The section editor program is an independent but well-connected part of the FEM-Design package. This part is for creating, calculating and organizing cross-sections for the FEM-Design.

The section database can be reached and used from the other parts of the FEM- Design package (Plate, 3D Frame and 3D Structure modules).

In the section database of the FEM-Design the shape of the sections are defined by so called regions. A region is a contour formed by lines and arcs and might have holes in it formed also from arcs and lines. A cross-section could be defined by more than one region.

The sections in the section database are material independent, however on creation some material like parameters can be defined and the sections are divided into groups by the possible usage of the section. For example a solid rectangle section usually is not a steel section but can be concrete or wooden. An IPE 100 on the right usage is a steel cross-section but nothing in the FEM-Design restrains you from using the shape with other materials too. The material-like para- meters are for example rolled steel; cold worked steel; generic section; and other similar information (refer to the User’s Guide of the FEM-Design). This information is for future use currently but please define correctly at every cross-section.

Not just the shape of the cross-section is stored in the section database of the FEM-Design, but the geometrical parameters too, like area, inertia, section modulus and so on. The section parameter calculation engine in the section editor calculates these values.

The calculation of the geometric parameters is a finite element calculation. In the background of the calculation of the geometrical parameters a suitable finite element mesh is generated on the same basics that are described in the section 1.1.10.