The Automatic Design Menu

The Automatic Design Menu contains features which assist in rapidly applying design briefs to members and carrying out the auto-sizing of members in a frame. It also contains tools which allow for controls over the design groups to which a member is assigned. The Automatic Design menu also provides an option to delete all the steel design briefs applied to a model.

The Automatic menu layout is shown below.

Add Multi-Storey Continuous Construction (Current View)

The add Multi-storey Continuous Construction option adds an Axial With Moments design brief to each member visible on the screen. Thus an axial with moment brief can be quickly added to the whole or part of a model by using the viewing filter tools and selecting the Add Multi-Storey Continuous Construction option. The Axial with Moments brief will be added to members regardless of orientation. Therefore, for mode views with bracing members visible, even the bracing members will have an Axial with Moments brief appended to them. For details of the Axial with Moments brief, see the Designing Briefs section of this manual.

Add Multi-Storey Simple Construction (Current View)

The add Multi-Storey Simple Construction option adds a beam and beam-portion to non-vertical members, while adding a Columns in Simple Construction design brief to vertical members. The design briefs are added to the structural elements visible in the current view. To control the members the design briefs are added to, the frame views and filtering tools can be used to display specific members or parts of the model. Any non-vertical members will have a beam and beam-portion brief attached, thus this will include bracing members, if they are visible in the current view. For information on the beam and beam-portion and columns in simple construction briefs, refer to the Design Briefs section of this manual.

Auto Size Current Member (Auto Save)

This option carries out the auto design of the currently selected member. This replicates the function of the  icon in the Section Autodesign tab.

Auto Size Current View Members (Different Sections)

This option carries out the auto design of all members in the current view using the applied design brief, sizing each member independently. This replicates the function of the  icon in the Section Autodesign tab.

Auto Size Current View Members (Using Same Section)

This option carries out the auto design of all members in the current view using the applied design brief, using the same section size for all members in the current view. This replicates the function of the  icon in the Section Autodesign tab.

Change Member Groups.

This option allows members to be added into existing design groups, members to be moved from one group to another and also allows new member design groups to be created. Selecting this option opens the Member Design Group menu within MasterFrame. For details of the Member Design Group area, refer to the relevant section within the MasterFrame manual. Once the design groups have been modified, exiting the Member Design Group opens the steel design module again.

Delete all design checks

The Delete all design checks option delete any applied design briefs from the members in the current view. This option allows for design briefs to quickly be removed from selected members in a model.