What primarily affects how well the modeling is performed is how accustomed the user is to handling the model, e.g. by adjusting the view to fit the model. To facilitate this, here are some quick shortcuts that give you as a user more control over the handling of the 3D view:
Alt + F1 - View from above
Alt + F2 - View from the south side
Alt + F3 - View from the east side
Alt + z - Zoom margin
Ctrl + press scroll wheel - Rotate around the center of the screen
Alt + press scroll wheel - Rotate around the mouse cursor position
Alt + h - Opens the Show / hide tool that can be used to temporarily hide various objects in the model
Input
Entry of coordinates in FEM-Design takes place in the coordinate system called User Coordinate System (UCS). This is characterized by the thicker lines that also control the grid system. The green axis corresponds to X and the red axis is Y. This can be turned and rotated by going to "View / UCS" or using the Alt + u shortcut. When modeling, this system will be adjusted automatically depending on the view the user is in.
Coordinate input takes place in the command line at the bottom left of the program. Here coordinates are entered and x, y and z are separated by a comma. By typing "@" followed by coordinate input, a relative coordinate is obtained that is based on the previous entry. This is often very useful in modeling.
It is also possible to press F12, then an entry is obtained relative to the position of the mouse cursor. Finally, we have F11 which is activated by holding the mouse cursor on a line, then pressing F11. Then the program will find the nearest endpoint on the line and count the positive coordinate axis in the direction that the line has.
Filter function + Identifier
Do you find it difficult to make large selections in the 3D view? This is quite difficult to handle if the model is complex. You often miss a single object and the selection needs to be redone. By using the filter function, the user can instead get a consistent and clear marking based on logical expressions.
The filter function is accessed via the "Quick tools" menu or via the floating button that can be activated by going to "Window / Other windows / Filter palette". Instead of performing the selection with the mouse cursor in the 3D view, you can open the layer function. Using the "+", "-" and "&" buttons creates logical selections in the model. The "+" symbol will add objects to the selection that satisfy the selected attributes, "-" will deselect the objects and the "&" symbol can be used if you want to fulfill two attribute conditions. For example. you can select columns by clicking on "+" for columns, and click on "&" for material S355. The marking that is performed then becomes pillars that are made of the steel material S355.
The tool is especially powerful if there are storeys and / or frame lines in the model as it is also possible to filter on these attributes. For example. all pillars in frame line "A". In addition to this, it is also possible to filter on "Identifier", which can be used to create additional order and the possibility of sorting in the model. Identifier is available for each object and can be renamed to any suitable name that facilitates the handling of the model. For example. the user can name all facade pillars as "Facade pillars" and filter with regard to this attribute. This will also be included in the results section, which facilitates visualization.