash Details form shows the extent of the clash, the identities of both the clashing and obstruction items, and the calculated position at which the clash was diagnosed. Notice how the clashing items are highlighted in different colours in the graphical view. To change these colours, display the Clash Defaults form again (as in Step 269) and choose the colours you want to use. Experiment with some of the other options on the Clash Display menus and then close the form.
274.
275.
Note:
If the Auto Clash button is set to On, thus: , each new element that you create is checked immediately for clashes as the design is built up. This can slow down progress when you are adding many new elements, but is very useful when you want to add a few new items to an existing design which has already been checked for clashes.
9.2 Generating a data output report

This section describes two ways of outputting design data derived from the piping model. generating a tabulated report showing the material required to build the design creating an isometric plot showing the pipe layout and associated manufacturing data.
9.2.1 Generating a tabulated data report

The reporting utility lets you read selected information from the database and present the output in a tabulated format. Each report can be customised by specifying some or all of the following:
9-4
Where the output is to appear (on the screen or in a file ready for printing). Any introductory header which is to appear at the beginning of the report. The page length (if the report is to be paginated).
The page layout, including number and positions of columns, column headings, etc. Any headers and footers which are to appear at the top and bottom of each page. The selection criteria which define which data settings are to be included in the report. Once such a report has been designed, its specification can be saved for future use in the form of a report template file. The ways in which you define how a given report is to be generated and presented are beyond the scope of this exercise, but you will look at the results of the process by using a pre-prepared template which outputs a material take-off list showing the length of tube needed to build your design. (You will probably use your company standard templates for most reports anyway, in which case this is the method you would normally use in practice.)
Exercise continues:
276.
Select Utilities>Reports>Run to initiate the reporting process. You will see a File Browser listing all files in the current reporting directory (specified by your System Administrator as part of the project set-up procedure). Check that you are in the ...\REPORTS\TEMPLATES directory. All files with a .tmp suffix are report templates. Select doors_windows.tmp, which has been designed to produce a door and window schedule. Click OK on the File Browser. To run the report defined by the chosen template, you must specify two things (as determined by the rules within the template): where the report is to appear, and what part of the database hierarchy is to be read when extracting the required types of data. When you clicked OK on the File Browser to specify the template, a Report Details form appeared which lets you do this. Leave the Filename text-box empty (which will send the report to the screen automatically). In the Hierarchy text-box, enter /Building_01, since you want to list the material take-off for the whole of the design model. Click OK to run the report. The tabulated report output will be displayed in a Command Input & Output window which is opened automatically, like this:
277.
278.
279.
9-5
This report shows all doors and windows in Building_01, sorted first by type (doors first, then windows), then by building level (Building_01_LEVEL_01 first), then by size.
9.3 Querying mass properties

You can calculate the surface area, volume, mass and the position of the centre of gravity (C of G) of a structural item from a knowledge of its geometry and the properties of the material from which it is made. The calculation can be set to derive either a gross or a net result; for example:
Gross weight is the weight of material needed before any negative geometry (such as end preparations) is applied. This data is appropriate for material cost estimating etc. Net weight is the weight of material after any negative geometry is applied. This data is appropriate for determining as-built weights for loading calculations, transport planning etc. (The detailed way in which positive and negative geometry is used in calculations is determined by the Representation Level settings. These are beyond the scope of this introduction and you will use the default levels throughout this exercise.)
In the same way that the geometry of a wall profile, joint, fitting etc. is specified by setting the design element SpecRef attribute to refer to an entry in a Catalogue database (as explained in Section 5.1), so its material properties are specified by setting its Material Reference (MatRef) attribute to refer to an appropriate entry in a Properties database. It is the material density which is the significant property used in the mass calculations. Before you can query the mass properties, you must first specify what material is to be used for both walls and floors. For this example you will use Grade 30 concrete for both, but you could just as easily use different materials for different parts of the
9-6
building if you wished. You will set the materials for all walls and floors in a single step by using the Lists facility, which was introduced in Step 255.
Exercise continues:
280.
Select Utilities>Lists to access the list definition facility and add a new list called Material. To define the list members, select Add>Selection from the Lists/Collections menu. On the resulting Add to List (Material) form, enter STWALL FLOOR in the Selection text-box and set for Element ce. Navigate to the Zone Building_01 and click Apply on the Add to List (Material) form. Notice how all the STWALL and FLOOR elements are added into the list. From the main menu bar, select Modify>Material. On the resulting Set Material form, select the option list Material, select Grade 30 Concrete from the Materials list, leave Cascade material to all offspring set to Off (since you do not want concrete doors and windows!), and click Apply. The whole model, except the doors and windows, will be highlighted (in red by default) to show that the material setting will apply to all parts of the building: confirm the change. Pick any wall or floor and use the Query>Attributes facility to make sure that its Matref attribute is now set to /Grade30. Select Query>Mass Properties. You will see a Mass Properties form which lets you make all necessary calculations based on the current material density. Set the upper option button to list Material: this will calculate the mass of concrete only, ignoring all fittings etc., although in your example the fittings do not have a material set and so would not affect the weight calculations. Set the Results option button to Gross, and click Apply. The calculated surface area, volume and mass for the whole building will be shown in the Mass Properties list, together with the position of the centre of gravity. The centre of gravity will also be tagged in the graphical view.
281.
282. 283.
284.
Change the Results option to Net, set the Append to list button to On (so that you can easily compare the gross and net results) and click Apply again. Note the difference between the calculated net and gross masses, corresponding to the door and window openings in the walls and the stairwell holes through the intermediate floors.
9.4 Plotting the design model

The PDMS drawing module provides very powerful facilities for generating annotated and dimensioned plots of all or part of the design model. You will use just
9-7
a small part of this power to produce an isometric plot of your building layout using default settings only.
Exercise continues:
In order for the drawing facilities to apply the correct rules for representing structural items, you must set a design attribute which will tell the drawing module how to interpret the design data. The attribute used for this purpose is the Function attribute of the parent Zone.
285.
Navigate to the Zone and select Modify>Attributes. You will see a Modify Attributes form listing the current settings for the Zone. The Function attribute will say unset; it is this setting which you need to change. Select the Function line in the list. You will see a small Function form showing the current setting. Edit the text to replace unset by Steelwork. OK/Apply the changes. You must now switch from the PDMS Design module, which you have been using to create the design model, to the PDMS Draft drawing module.
286.
287.
Select Design>Modules>Draft>Macro Files. Click YES when invited to Save your changes before leaving Design and entering Draft? When PDMS Draft has loaded, you will see the DRAFT General menu bar and an empty 2D view area called Main Display (analogous to the 3D View window which you have been using in PDMS Design):
9-8
Drawing Sheet will be displayed here
You must next set up an administrative hierarchy to define how your plots are to be stored (in a real project this would probably have been done for you already). The parts of the hierarchy with which you are concerned here are as follows:
9-9
DEPARTMENT (DEPT) REGISTRY (REGI) DRAWING (DRWG) SHEET (SHEE) VIEW Design database elements to be drawn LIBRARY (LIBY) Standard symbols, annotations etc. LIBRARY (LIBY)
288.
Select Create>Department and name the element BUILDDEPT. Click OK. You will now see a Department Information form. Attributes set at Department level are cascaded down to all lower levels. To set them, click the Attributes button to display a Department Attributes form. On latter form: Select the A4 drawing sheet size (note that this sets the Width and Height automatically). Leave all pen definitions, hatch patterns and terminators at their default settings. From the Ruleset Reference options, select /DRA/PRJ/REPR/GEN/STRU. Set Backing Sheet Reference to Reference and select /DRA/MAS/BACKS/MET/A4_Land. This will apply standard borders and data areas to all drawings created in this Department. The settings should now look like this:
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289. 290. 291.
Click Apply, then Dismiss. Make sure that the Create Registry button on the Department Information form is set to On and OK this form. You will see a Create REGI form. Name the Registry BUILDREGI and click OK. You will see a Registry Information form. Note that all attribute settings for the Registry have been copied from its owning Department (any individual attribute cascaded in this way can be overwritten at a lower level if required). Set Create Drawing to On and select Explicitly. Click OK. You will see a Create DRWG form. Name the Drawing BUILDDRWG and click OK. You will see a Drawing Definition form. Enter the Title as Building Schematic. Note that the Date and Drawn By entries are derived automatically from your system log-in data. Click Apply, then Dismiss.
292. 293.
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That completes the setting up of the administrative hierarchy for drawings; you are now in a position to define the content of a drawing sheet ready for viewing and plotting.
294.
Select Create>Sheet>Explicitly and OK the Create SHEE form. The Main Display view will show the backing sheet specified in Step 288. You will also see a Sheet Definition form. Note that all settings have been cascaded down from Department level. Click Apply, then Dismiss. The detailed design data, extracted directly from the PDMS Design database, is applied to the sheet in the form of individual Views.
295.
Select Create>View>User-defined and OK the resulting form. A User-Defined View form will be displayed, and a default rectangle will be added to the Main Display to show where the design data for this view will be plotted. You will plot a single view on the sheet, so you will first resize the default view area to fill the available space. To do so, select Frame>Size>Cursor from the User-Defined View menu and, when prompted, pick points just inside the topleft and bottom-right corners of the drawing area within the backing sheet layout. On the User-Defined View form, enter the Title as ISO3 View Set the Type to Global Hidden Line and set the Direction to ISO3 (select this using the options from the middle of the Direction gadgets).
296.
297.
The part(s) of the design model which are to be plotted are specified by means of a drawlist (similar to the way in which the content of a 3D View was specified in PDMS Design). Select Graphics>Drawlist from the User-Defined View menu to display the Drawlist Management form. In the Reference List Members list, navigate to the Zone holding the design model (Building_01) and click the Add button to add it to the Drawlist Members list. You must now set the drawing scale so that the plotted model representation fits sensibly into the area available on the sheet. First click the Auto Scale button on the User-Defined View form and notice how the precisely calculated scale is displayed in the adjacent text-box. To modify this to the nearest smaller standard scale, click the Nearest button. The chosen standard scale will now be displayed (e.g. 1/500). Click Apply to implement the new scale calculation. The final settings will look something like this:
298.
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299.
Click the Update Design button to plot the drawlist element(s) in the Main Display at the chosen scale:
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This is as far as you will go with Draft in this exercise, although the full range of 2D drafting facilities available is extensive, allowing you to add dimensioning and labelling data derived directly from the design model, and to add any other specific 2D annotation which you require.
In the next, and final, chapter, you will look at some of the facilities available for creating and modifying some nonlinear structural design elements.
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10
Adding Curved Walls and Beams

So far you have built your design model entirely from straight walls, beams and columns. In this final chapter you will add some curved walls and beams.
10.1 How PDMS represents curved walls and beams

Curved structural items are represented by Generic Section (GENSEC) elements, the geometry of which is defined by sweeping a 2D catalogue profile along a path. This path is represented by a Spine element, owned by the GENSEC, whose route is specified in terms of a sequence of member Spine Points (POINSP) and Curves. The Beams & Columns application menu provides options for creating two versions of the GENSEC: A ring section, restricted to an arc of a circle (up to a full circle), comprising two Spine Points separated by a single Curve. A more general curved section, comprising any number of Spine Points and Curves. For example, a rectangular-section beam:
End CURVE
PROFILE
CURVE Start = SPINE = POINSP
The Walls & Floors application menu provides an option for creating only one version of the GENSEC, ring walls, which have the same constraints as ring sections. For example, a semicircular wall:
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CURVE PROFILE
Start POINSP
= SPINE = POINSP
End POINSP
10.2 Creating a semicircular vestibule

In order to demonstrate the principles of creating a ring wall, you will add a semicircular single-storey brick-built vestibule outside the existing double doors at the front of the building, like this (not to scale):
10000
Start Origin U N E End
The roof of the vestibule will be a separate semicircular concrete slab, while its floor will be created by modifying the existing floor slab for Building_01_LEVEL_01 so that it follows the outline of the new wall.
Exercise continues:
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10.2.1 Setting the design defaults

300.
In the Walls & Floors application, set the storage areas for walls and floors to the CWALL and CFLOOR, respectively, for Building_01_LEVEL_01 and make this the current working level. Set the default wall specification to Brickwork Walls, Wall, Single_leaf_wall and set the Justification to OBOW. Set the parameterised properties for the wall to Thickness: 100 and
Height: 4000.
301. 302. 303.
Set the default floor specification to Floor Specification, 100 (you will use this thickness for the roof slab).
10.2.2 Creating a ring wall

304.
From the main menu bar, select Create>Wall>Ring. You will see a Ring Wall form, the buttons on which provide many different ways of specifying the wall geometry. You do not want to create a full circle, so select Circle Definition:. You will define the path of the ring wall (the GENSEC Spine) by fixing its radius, picking the position of its centre, and entering its orientation explicitly. To do this, click the Define explicitly button . You will see a Create Section (Ring) form on which to enter all data relevant to the wall geometry, together with the Positioning Control form which lets you pick positions graphically rather than enter them explicitly.
305. 306.
307. 308.
Enter the Radius as 5000. In the Position & Orientation area, set Position to Origin. You will now pick the centre position for the ring wall (see preceding diagram). Set the Positioning Control to Pline, Mid-Point and pick the OBOW pline of the wall in which the double doors are situated. Notice how the X,Y,Z axes symbol is shown at the derived position (at the centre of the door frame), and how a construction circle of radius 5000 is shown centred on this point. You will specify the start and end of the required arc in terms of the angles which they subtend at the centre. Set Position to Start Angle Set Position Control to Pline, Cursor
309.
Pick any point on the same OBOW pline to the East of the door (i.e., to the right of the door as viewed from outside the building). Notice how the Angles: Start field now says 0 (measured anticlockwise from the X direction). Change Position to End Angle and use a similar procedure to set Angles: End to 180 (or you could just type this in). To set the orientation explicitly, in the Orientation area of the form enter Y is S (south) and Z is U (up).
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310.
311.
Click Apply. If you have made any errors, change the settings as necessary to achieve the required result. Dismiss the forms.
10.2.3 Adding a semicircular roof

312.
Although the roof slab will be at the same elevation as the floor of
Building_01_LEVEL_02, you will store it in the same part of the database as
the wall which it rests upon, so leave the current storage area set to
Building_01_LEVEL_01 .
313.
Select Create>Floor. On the Create Floor form, set Justification to Bottom. You will define the roof boundary by picking points around the ring wall (GENSEC) whose shape it is to follow. Click the Derived arc
passing through three points button
314.
Using the Positioning Control Pick Type: Pline options, with Working Plane switched Off, pick three points on the OTOW pline of the wall to define the panel boundary as follows: First point: snap to the start of the wall. Second point: snap to the mid-point of the wall. Third point: snap to the end of the wall.
315.
Escape the next prompt. The 3D View will show a circle, half of which follows
the ring wall, as a construction aid. Notice that, although you have only picked three points, the message 4 vertices defined is shown. These vertices are positioned thus (numbering direction depends on which end you picked first):
V4 V1 F ir st pick
Th ir d pick
fillet r a diu s V3 Secon d pick V2
fillet r a diu s
316.
Click OK to complete the roof slab creation.
10.2.4 Modifying the existing floor slab

317.
Navigate to the existing Building_01_LEVEL_01 floor slab (FLOOR 2 in the Design Explorer) and select Modify>Floor/Screed>Definition to display the
10-4
Loop Vertex Editor form. You will change the shape of this floor by adding the semicircular protrusion needed to form the floor of the vestibule:
V1
V2
V4
V3
V9 V10 (was V6) V8
V6 V5 V7
E xist in g floor F loor ext en sion New ver t ices in bold
Note that the current default floor thickness, which you set to 100 for the roof creation, is not relevant here, since you are modifying an existing floor which already has its thickness set to 250.
318.
To insert the new vertices, first navigate to V5 (see Section 5.6 for a reminder of the principles), then click the Create points button create vertices V6 to V9. so that you can
Note:
There are various ways in which you can construct the required positions for the new vertices. The following steps represent just one possible sequence.
Because the vertex numbers change as you insert extra ones, the new positions will be identified by the letters AD in these steps, to avoid confusion about which vertex is being referred to. These correspond to the following positions (with the final vertex numbers in parentheses):
D (V9) A (V6)
C (V8)
B (V7)
319. 320. 321.
Pick position A by snapping to the appropriate end of the OBOW pline of the ring wall. Click the Create button to create A. Pick position D by snapping to the other end of the same pline. Create D. This step requires knowledge of the local X and Y directions for the floor coordinate system. To display these, click the button on the main tool bar.
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From the menu on the Define Axes form, select Select>Pick and then pick the point on the floor where you want to position the axes symbol.
322.
Navigate to A, set Vertex: Position: Y: Lock to On and derive the X coordinate for B by picking the mid-point of the ring wall OBOW pline. Set the Radius for B to 5000. Create B. The result is:
D A Y coordinate locked to that of A
Y
B (fillet radius 5000) X Pick to set X coordinate
323.
Switch Y Lock to Off and navigate to D. Switch Y Lock to On again, navigate to B, and derive the X coordinate for C by picking the mid-point of the ring wall OBOW pline. Set the Radius for C to 5000. Create C. Escape to leave vertex creation mode (this also closes the Loop Vertex Editor form). Check the geometry of the floor slab and modify individual vertices if necessary to correct any errors.
324.
10.2.5 Inserting a door and some windows

325. 326.
Go to the ring wall and select Create>Wall Fitting>Standard. Insert a door at the mid-point of the wall. Try different Inset from wall face settings on the Modify Properties form to get an acceptable result for the straight door in the curved wall. Insert some windows to complete the vestibule.
327.
10.3 Creating a runway beam with multiple curves

To demonstrate how you can create and modify a section which follows a multiplycurved path, you will position an overhead runway beam in the north-west corner of Building_01_LEVEL_01 of the building:
10-6
10
Window 5
Door
Start Y Grid origin X N E Door 5 10
End
15
= existing walls and beams = working grid (2000mm spacing) = runway beam (curved section)
The upper face of the runway beam will, for convenience, be positioned against the lower faces of the existing concrete beams. In practice, you would probably want to interpose hangers or bolted flanges to support the runway beam. To make it easier to position the points and curves defining the GENSEC spine, you will use a horizontal working grid as a working aid (as shown in the diagram).
Exercise continues:
10.3.1 Some initial preparations

328. 329.
Change to the Beams & Columns application. Set the default storage areas for Sections and Nodes to the Framework
/Building_01_LEVEL_01_BEAMS_01, which you created when you added
the beams and columns in Section 7.1.
330. 331.
Set the default profile specification to British Standard, Joists, 203x152x52kg/m. Set the Justification to TOS. Using the Draw List, remove the main roof and all floors from the 3D View so that you can see into the room where the runway beam is to be installed.
10.3.2 Defining a working grid

332.
Select Utilities>Working Plane.
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333.
From the Working Plane form menu, select Define>Linear Grid. On the Working Plane - Linear Grid form, set both the X and Y Spacing to 2000 and enter the Number of visible lines as 30. Set Option: Detail to On so that the grid lines will be numbered. Leave the Orientation as Y is N, Z is U, X is E to give a horizontal plane. You want the plane origin to be on the intersection of the inner and outer walls, where shown in the diagram. To set the East and North coordinates, set Positioning Control to Any, Intersect and pick the two relevant walls. To set the Up coordinate, Lock the East and North settings and pick any pline on the lower face of either of the two beams which span the room. The resulting Position should be West 25000, North 0, Up 3200.
Preview the grid and, if it is correct, OK the Working Plane - Linear Grid
334. 335.
336. 337.
form. On the Working Plane form, set Settings: Active, Visible and Working Grid Snap to On, then close the form.
10.3.3 Creating a curved section

Note:
In the following steps, you will identify positions along the path of the spine by their (X,Y) coordinates on the working grid; for example, (X15, Y5) is the position of the door at the eastern end of the room.
338.
Select Create>Sections>Curved. You will see a Curved Section form, the buttons on which provide various ways of specifying the path of the section spine. Because your section follows a complex path which does not conform to the simplified standard geometry provided by most of the buttons, you will use a free-form definition which will let us build up any sequence of spine points and curves. Click the Free definition button . You are now in event-driven graphics mode, ready to pick the sequence of positions which will define the spine. Set the Positioning Control to Screen, Snap. Any cursor pick you make will be projected onto the working plane and will then snap to the nearest grid intersection point. If you make a mistake at any stage, the Undo button on the Curved Section form lets you delete one or more points in reverse order. With reference to the grid coordinates, pick position (X0, Y2) to define the start (origin) of the GENSEC. Set the Radius to 4000 and pick (X2, Y2) to define the position of the first curve. With Radius still set to 4000, pick the following positions, in this order: (X2, Y7), (X13, Y7), (X13, Y2), (X15, Y2). When you pick the last position, you will be warned that it is not possible to fit in a curve with 4000 radius so
339.
340. 341. 342.
10-8
close to the preceding position and will be asked if this represents the end point: click Yes to complete the operation. Close the Curved Section form.
10.3.4 Modifying a curved section

343.
To demonstrate how easily you can modify a curved section, you will reroute part of the runway beam as follows:
10 2 3
Start 1 4
End
Y
Grid origin
10
15
X
N E
= original path = modified path = curve number (at new fillet position)
344.
Make sure that the new GENSEC is the current element and select
Modify>Sections>Definition. You will see a Modify Section (Curved) form
which lets you edit the position and/or radius for each individual point/curve in the spine.
345. 346.
Set the first Spine Point option to Start and pick the new start position at (X0, Y1). Click the Modify button to implement the move. Change the first Spine Point option to Curve and set the second Spine Point option (up/down arrows) to 1. Move Curve 1 to (X2, Y1), leaving its Radius set to 4000.
Note:
The graphical aids show the position and radius of the current and adjacent curves as you modify the spine shape. The X and Y Attributes on the Modify Section (Curved) form show the coordinates relative to the GENSEC origin (start), not in terms of the working grid positions which you are using to identify positions in these steps.
347. 348.
Move Curve 2 to (X2, Y9) and change its Radius to 8000. Select Curve 3 and change the third Spine Point option from Fillet to Centre:
10-9
349.
Notice how the graphical aid now shows the radius centre at (X11, Y5) (approximately) instead of the radius fillet at (X13, Y7). Move the centre to (X9, Y5) and change the Radius to 8000. The latter operation illustrates the two ways of specifying a curve position:
Fillet position Radius
Centre position
350. 351. 352.
Select Curve 4 and use the Fillet definition to move its position to (X13,
Y1).
Move the End position to (X15, Y1) to complete the modifications, then close the Modify Section (Curved) form. Repeat the clash checks which you carried on the earlier version of the design model in Section 9.1. Think about the reasons for the extra clashes which are diagnosed for the current design. Save your design changes and exit from PDMS.
353.
10.4 Conclusion
This concludes both the tutorial exercise and this introduction to some of the ways in which PDMS and AVEVA applications can help you in your structural design work. You should now have an insight into the potential power of PDMS and sufficient confidence to explore some of the more advanced options on your own. For further technical details, refer to the sources of information listed in the last appendix. If you have not already done so, you are strongly advised to attend one or more of the specialised PDMS training courses, which will show you how to get the maximum benefits from the product in your own working environment (see 1.5).
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Other Relevant Documentation

This guide serves purely as an introduction to those parts of PDMS most relevant to structural design. Therefore, it describes only the main concepts needed to get you started. Documents that can provide you with further information are listed below.
A.1 PDMS introductory guides

There is a set of introductory guides like this one, that introduce a subset of principal PDMS facilities to new users. The complete set is: Getting Started with PDMS Provides a pre-training introduction to PDMS Accessways, Stairs and Ladders Design Using VANTAGE PDMS HVAC Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Industrial Building Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Pipework Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Structural Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Support Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Introduction to PDMS Design Templates Drawing Production Using PDMS Introduces the range of facilities available in the PDMS Draft module. Reporting from PDMS Introduces the database reporting utility available from within most PDMS applications, including the use of expressions to select relevant data. PDMS DESIGN Graphical Model Manipulation Guide Introduces the DESIGN Model Editor, which enables you to reposition selected Plant Items using the mouse pointer.
A-1
A.2 PDMS reference manuals

The full PDMS documentation set includes a number of reference manuals which give detailed explanations of all the technical concepts involved. These manuals also describe the underlying command syntax which can be used to control PDMS directly (should you wish to bypass the forms and menus interface). Reference manuals particularly relevant to Industrial Building design work include: DESIGN Reference Manual Covers concepts and commands for all design disciplines. ISODRAFT Reference Manual Explains how to create customised piping isometric plots. DRAFT Reference Manual Explains the PDMS 2D drafting facilities. PARAGON Reference Manual Explains how to set up a PDMS Catalogue.
SPECON Reference ManualExplains how to create tabulated specifications.
A.3 General guides

The following guides are intended for use only by experienced PDMS users who want to write their own applications: AVEVA Software Customisation Guide Explains how to write your own application macros using PML (AVEVAs Programmable Macro Language) and how to design forms and menus interface.
your own
AVEVA Software Customisation Reference Manual Supplements the Customisation Guide. Includes a list of PML 2 Objects, Members and Methods. For Forms and Menus objects, the command syntax relating to the objects is included.
A-2
Other Relevant Documentation
HVAC Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6
A-3
A-4
Index
3D view................................................. 3-5 Application Beams & Columns ............................ 7-1 definition ........................................... 2-1 Walls & Floors.................................. 4-3 Attribute definition ........................................... 4-2 Autonaming........................................... 4-6 Branch definition ........................................... 4-1 Button control ............................................. 3-10 radio .................................................. 3-9 toggle................................................. 3-9 Catalogue database................................ 5-1 CE ......................................................... 4-2 Centre of gravity calculations ............... 9-6 Check box ............................................. 3-9 Clash definition ........................................... 9-2 Clash checking checking process ............................... 9-2 clash limits ........................................ 9-2 extent of clash ................................... 9-1 obstruction levels .............................. 9-1 obstruction list................................... 9-2 principles........................................... 9-1 Clash limits ........................................... 9-2 Clashing extent...................................... 9-1 Clearance definition ........................................... 9-2 Colour-shaded mode ........................... 5-19
Compound Floor................................... 4-3 Compound Screed................................. 4-3 Compound Wall.................................... 4-3 Connections checking.......................................... 6-12 Control button..................................... 3-10 Current element definition........................................... 4-2 Curve definition......................................... 10-1 Curved section creating ........................................... 10-8 definition......................................... 10-1 modifying........................................ 10-9 Database hierarchy................................ 4-1 Draft database ................................. 9-10 Density.................................................. 9-6 Design Explorer .................................... 3-5 Design session ending ............................................. 5-19 Design Templates ................................. 5-1 Display saving.............................................. 5-19 Door creating ........................................... 6-12 Draft database hierarchy ..................... 9-10 Draft module......................................... 9-8 Edge definition........................................... 5-2 Element definition........................................... 4-2 End connections
index-i
checking .......................................... 6-12 End position (POSE) definition ........................................... 5-3 Ending design session ......................... 5-19 Escape key/button ................................. 3-8 Fillet radius definition ........................................... 5-2 Fitting element .................................... 6-13 Floor panel defining ........................................... 5-11 Floor panel vertex creation ................. 5-12 Floor thickness definition ........................................... 5-2 Forms and display saving .............................................. 5-19 Framework creating.................... 4-7, 4-9, 4-10, 4-12 Function attribute setting for DRAFT ............................ 9-8 Generic Section (GENSEC) definition ......................................... 10-1 GENSEC definition ......................................... 10-1 Graphical view ...................................... 3-5 Gross weight ......................................... 9-6 Hard obstruction.................................... 9-1 Help, on-line ....................................... 3-10 Isometric view..................................... 5-13 Joint..................................................... 6-11 primary............................................ 6-11 secondary ........................................ 6-11 Justification floor panels........................................ 6-5 walls .................................................. 6-5
index-ii
Leaving design session ....................... 5-19 Limits setting for view ...................... 5-13, 5-16 Linear grid defining ........................................... 10-8 List creating ............................................. 8-8 scrollable........................................... 3-9 Loop (LOOP) definition........................................... 8-4 Mass calculations.................................. 9-6 Mass properties querying ............................................ 9-6 Material reference (MatRef) ................. 9-6 Member definition........................................... 4-3 Menu pull-down.......................................... 3-5 Menu bar............................................... 3-5 Module definition........................................... 2-1 Mouse buttons functions ........................................... 3-2 Negative extrusion (NXTR) definition........................................... 8-4 Net weight............................................. 9-6 Node.................................................... 6-11 primary............................................ 6-11 secondary ........................................ 6-11 Obstruction levels ................................. 9-1 Obstruction list ..................................... 9-2 On-line help ........................................ 3-10 Option button ........................................ 3-3 Owner
Index
definition ........................................... 4-2 Panel (PANE) definition ........................................... 5-1 Panel edge definition ........................................... 5-2 Panel fillet radius definition ........................................... 5-2 Panel loop (PLOO) definition ........................................... 5-2 Panel vertex (PAVE) definition ........................................... 5-2 Panning view....................................... 5-14 Physical clash definition ........................................... 9-2 Pick mode prompt ............................... 5-12 P-line definition ........................................... 5-3 Plotting facilities ................................... 9-8 Primary joint ................................6-4, 6-11 Primary node................................6-4, 6-11 Profile (PROF) definition ........................................... 5-2 Project selection .................................... 3-3 Prompts ................................................. 3-8 Properties database................................ 9-6 Pull-down menu .................................... 3-5 Purpose setting ...................................... 4-4 Radio button.......................................... 3-9 Reports templates ........................................... 9-5 Representation changing settings............................. 6-16 Representation level.............................. 9-6 Ring section
definition......................................... 10-1 Ring wall creating ........................................... 10-3 definition......................................... 10-1 Rotating view...................................... 5-14 Screen layout restoring ............................................ 6-1 saving.............................................. 5-19 Scrollable list ........................................ 3-9 Secondary joint ................................... 6-11 Secondary node................................... 6-11 Site definition........................................... 4-1 Soft obstruction..................................... 9-1 Soft types .............................................. 4-3 Specification setting defaults .................................. 5-4 Specification reference (SpecRef) definition........................................... 5-1 Spine definition......................................... 10-1 Spine Point (POINSP) definition......................................... 10-1 Start position (POSS) definition........................................... 5-3 Status bar ....................................... 3-5, 3-8 Straight Wall (STWALL) definition........................................... 5-2 Structure creation ...................................... 4-6, 4-9 Submenu ............................................... 3-5 Surface area calculations ...................... 9-6 Text box ................................................ 3-2 Title bar................................................. 3-4
index-iii
Tool bar..........................................3-5, 3-6 Touch definition ........................................... 9-2 Vertex (VERT) definition ........................................... 8-4 Vertex creation (floors)....................... 5-12 View 3D/graphical............................. 3-5, 5-12 centre of interest.............................. 5-16 panning............................................ 5-14 rotating ............................................ 5-14 zooming........................................... 5-14 View direction..................................... 5-13
Volume calculations ............................. 9-6 Weight calculations .............................. 9-6 Window creating ........................................... 6-12 Wireline mode .................................... 5-19 Working grid................................ 5-7, 10-7 Working plane ............................. 5-7, 10-7 World definition........................................... 4-1 Zone definition........................................... 4-1 Zooming view..................................... 5-14
index-iv

Industrial Buildings Using PDMS

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Industrial Building Design Using VANTAGE PDMS

pdms1160/Industrial Buildings Using PDMS issue 240804

Industrial Building Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6

Industrial Building Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6

Read This First............................................................ 1-1

1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5

Introducing VANTAGE PDMS.................................... 2-1

Getting Started............................................................ 3-1

Setting Up the PDMS Database Hierarchy ............... 4-1

Industrial Building Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6

Working with geometry in PDMS .............................. 5-1

Creating a Simple Building........................................ 6-1

Modifying the Building............................................... 7-1

Adding Extra Storeys ................................................. 8-1

Creating negative extrusions ................................................................................... 8-4 Completing the stairwell.......................................................................................... 8-7

Checking and Outputting Design Data..................... 9-1

9.2 9.3 9.4

Adding Curved Walls and Beams ........................... 10-1

Other Relevant Documentation................................ A-1

Industrial Building Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6

Industrial Building Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6

Read This First

The scope of this guide

1.1.1 Intended audience

1.1.3 About the tutorial exercise

Industrial Building Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6

Read This First

1.1.4 Further reading

1.2 Text conventions

Industrial Building Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6

Read This First

How the guide is organised

Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Appendix A

Further training in the use of PDMS

Industrial Building Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6

Read This First

Industrial Building Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6

Introducing VANTAGE PDMS

2.1 Introducing the structure of PDMS

The strengths of PDMS

Industrial Building Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6

Introducing VANTAGE PDMS

2.3 PDMS industrial building design features

Industrial Building Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6

Introducing VANTAGE PDMS

Industrial Building Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6

Introducing VANTAGE PDMS

Industrial Building Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6

Industrial Building Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6

Using the mouse

3.3.1 Using text boxes

Industrial Building Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6

3.3.2 Using drop-down lists

Industrial Building Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6

The PDMS startup display

3D View Tool Bar

Industrial Building Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6

Industrial Building Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6

Using the tool bar

Industrial Building Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6

Using the Design Explorer

To expand or collapse any branch of the tree, click on the

Industrial Building Design Using VANTAGE PDMS Version 11.6