If you have Analytical Features enabled (to create analytical members), you do not have to do anything else. The analytical member is placed as you place the physical member. They are not different elements; they are parts of the same element. By default, analytical members and physical members are placed on different levels, which makes it very easy for you to view them together or separately.

You can modify analytical members and physical members separately. If, for example, you have a truss joint, the physical members are joined in a manner that does not reflect a simple joint in the analytical members. For your analysis, you can move the crossing beam of the joint to make a simple three-point joint that will be understood by your analysis software.

Even though the physical members and analytical members are part of the same element, they are treated differently by AECOsim Building Designer during deletions. If you delete the physical member, the analytical member is also deleted. But if you delete the analytical member, the physical member is not deleted. This is because the analytical member cannot be orphaned; it must always have an associated physical member. The physical member does not have to have an analytical member.