Unable to update user defined section database

[Anonymous]

Hi Forum,

I have discovered that updating a section database is impossible..

I have created a library of box sections to enable auto steel design, however, when I click on the calculation print out from a steel member check, I can see that they have not taken account of the correct flange and web thickness!!

This I believe is because the section database is not being updated in steel autodesign. I have already tried numerous methods of trying to update it but failed! 

some help is greatly appreciated! if robot does not know what the flange or web thickness is.. then how would it know which steel class it belongs to? formulas for class 1 .. class 2 .. class 3.. class 4 equations are different and can give substantially different moment capacities etc..

the box section that i imported as a dxf file to be used in autodesign

i manually changed the section to a type 91 shape and i already gave the flange thickness and web thickness then saved.. but somehow this is not being updated in steel autodesign

members that currently have this section

the flange thickness and web thickness is not showing the correct value in autodesign

kind regards

Jasmine

[Krzysztof_Wasik]

Hi @Anonymous 

Could you please share your database for verification

[Anonymous]

I've attached the pro.xml file. 

[Krzysztof_Wasik]

Hi @Anonymous 

I have copied your database to 

C:\Users\my_login\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\Structural\Common Data\2019

Then used your section to design steel beam

It seems that section is defined correctly

[Anonymous]

It is good that it works for you but unfortunately it does not offer me any solutions to my problem.. 

Do you know how to specifically 'UPDATE' a section database on my steel autodesign?

[Krzysztof_Wasik]

Hi @Anonymous 

Could you please check your database starting new project from scratch.

I suppose that you used new defined section before database was finished.

In that case Robot see incomplete information about section (by its name) in particular file

You can  share your file for verification and if necessary we can set web session to check your  configuration

[Anonymous]

Thanks,

Could you please check your database starting new project from scratch.

I've checked and it's fine with a new project.

I suppose that you used new defined section before database was finished.

this is not true.. I accidentally deleted library from trying to get it to update so I created the entire lib from scratch and then did the auto steel design

In that case Robot see incomplete information about section (by its name) in particular file

You can  share your file for verification and if necessary we can set web session to check your  configuration

I have now deleted all the sections that is from the library already applied to the model. i have also removed the library from my tools preference and then imported this again. now it seems like i need to waste time adding the section list to the groups that i'd like it to design to in the auto steel design! is there a quicker way than manuallly editing each group one by one... there are 91 groups!!

do i have to change each groups manually?

 thanks in advance,

jasmine 

[Krzysztof_Wasik · Accepted solution]

Hi @Anonymous 

I assume that actually your section database works fine with redefined sections.

There is no quick method for group parameters editing (defining section for optimization)

What can be helpful:

While group creation when section selection for optimization  is done and group is saved,  Robot remembers section selection from previous group when new group is created.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for your help.

Would be good if we Robot can have a table format set up and have all of groups just edited at once though.

I consider my problem as being solved 🙂

[Krzysztof_Wasik · Accepted solution]

Hi @Anonymous 

Thank you for information. If you consider your problem solved please click "Accept solution button". It will help other users to find this solution 🙂

[anthonymctigue]

I am having similar issues in getting an updated database into existing Robot models.  Is there any way that I can get existing members defined inside an existing model to update to reflect changes made to a user defined database?  I have tried the above suggestions of updating the database and creating an entirely new model from scratch and everything works fine.  The difficulty I keep having is that existing models that used the same database but were started before I made changes to is still seem to persist in reading the outdated version.  I have tried deleting an re-adding the database under Job Preferences but this still does not seem to work.

Anthony

[Anonymous]

Hi Anthony,

I found that you don't necessarily need to rebuild the whole model again. the steps that worked for me was:

1) remove all section sizes in your current model that uses any of the sizes from your section library

2) remove your library from your job preferences - section database as you've done previously.

3) now try autodesign again and reassign all section sizes. hopefully works now. 

also, be careful not to accidentally delete your library, always have a back-up. I've made that mistake before and it was painful. 

good luck

jasmine 

[anthonymctigue]

Thanks Jasmine.  Yes by some fluke combination I managed to get the updated database values to come through into the existing model.  Not 100% sure what I did but it seemed to work!