Sections

Sections define the cross-sectional geometry of structural members. The section properties determine how a member resists bending, shear, and torsion.

Opening the Section Library

Click the Sections button in the ribbon, or click the book icon next to the Section field in the Properties panel when a member is selected.

Section Library

The built-in library includes sections organised by region:

  • Australia — Steel, cold-formed steel, aluminium, and timber
  • Canada — Steel and timber
  • Europe — Steel and timber
  • United Kingdom — Steel and timber
  • United States — Steel and timber

Section Properties

Each section requires these geometric properties for analysis:

  • Area (A) — Cross-sectional area, affects axial stiffness
  • Moment of Inertia (Iyy, Izz) — Resistance to bending about each axis
  • Torsional Constant (J) — Resistance to twisting

Adding Sections

Two ways to add sections:

  • From Library — Browse sections organised by region and select to add to your model
  • Custom — Click Create Custom in the library to define a parametric section with your own dimensions (requires sign-in)

Custom Sections

Define custom sections by specifying dimensions. Available shapes:

  • I-Shape — Universal beam profile
  • Channel — C-section profile
  • Tee — T-section profile
  • Angle — L-section profile
  • Solid Rectangle — Rectangular bar
  • Solid Circle — Round bar
  • Circular Hollow — Pipe / CHS
  • Rectangular Hollow — RHS / SHS

Section properties are calculated automatically from your dimensions.

Assigning Sections

  1. Select one or more members
  2. In the Properties panel, click the Section dropdown
  3. Select the desired section

All selected members will be updated to use the chosen section.

Section Colours

Each section has an assigned colour for visualisation. Click the colour swatch in the Section Library to change it using the colour picker or preset palette. Members are displayed in their section's colour unless selected.

3D Rendering

Switch to "Rendered" view mode (in the Display panel) to see members displayed with their actual cross-section shape extruded along the member length. This helps verify section assignments visually.