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How to manage Structural Framing & Column Joins

How to manage Structural Framing & Column Joins

Revit has built-in functionality for making structural joins. Whether it be:

  • Structural Framing to Structural Framing, or

  • Structural Columns to Structural Framing

Once the joins are made, they can be configured to be maintained as the design is changed. There are several methods that can be used depending on the elements being joined.

  • Beam Join Tool

    • Best used for mitring co-planar joins of Structural Framing elements of matching profiles and adjusting the cut back priority of beams.

  • Reference Planes

    • Best used for simple, straight end cuts of beams/columns, where the additional elements created with the Steel Parametric Cuts is undesired.

  • Face Based Openings

    • Best used for complex cuts of beams/columns where they have to be shaped to a specific profile like a curved slab edge.

  • Steel Parametric Cuts

    • Best used for mitring beams and columns to each other and the Steel Connection element that is created in the process is acceptable.

 Beam Join Tool

The beam join tool allows you to make mitred joins for matching structural framing members that are hosted by the same workplane.

  1. Place your Structural Framing members, as required, ensuring they are on the same workplane and each member is connected. That is, their end point matches the end point of the adjoining structural framing.

  2. Select the Modify ► Geometry ► Beam/Column Joins command from the ribbon.

  3. In your active view, all editable Beam/Column joins will now show Cut Back Arrow controls allowing you to control the cut back as well as mitre the connections. The options bar allows you to filter for which types of structural materials you want to control.

     

    1. If a beam is cut back, the arrow points toward the join.

    2. If a beam is not cut back, the arrow points away from the join.

    3. If two co-planar beams of the same family and type without cross-sectional rotation in a join are not cutback, the join becomes a mitre join.

  4. Use the arrows to cycle through the available join conditions to achieve the desired effect.

Modifying the Beam Joins of Connected Structural Framing

Note:

  • The Beam/Column Joins does not work between a Structural Column and a Structural Framing. Only for matching types of elements.

 Reference Plane Cuts

Reference Planes can be used to cut Structural Columns and Structural Framing. As such, you can use a Reference plane to mitre a Column to a Beam, as well as for modelling a haunch.

  1. Place the Structural Column and Structural Framing members as required.

  2. Switch to a Section/Elevation view allowing you to clearly see the two members and the connection.

  3. Draw a Reference Plane where the two members would be welded/mitred. (you may need to drag the extension grips to ensure the members full extend past the mitre).

    1. Use a sub-category for all cutting Reference Planes.

    2. Name the Reference Plane descriptively, so others will know what its used for.

  4. Select Modify ► Geometry ► Cut Geometry.

  5. Select the Column/Beam you want cut first (click on the side of the Reference Plane that you want to keep), then selecting the cutting element. In this case, the Reference Plane. The Column/Beam has now been cut to the cutting plane.

  6. Repeat for the other element to be mitred.

Using a Reference Plane to mitre a Column and Beam
Using Reference Planes to shape a Structural haunch

Note:

  • When using a reference plane as a cutting element, its recommended these are named descriptively, and ideally placed on their own sub-category for easy filtering out of documentation.

 Face Based Openings

Face based openings are useful with structural joins, particularly for concrete beams that need to be shaped to match the slab footprint (when they don’t clean up automatically the way you want). For instance, if the slab has a curved profile sometimes the beam end won’t clean-up perfectly without some intervention.

  1. This is best done in an orthogonal view to the join, switch to a Floor Plan/Structural Plan or Elevation/Section that clearly shows the problem join.

  2. Select Architecture/Structure ► Opening ► By Face command from the ribbon.

  3. Hover over the beam/column that you want to shape with the void, and select the appropriate workplane (refer to your Status bar as it will provide guidance on what you are selecting)

  4. Sketch the shape of the area you want to cut from the Beam/Column.

  5. Select the Finish Sketch (Green Tick).

  6. This area will now be cut from the element.

Cutting a concrete beam join with a face based opening

Note:

  • You may receive a warning saying the opening only partially cuts its host. This warning is frustrating and often cannot be avoided. Don’t be alarmed and just ignore it.

 Steel Parametric Cuts

Autodesk has been continuing to improve the Steel tools within Revit. These allow you to do many things in batch. One of the tools is the Steel Parametric Cut mitre command. Provided you have appropriately set up Structural families, these tools can make many steel connections, welds and high detail steel fabrication information relatively simple to incorporate.

  1. Model your Structural Column/Framing as required ensuring their end points/nodes are matching/joined.

  2. Select Steel ► Parametric Cuts ► Miter

  3. Window Select or Control Select the elements that need to be mitred.

  4. Present Space/Enter to commit the action.

  5. A sub-connection of type Miter will now be applied to the elements and you should see the model update accordingly.

Steel Parametric Cut - Mitre command
Mitre Detail Parameters

Note:

  • Once the sub-connection is made, you can edit the properties to add a gap, include weld information, adjust the bisecting line and assign statuses for Approval and Code Checking.

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