Pre-defined Filters

[acbsdesign]

Hello,

Very often we need to select SP angles only (both with equal legs or unequal), SP HSS Pipe, SP W, SP C, SP MC, SP Plate, SP Bent plate, SP bar, SP SQ, SP Flat, SP Round...
The filtering as available now slows the work flow.
We need this in order to make the detailing packages more organized, different shapes to be grouped in a smaller packages in order.
It will be very helpful if we have pre-defined filters ready from a pull-down menu.
I hope this can be done in Advance.

Regards,
Ilko Dimitrov

[haedicu]

HI Ilko,

indeed this would be a time saver. However i could imagine, that different customers would like to have different filters. If we provide all options it would be again a kind of confusing. However we will think about how to support customers here.

What i would like to provide today is a kind of a workaround, that works already in Advance Steel 2016, is configurable to your needs and for sure helpful.

In the project explorer you can save some queries for your model. You can also save a "generic" query for all W-beams or all Angle sections:

My advice would be to save this in an empty dwg-file and then start any new project with the dwg containing these queries. You can also create folders for your queries to keep the list usable.

I hope this helps a bit.

best regards

Udo

[acbsdesign]

Hi Udo,

This is a good idea, I will do this in the future.

Thank you and have a great day.

Ilko Dimitrov

[acbsdesign]

Hi Udo,

Structural shapes are a few per AISC, British Standard, GOST, Etc. standards.

It shouldn't be so hard for your team to make a quick toolpalette for selection -one column with check mark SP or MP, other column having shapes listed.

The statement Different customers to have different filters does not make too much of a sense, becuase shapes are always same, not talking about special light gauge material etc.

If you want Advance Steel to be a good Structural Steel Software you and your team shall start thinking about it as a Structural Steel Software.

If you try to be a little bit of everything-this is what we have now-lacking basic rules about structural steel detailing

-Beam Drawing style is still not mastered after so many years on the market, anchor bolts are not developed (weird...), hatches are shown even for far side legs / flanges / hidden parts.

My humble advise is if you want Advance to be good with structural steel-start thinking as a detailer having 280t of steel for the next few days to detail.

Try not to reject everything detailers say.

Have a great day.

Ilko Dimitrov

[acbsdesign]

Hi Udo,

Just to make the list of items that are putting Advance behind the rest longer-a simple update of a part of an assembly leads to update of all

dimensions, creates unnecessary views, erases a good 15-20 min of detailer's work.

I have posted ugly pictures in the past, I can show more upon request.

Prefered for manual dimensions snaps are good for marketing use only.

Compass marks and detail titles move on GA dwgs upon update.

GA dwgs-dimensions appear trying to get to nearest bolts upon update.

A major defect is when grid lines are close to each other beams have wrong grid lines listed in detail title.

Those are things very basic.

On the other end I see how proud we are with having formula on BOM. 

I doubt it it will be used more than 3 times within the next few years.

Have a great day.

Ilko Dimitrov

[ChristianBlei]

Hi,

I love generic solutions.

There is already the option to export/ import a filter as an xml file.

I think there are criteria missing- for shapes the element type: straight, arc, bend, the same for plates

There is also the criterion section type missing for shapes.

And there should be the option to filter for ranges instead of an exact value: all sections for a section type or some, all thicknesses of plates or arguments like bigger than and smaller than, a list of values, etc... As an example I would like to find  L arc shapes with size > 100x50 and < 200x100 and a length L 1000<=L<=6000.....

The search has to be more flexible. Then each user can create a suite of search filters that he can save and easily load into a project...