Utility: Make Library

Description

Imports a text file containing material and/or beam section data and converts it into a library file for use in any Strand7 model.

Dialog

Source file

The source text file in a format specific to the selected library file type.

Select file

Opens the file dialog to locate the source text file.
Units

Physical unit system used in the source text file.

Library file

The data library file to generate.

File type

The data library file type.

The file type can be one of Materials Library (.MAT), Beam Section Library (.BSL), Beam Geometry Library (.BGL) or Composite Material Library (.CML).
Select file

Opens the file dialog to specify the location and file name of the data library file. This can be a new file name or an existing file name. When the file already exists, there will be the option to either overwrite the file or append to it.

Note that before a new library can be created or an existing one modified, write permissions are required for the folder in which the data library files are generated and stored.

Apply

Begins the conversion process.

Closes the dialog.

Source file format

Data in the source text file is entered in a tabular format with rows representing individual data sets and columns representing the individual pieces of data that comprise the data set. For example, a new material type would be the data set, with the columns being quantities such as Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio.

Some general notes regarding the format are:

It is not necessary for columns to line up neatly.
Data for a single data set must be contained on a single line in the text file. Blank lines are allowed between data sets.
The same set of physical units must be used for all numeric data in the text file.
Any numeric field can be set to zero. Zero fields do not overwrite existing data when library records are retrieved.
The library compiler is not case sensitive.
Zero fields at the end of a row can be neglected.
Comments in the file are prefixed by the "/" character. Text after "/" character on the same line is ignored.

Refer to the following topics for details and examples of each library file type: