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(GH wiki) Beams

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Ania A edited this page Mar 2, 2023 · 1 revision

A Beam object represents a linear (straight) timber part with a rectangular cross-section - for example as a stud, rafter, beam, joist etc. A Beam has a local coordinate system, where the X-axis corresponds with the centerline, Y-axis with the width of the cross-section and Z-axis with the height of the cross-section. The Origin is located at the start of the centerline.

A Beam can be created from a Line or LineCurve, or from Guid of a Line object referenced from an active Rhino document:

  • Centerline : the centerline of the Beam, also called the major axis

  • ZVector: (optional) a vector used to define the rotation of the cross-section around the centerline. Together with the centerline it indicates the plane in which the Z-axis of the beam lies, which is to say that ZVector does not have to be perpendicular, but cannot be parallel, to the centerline. If None is provided, a default direction will be used:

    • vector [1,0,0] (X-direction in world coordinates) if centerline is vertical (parallel to Z-direction in world coordinates)
    • otherwise vector [0,0,1] (Z-direction in world coordinates)

  • Width: the smaller dimension of the cross-section (by convention)

  • Height: the larger dimension of the cross-section (by convention)

  • Category: (optional) a string as an additional attribute, used later to define joint rules in JointCategoryRule component for the AutomaticJoint tool.

Once a Beam is created, you can preview its shape, coordinate system and extract its geometry and parameters using these components:

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