You can manually connect parts using bolts or welds in Advance Steel. This type of connection is used when you do not need to apply a joint between the parts you are connecting. Once you have made a bolted connection, you can right-click on the connection to change to holes only or anchors. Before you start inserting the bolts, you need to set this to the correct setting using the Switch Bolts/Anchor/Holes/Shear Studs button in the Objects ribbon tab.
Table of Contents
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Accessing the Bolt Tool
You can access the Bolt Tool from
Objects tab > Connection Objects panel > Select Bolt Type and Select the Pattern
NOTE: Make sure that you have the UCS aligned to the face of the object where you are going to insert a bolt pattern.
Inserting a Rectangular Bolt Pattern Using Two Points
Insert a rectangular bolt pattern by specifying two corner points. The UCS needs to be aligned to the object face prior to making a connection.
When you activate this tool, you will be asked to select the parts to be connected. Once you are done selecting the parts, confirm the selection by pressing ENTER. Next, you need to specify the lower left corner and then the upper right corner of the bolt pattern. After this is completed, the bolts will be inserted, and the dialog box will open where you’ll have the chance to further specify details of your connection. You can define the bolt type, size, distances, naming, behavior, tolerance, etc.
Inserting a Rectangular Bolt Pattern Using the Center Point
Insert a rectangular bolt pattern by specifying the center point. The UCS needs to be aligned to the object face prior to making connection.
When you engage this tool, you will be asked to select the parts to be connected. Once you are done selecting the parts, confirm the selection by pressing ENTER. Next, you need to specify the center point of the connection pattern. After this is completed, the bolts will be inserted, and the dialog box will open where you’ll have the chance to further specify details of your connection. You can define the bolt type, size, distances, naming, behavior, tolerance, etc.
Inserting a Rectangular Bolt Pattern Using the Corner Point
Insert a rectangular bolt pattern by specifying the corner point. The UCS needs to be aligned to the object face prior to making connection.
When you activate this tool, you will be asked to select the parts to be connected. Once you are done selecting the parts, confirm the selection by pressing ENTER. Next, you need to specify the lower left corner point of the connection pattern. After this is completed, the bolts will be inserted, and the dialog box will open where you have a chance to further specify details of your connection. You can define the bolt type, size, distances, naming, behavior, tolerance, etc.
Inserting a Circular Bolt Pattern Using the Center Point
Insert a circular bolt pattern by specifying the center point. The UCS needs to be aligned to the object face prior to making connection.
When you activate this tool, you will be asked to select the parts to be connected. Once you are done selecting the parts, confirm the selection by pressing ENTER. Next, you need to specify the center point of the circular connection pattern. After this is completed, the bolts will be inserted, and the dialog box will open where you have a chance to further specify details of your connection. You can define the bolt type, size, distances, naming, behavior, tolerance, etc.
Splitting Bolt Groups
When adding a bolted connection using any of the methods described above, you are inserting your bolts as a group of bolts. This basically means that you are limited to modifying your group of bolts as a group; you cannot modify your bolts individually.
If you rather modify your bolts individually, you need to split the bolt group. That is when you are going to use this tool. When you engage this tool, you will be asked to select the bolt pattern. Select the pattern you want to split and press ENTER. Your pattern will explode, and all the bolts will become individual bolts that are not part of a bolt pattern. Feel free to double-click on the individual bolts and modify their properties.