Chaptermaker - automatic generation of chapters

Chaptermaker is a named feature known also from old document. It enables easy automatic generation of chapters according to logical links between tables. It enables to generate e.g. separate tables with list of beams for each cross section or generate tables with internal forces for each defined load combination.

Since version 2013.1 it is possible to automatically generate tables and also pictures.

Definition of chaptermaker

Definition of chaptermaker consists of master table and slave (indented) tables or pictures.For each record in master table is generated one chapter containing slave tables or pictures or other report items. Slave tables contains only records which has logical reference to record from master table. Content of slave pictures is also modified according to its logical reference with master table. There are supported several types of logical references:

References for non-result tables

Content of slave tables is defined by limiting of selection of entities. In the selection are present only items with reference to current record in master table.

• data reference: This linkage is based on data structure of SCIA Engineer model. It can be understand as using of data from other entities. Once one entity uses data from other entity then there is data reference. One example is reference between 1D members and nodes. Simply said Node knows which members are connected to it and member knows which nodes are defining its geometry.

  

  
  

• library reference: this type of reference can generate for example all members with given cross section or all cross section with given material

  

  

References for result tables:

Content of slave results tables can be controlled by modification of selection or by modification of load definition of the result.

• Specification of selection: result table contains only members from the record of master table

  

  

• Specification of filter: In the properties of result tables it is possible to specify some filter. This filter can be used for definition chaptermaker. If one of available filters is e.g. Cross section then table with cross sections can be used as a master table.

  

  

• Specification of load: Table with load definition (load case, load combination, nonlinear combination, ....) can be used as a master table. This will generate one result table for each item from master table (e.g one result table for each load combination).

  

  

It is also possible to prepare multilevel definition of chaptermaker.

Repeating pictures

There are again several types of picture chaptermakers:

• It is possible to modify the content of the picture by changing set of displayed members.
• It is possible to generate pictures with loads different load-cases (mass groups, ...).
• it is possible to generate pictures with results for different loads (load cases, combinations, ...)

Only Live pictures can be used for chaptermakers. Other types of pictures does not change their content in automatically generated chapters.

Repeating pictures with changed set of displayed members (1D members and 2D members)

The first type of chaptermaker generates pictures where displayed members are different in each picture. See following examples of this type:

Repeating pictures with loads from different load-cases

The second type of chaptermaker changes the displayed load which is related to different load-case in each chapter.

Repeating pictures with results for different loads

The last type of chaptermaker enables to generate pictures with results for all loads (load cases, combinations, result classes, ...) from the master table.

Size of repeating pictures

There are two basic possibilities of specification of size of automatically generated pictures:

• All pictures in the same scale. Width and Height are calculated automatically so the whole content of the picture is displayed
• The Width and Height is fixed. The scale of each generated picture is calculated automatically so the content of the picture fits into defined size

Changes of pictures

Content and properties of pictures which are indented under some master table can be modified in the same way as pictures which are not indented. After the changes the whole chaptermaker block must be regenerated to see the proper content.

Chaptermaker with more different report items

It is possible to indent more slave items under the master table. It is also possible to mix different types of slave report items. Based on the type of report items it is automatically evaluated, whether the content will be different or the same in each generated chapter.

Items with changing content in each chapter:

• tables with logical reference to master table (see above)
• live pictures with logical reference to master table

Items which does not change its content in each chapter:

• screen-shot picture or gallery picture
• external picture
• formatted text
• other special items (e.g. page break)