Create a linearly varying area load. This load varies linearly between two points defined in 3D space. When applied to a design area element, it will assign loads to the discretized shell elements based on the centroid of the shell and its perpendicular distance along the line defined by the start and end points of the load. This is useful for applying wind or seismic loads to walls that may vary up the height of the building. Instead of creating multiple design area elements and assigning different loads, you can create a varying area load and apply it to a single design area element.
| Number | Name | Object Type | Description | Optional |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Local Coord | System.Boolean | Whether the load is defined in the local coordinate system. Default is false (global coordinate system). | Yes |
| 2 | Fx | System.Double | Body force in the X-direction. Units of force per area (stress). | Yes |
| 3 | Fy | System.Double | Body force in the Y-direction. Units of force per area (stress). | Yes |
| 4 | Fz | System.Double | Body force in the Z-direction. Units of force per area (stress). | Yes |
| 5 | Mx | System.Double | Body moment about the X-axis. Units of moment per area (force per length). | Yes |
| 6 | My | System.Double | Body moment about the Y-axis. Units of moment per area (force per length). | Yes |
| 7 | Mz | System.Double | Body moment about the Z-axis. Units of moment per area (force per length). | Yes |
| 8 | T | System.Double | Uniform temperature delta. Positive is heating up. Negative is cooling down. Unitless, but should be consistent with how temperature coefficients are defined. | Yes |
| 9 | Start Pt | GH_Point | The start point for the linear variation. Any point object that can be cast to a GH_Point. | No |
| 10 | End Pt | GH_Point | The end point for the linear variation. Any point object that can be cast to a GH_Point. | No |
| 11 | Start Fac | System.Double | The factor to apply to the input loads at the start point. | No |
| 12 | End Fac | System.Double | The factor to apply to the input loads at the end point. | No |
| 13 | Zero Beyond | System.Boolean | Whether or not the load goes to zero if an element’s centroid falls beyond the start or end of the line. If true, the load will drop to zero. If false, the load will take on the value at either the first or last point, respectively. Defaults to false. | Yes |
| Number | Name | Object Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Area Load | DesignLinearlyVaryingAreaLoad | A linearly varying area load. |
The blue button at the bottom of the component with the “Assign Pattern” text allows you to assign a load pattern (that is defined in the model definitions) to the load. The load pattern must be assigned for the component to run. Otherwise, an error will be thrown.