The Project Explorer in Advance Steel is where you manage what you see and work on in the model. Open it from Home tab > Project panel > Project Explorer. Its Structures pane holds model views, levels, queries and groups, and its Workplanes pane holds the planes you model on.
How do I open the Project Explorer?
Home tab > Project panel > Project Explorer.
What’s in the Project Explorer?
Two panes, with Structures open by default.
Structures controls what’s visible:
- Model views show only what’s inside a box you draw.
- Levels show only what’s at one elevation, measured from the WCS. They have their own post: Advance Steel levels.
- Queries find objects by their properties and save them as selection sets.
- Groups are named sets of objects you pick yourself, so you can select or isolate them again later.
On a big site you can split the project into several structures (one per area, for example), each with its own model views, levels, queries and groups.
Workplanes holds planes to model on. For example, a workplane at the Level 3 elevation lets you place columns at Level 3 instead of Level 0. See workplanes in Advance Steel.
How do I create a model view?
A model view hides everything outside a box. Anything partly in the box gets cut off at the box edge.
Click Create new model view in the toolbar at the top of the Structures pane:
Then pick how to define the box:
One point in UCS
- Pick a point in the model for the box.
- Type a name and press Enter.
- Click one of the arrows to set the view direction.
- Drag the blue grips to resize the box.
The new view shows up under Model Views:
To change its settings, right-click the box and pick Advance Properties:
Two points in UCS + front and rear depth
- Set your UCS where you want the view.
- Pick Two points in UCS + front and rear depth.
- Pick the first point and then the second point of the box.
- Type the front depth, then the rear depth.
- Type a name and press Enter.
- Click an arrow for the view direction.
Resize with the blue grips, or double-click the box and type sizes in the dialog.
At grid line
- Pick At grid line.
- Select the grid line and press Enter.
- Type a name and press Enter.
- Click one of the six arrows for the view direction and press Enter.
The box is the full height of your model. Drag the blue grips to make it smaller.
At joint box
Use this one to detail one connection. The Connection boxes/Joint boxes layer has to be on.
- Pick At joint box.
- Select the joint box.
- Type a name and press Enter.
- Click an arrow for the view direction and press Enter.
How do I delete a model view?
Select the box and delete it, or right-click its name in the Project Explorer and pick Erase.
How do I make drawings from a model view?
Give the model view a camera type:
- In the Project Explorer, right-click the model view and pick Properties.
- Go to the Camera Properties tab.
- Check Create automatic drawings.
- Pick the Type: anchor plan, intersection, node, overview or roof plan.
Then make the drawings as described in creating drawings in Advance Steel. For more on cameras, see camera views in Advance Steel.
How do I create a query?
- Click Create new query in the Structures pane toolbar.
- Set your search criteria on the tabs of the dialog.
- Click Save, type a name and click OK.
The query shows up in the Project Explorer:
The objects it found are marked in the model:
- Isolate them: turn on the light bulb next to the query name.
- Unmark them: Tool Palette > Selection tab > Clear marked objects.
- Edit the query: right-click it and pick Properties.
How do I create a group?
- Click Create new group in the Structures pane.
- Type a name and click OK.
- Right-click the group and pick +Add elements, select the objects and press Enter.
- To isolate them, turn on the light bulb next to the group name.
- To take objects out, right-click the group and pick -Remove elements.
Why can’t I see part of my model?
Most of the time, a model view, level, query or group is still isolated. Check the light bulbs in the Project Explorer and turn them off. If a part looks cut off, it’s partly outside an active model view box.
If you’re looking at hardware or software upgrades, my toolbox page lists the tools I use and any discounts I know of.
