System Triangle (3-D SE)

Steel Engineering > Further functions > Settings

> System triangle

In Steel and Metal Engineering you often use construction system architectures based on triangles, e.g. in framework structures, bracings or long-span roof constructions. In such cases, you can insert symbols for checking purposes into your into your drawing that indicate the size of construction system triangles. To do this, select the System triangle function:

Identify the first side of the triangle. If the triangle is right-angled, identify its cathetus.

Identify the second side of the triangle. If the triangle is right-angled, identify its hypotenuse.

Identify the third side of the triangle. If the triangle is right-angled, one right-click will suffice.

After identification of the triangle sides the System triangle dialogue window is displayed.

At the top of the dialogue window a sketch of the identified triangle, with its sides a, b and c, is displayed.

Length

Indicates the length of the triangle sides. The number of decimal places is set to 0 by default. The lengths are rounded up or down according to the common mathematical rules.

If you do not want to annotate the system triangle with the length values, deactivate the checkboxes to the right of the length fields.

The system triangle annotations can be moved by Drag & Drop if desired. The lock symbol to the left of the length value indicates whether a moving of the annotation is possible or not .

Angle

Besides the lengths of the triangle sides, you can also use the angles between the sides as annotations, with angle

Alpha lying opposite side a,

Beta lying opposite side b, and

Gamma lying opposite side c.

If you want to annotate the system triangle with angles, activate the checkboxes to the right of the angle fields.

Triangle size

This value specifies the length of the firstly identified triangle side in the symbol, thus determining the size of the symbol.

Distance to triangle side

This value specifies the distance of the length values from the triangle sides.

Colour/Line type

Text Settings

Use these options to choose a colour and a line type for system triangle representation.

The annotation text (lengths/angles) representation can be set separately by clicking the Text Settings icon.

After closing the dialogue window with OK, HiCAD prompts you to specify the position of the symbol in the drawing. The reference point is indicated by the

symbol.

If you want to change a system triangle subsequently, right-click the system triangle or one of the annotation texts. The displayed context menu offers the option to

change the data of the system triangle,

move the system triangle or the annotation text, or

delete the system triangle.

The annotation texts as well as the entire system triangle can also be moved by Drag&Drop, if they have not been locked in the system triangle settings (

) . Move the cursor on the text or on one of the triangle sides, press and hold down the left mouse button and drag the object to the required new position.

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