Free Area Load

Create Free Area Loads

Command	SOF_SE_FREEAREALOAD
Tooltip	Creates free loads not explicitly associated with any element.
Sidebar	Loads

Modify Free Area Loads

Command	SOF_SE_FREEAREALOAD_M
Tooltip	Modifies loads not explicitly associated with any element.
Sidebar	Loads

Creates or modifies an area load with up to 63 load points which is not associated with any element and can therefore be placed freely at any location.

A uniformly distributed load or variable (trapezoidal) load can be entered. Area load with more than 4 end points (polygonal loads) can only be entered as a uniformly distributed load.

Note

Free area loads have a flat surface.

A detailed description of these properties can be found in the chapter ‘AREA – Free Area Loading’ of the manual SOFiLOAD.

For the creation of free area loads, the following options are available for use:

Pick Points

Corner points are selected for the free area load.

Pick Lines or Curves–Select Points

Creates a closed polygon as the boundary of the element. When selecting lines or curves, the input type can be switched between either option by pressing the down key (as shown in the command line and at the cursor text). The picked points can be selected from the drawing or can be entered using cartesian coordinates. During input, a preview is available. The input can be ended by pressing the enter key. In a 3D system, this option is only available for use in the XY plane, although this need not be in the plane located at the origin.

After selection of a line or curve using the Pick Lines or Curves option, it can be useful to select a point by which the end of the next line is defined. The Pick Points option is available in the context menu during input.

Rectangle

Creates a rectangular element with the input of two diagonally opposite points. In a 3D system, this option is only available for use in the XY plane, although this need not be in the plane located at the origin. Please note that the rectangle will always be created with reference to the current coordinate system. If a rotated rectangular area is to be created, the coordinate system must first be modified accordingly.

Point in Area

Creates a closed polygon as the boundary of an element. A point within a closed polygonal element can be input. The boundary lines of that closed element are used as the boundary for the element. Ensure that the boundary is closed and that the point selected is not too close to a re-entrant corner, since the program, in this case, may be unable to find the boundary. In 3D systems, this option is available only in the plane where the origin is currently defined.

Set Working Plane

Because certain selection options only are available in the current working plane, it is possible to rest the working plane to a user defined position. For this the following options are available:

3Points: The coordinate system is defined using three selected point for the origin, X-axis and Y-axis.

Element: The orientation of the coordinate system is set with the selection of an object.

Database: Restores the coordinate system which is specified in the system information dialog

The working plane remains in place until the command to create the element is closed.