Copy Model Elements

The model elements copy options can be found on the Modify ribbon in the Copy section.

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Copy Selected Items

To copy selected items:

1. Open a model view if one is not already open.

   1. Go to the View ribbon.

   2. Click the Open 3D Views icon.

2. Select the items you want to copy.

3. To linearly copy the selection:

   1. Go to the Modify ribbon.

   2. Under the Copy section, choose one of the following options:

      • Global
      • Local Offset
      • Point to Point
      • Rotate

      See explanations in the following sections for more information about these choices.

4. To Mirror the selection, click the Mirror icon and specify the mirror plane.

Global Copy

The Global icon lets you copy the selected items by entering in increments in any or all of the global directions. The selected items will copy the increment distance(s) that you have entered.

Use the "@" symbol to specify multiple equal increments. For example specifying "3@10" will give you 3 copies at 10 units apart.

For example, if you indicate 3 feet in the Y direction then click on the member, it will be copied 3 feet in the positive global Y direction.

Select the Diagonal checkbox to combine the orthogonal increments into a single resultant increment vector to copy the elements in a direction other than the three global orthogonal directions.

Checking the Copy Loads? box causes ALL loads associated with the original selected model elements to be copied to the corresponding newly created model elements.

Checking the Connect Bays? box causes new members to be generated that connect all member end nodes of the originally selected model elements with the corresponding member end nodes in the newly created model elements. You can also indicate whether the new member end releases are to be Fixed or Pinned by selecting the corresponding option from the Bay Fixity section.

Local Offset Copy

The Local Offset icon lets you copy selected members at an offset simply by entering the offset distance and then clicking on the member to be offset.

If you indicate 3 feet in the local y direction then click the on the member, it will be copied 1.414 feet in the positive local y direction.

Point to Point Copy

The Point To Point icon lets you copy the selected items by clicking on any two points. The selected items will copy the distance between the two points in the direction of the first to second click.

For example, if you click two points: A then B in the model below, the frame will copy 40 feet in the positive X direction.

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Rotate Copy

You can copy the selected part of the model by rotating the copies about an axis. Simply enter which axis is to be rotated about, the rotation angle, the number of increments along the rotation angle, and the location of the polar origin (the point rotated about). Only two of the three polar coordinate values are used, the value corresponding to the axis of rotation is not used.

Instead of specifying coordinates for a polar origin, it may instead be chosen by clicking in the model view. Select Click to Locate, specify the appropriate Rotation Axis and Rotation Angle, then click Click to Applyor Apply to Selected. The cursor shows a cross-hair, with which a polar origin can be specified by left-clicking on a Joint or snap point.

For example, suppose you wish to copy the selected part of your model in six 30° increments (for a total of 180°) about the Y-axis. You would enter "Y" as the axis of rotation, "180" as the rotation angle and "6" as the number of increments. For the polar origin, enter the X and Z coordinates of where you want the Y-axis of rotation to pass through the XZ plane.

Checking the Connect Bays? box causes new members to be generated that connect all member end nodes of the originally selected model elements with the corresponding member end nodes in the newly created model elements. You can also indicate whether the new member end releases are to be Fixed or Pinned by selecting the corresponding option from the Bay Fixity drop down menu.

Checking the Adjust Local Axis box causes the local axis of each member to be rotated with the newly created model elements. Otherwise, the member local axes will retain their original orientation with respect to the global axis. The local axes of Plates and Solids will ALWAYS be rotated with the newly created model elements.

Checking the Copy Loads? box causes ALL loads associated with the original selected model elements to be copied to the corresponding newly created model elements.

Mirror Copy

You can mirror selected parts of your model.

Enter the global plane that you want to mirror about and enter a location along the normal axis to move the mirror plane location. If the mirror plane location is left blank, the mirror plane is placed at the origin.

For example, suppose you want to mirror part of your model about the XY plane at a location +3.0 feet from the origin along the Z-axis. You would enter "XY" as the Mirror Plane and enter a "3.0" for the mirror plane location. (If the mirror plane is XY, the normal axis is the Z-axis).

Checking the Connect Bays? box causes new members to be generated that connect all member end nodes of the originally selected model elements with the corresponding member end nodes in the newly created model elements. You can also indicate whether the new member end releases are to be Fixed or Pinned by selecting the corresponding option from the Bay Fixity drop down menu. 

Checking the Copy Loads? box causes ALL loads associated with the original selected model elements to be copied to the corresponding newly created model elements.