Philippe Bonneau
We’re excited to announce the latest release of Autodesk’s structural steel detailing software, Advance Steel 2021.
Here is an overview of some of the new and enhanced features available in this year’s release.
Stretch a beam along its system line
When modeling straight or curved beams in Advance Steel, there may be situations where it is useful to extend or shorten a beam along its system line without accidently snapping to an undesired location. A new Lengthen option in Advance Steel 2021 appears when you position your cursor next to the beam endpoint. After selecting this option, you can stretch the beam along its system line.
This feature offers users better control when modifying the lengths of straight and curved beams in Advance Steel.
Switch connection pattern object
When modeling steel components, it may be useful in some situations to replace holes with connectors (or vice-versa). In Advance Steel 2021, selecting anchors will give you access to the new Change into holes option in the contextual menu. This feature enables you to replace these connectors with holes. The same behavior applies to bolts; you can replace them with holes using the same option. If you wish to replace holes previously placed in steel components with bolts or anchors, this is also now possible via the contextual menu.
This feature greatly improves flexibility when modeling holes and bolts.
New messaging framework for user sections
Advance Steel 2021 introduces a new messaging framework when creating user sections. Once you have defined the 2D shapes of your user sections, you can add them to the Advance Steel database by pressing the Generate All Sections button on the Ribbon. The User Section Generation palette provides details on which sections have successfully been created, which ones have not, and why they were unsuccessful. This information makes it easy to correct common issues.
This feature helps users create user sections more easily and efficiently.
Create Monowills™ panelized handrail systems
With Advance Steel 2021, you have access to a new dedicated Monowills Panelized macro in the Extended Modeling tab of the Ribbon; this feature enables you to place Webforge Monowills panelized handrail and stanchion systems in your models. Within the properties dialog, many parameters may be adjusted: Max Panel Length, Handrail Type, Post Type, various offsets, and much more.
Ignore holes on objects for numbering
When working with steel components in Advance Steel, you may wish to utilize holes in those parts to drive part numbering. For example, you may have a set of parts that are similar in size and shape but have different numbers of holes. In Advance Steel 2021, you can select Use hole(s) for numbering in the Object Properties dialog to utilize those holes as a numbering parameter.
This feature gives users more control of the part numbering behavior for steel components with holes.
Show/hide detailed parts/assemblies
With Advance Steel 2021, using the Search tool, you can easily find parts for which the single part shop drawings and/or assembly drawings have already been created. You can save the search request, making it available in the Project Explorer for future use. The search results are highlighted with a different color (red by default) in the 3D model.
This new feature makes it easy to track the detailing status of your parts and/or assemblies.
New detail sorting tokens for drawing processes
In Advance Steel 2021, you have more flexibility when using drawing processes to generate and organize detail drawings on sheets. New detail sorting possibilities have been added; you can sort your drawing per coating, lot/phase, material, name, model role and even user attributes.
These additional possibilities for configuring drawing processes offer more flexibility for creating your shop drawings.
Multi-leader line weld symbol
Advance Steel 2021 offers improvements to the display of leaders for weld symbols. You may now remove a leader line from a weld symbol using the Remove leader line option in the contextual menu. You may also add a leader line to a reference object. To do so, select Add leader line in the contextual menu.
This feature helps users create more readable documentation for steel fabrication in Advance Steel.
Create a combined weld symbol
By activating a new default setting in Management Tools, you can automatically get combined weld symbols corresponding to welds connecting elements with the same single part numbers. (Note: weld symbols combine only if the weld point connects the same object(s) in the model.)
Local content for US English
With the installation of Advance Steel 2021 in US English, users receive access to improved localization features for the US market. These include enhanced feet – inches representations on drawings and bills-of-materials, enhanced dimension holes configurations for cleaner shop drawings, and a new saw cut list with pictures.
Advance Steel Extension for Revit 2021
The Advance Steel Extension for Revit 2021 transfers steel members and connections between Revit 2021 and Advance Steel 2021. The extension transfers not only the parametric steel connections between the two products, but also individual components of custom connections, e.g. plates, bolts, anchors and welds.
This enhanced workflow helps steel detailers and fabricators to take better advantage of steel models designed in Revit.
Dynamo Extension for Advance Steel 2021
Dynamo offers an easy-to-learn graphical programming interface that uses wires and nodes—so you can take advantage of automation without learning how to code. Using the Dynamo Extension for Advance Steel 2021, you can automate the creation of complex shapes and structures that would be time-consuming with Advance Steel 2021 alone.
Check out the full What’s new in Advance Steel 2021 playlist and watch brief video clips demonstrating the new and enhanced features in Advance Steel 2021.