Cannot rotate beams to desired position

[Anonymous]

Pardon my sarcasm, but is it ridiculous to want an upside down t-section or to rotate a steel angle beyond 90 degrees relative to its long axis? If any one else has experienced this problem and found a solution please let me know.

Thanks,
Matt

[TomWaltz]

Not ridiculous at all to want, very ridiculous that the object does not allow it.... the only way I see to make that without editing the GDL code would be to make the shape you want with a Profiled Beam instead of an object, but that's not really idea either because it does not hold the beam depth if you slope it.

[Anonymous]

Very well, but I desire a dimension other than the one that is predefined for any of the t-shaped profile beams. i.e., that used in a t-bar ceiling. After my experience with AC10, I am afraid that my product support will tell me to wait for AC12 for the desired functions.

[TomWaltz]

by "dimension", do you mean you need a custom size? I thought the beam objects allowed you to make your own sizes.

[Anonymous]

for clarification: Are you refering to metal beams within the Archicad Objects Library or those made with the Beam tool?

Matt

[TomWaltz]

HArchitects wrote:
for clarification: Are you refering to metal beams within the Archicad Objects Library or those made with the Beam tool?

Matt

Metal beam objects in the Object Tool

[Anonymous]

OK. The metal beam object allows for a custom size, but is limited to +or- 90 degrees in the rotation parameter, preventing a t section, for example, from being turned upside down. I can always draw the needed profile in 2-d, but that seems to go against the reason I use Archicad to begin with.

Any direction?

Matt

[TomWaltz]

It's a little annoying, but there are a couple workarounds I can think of:

1) place a W-beam then use an SEO to cut off the top flange
2) place 2 L-angles back to back

[Anonymous]

I was able to find the limits in the GDL script and change it to allow -180 to 180 degrees and bam, freedom to design freely. Now I just have to use my custom object rather than the Archicad Library object.

I have appreciated your help on the issue. Hopefully Graphisoft will catch on to these sorts of annoyances that hinder the design process.

Thanks,
Matt

[TomWaltz]

I was tempted to recommend that, but was afraid of what other weird effects it might have. Sometimes weird limitations were due to some other programming issue.