| Product(s): | ProStructures | ||
| Version(s): | CONNECT Edition (10.XX.00.XX) | ||
| Area: | Setup, Customization & Navigation | ||
| Subarea: | Customization | ||
| Original Author: | Darcy Farrar, Bentley Product Advantage Group | ||
| Updated By: | Vyanktesh Nama, Bentley Product Advantage Group |
Overview
Descriptions allow for additional data to be used in the creation of ProSteel 3D models that can help in filtering the information stored in the model. This filtering can be applied in many different area of the program including but not limited to any selection that allows you to use the filter option.
Applying descriptions
Descriptions can be applied to elements in ProSteel 3D models when they are created or later by editing their properties. In the element insertion dialog the description can be selected for modeled elements. When creating connections and structural objects (stairs, handrails, etc) you can select the description that is to be used in the creation of the parts created by the function.
When editing parts the description can be edited in the assignment tab of the part's properties.
Where and how to edit?
In a default installation location the description file is located at below path defined by the configuration variable PS_FREEDESCRIPTIONFILE.
DriveName:\ProgramData\Bentley\ProStructures CONNECT Edition\Configuration\WorkSpaces\<WorkSpaceName>\Standards\ProStructures\Data\pro_st3d.fdt
This file pro_st3d.fdt is a text file and can be edited in any text editor such as notepad, although if you wish to be a little more cleaver you can rename the file extension to csv format and edit it as a spreadsheet (this is handy for long lists of descriptions or re-ordering the descriptions) and once done again change the extension to fdt.
Basic format of a description file
To work correctly a description needs 2 pieces of information;
Index number and description
these elements in the format are separated by a comma.
The Index is a numerical value that sets the order of the descriptions, but is also the information that is written into the part properties.
The description is the text value you want to see in the dialogs and reports.
example descriptions:
1,Beam
2,Column
Using descriptions for layer control
Descriptions can also be used for control over what layer the model elements are placed on. This requires 2 pieces of work. The first is the definition of the layers within the description file, the other is to enable description layers in the ProSteel global options.
To define layers in the description file you must add to the description the layername, colour and linetype. These are added so that the total description format is as follows;
index,description,layername,layercolour,layerlinetype
example descriptions:
1,Beam,S-STEEL-BEAM,161,Continuous
2,Column,S-STEEL-COLUMN,163,Continuous
To allow these layers to be used the setting Assign Description Layer of the Options page of the ProSteel global options should be enabled.
Once these have been done then the layers defined in the descriptions can automatically be assigned. These defined layers do not have to already exist, if they are not present then they will be created. Additionally different descriptions can use the same layer details.
For more information about this topic, please follow the below wiki links-
WIKI:
- Activate Part Description Level in modeling - For 3D modeling.
- The use of the Free Description File (FDF) in Detail Center - For 2D drawings.