Used to insert flat plates. Apart from given standard shapes and freely defined special shapes of any kind, you can insert plates of any shape into the model. These plates are refereed to as polyplates in ProStructures. These plates are flat or three-dimensionally bent plates of equal thickness, such as gusset plates or other types of connecting plates and butt straps.

Setting	Description
Dimensions	Length - Sets the plate length for rectangular insertions. Width - Sets the plate width for rectangular insertions. Thickness - Selects the plate thickness from the drop-down list. Tip: To edit or add available plate thicknesses, click . The file pro_st3d.ptt is opened in the default text editor which you can use to edit the file. Tip: Alternatively, to overwrite any values, you can select the Allow user input for Plate Thickness option on the Options dialog Straight Plates tab. Otherwise, only values from this list may be selected. Height offset - Sets the height of the plate above the current UCS. 1) Insertion height, 2) Plate thickness, Z) negative direction X-Offset - Sets an offset in the X direction of the plate relative to the selected insertion position. You can either enter this value or define the insertion point by means of the data points. Y-Offset - Sets an offset in the Y direction of the plate relative to the selected insertion position. You can either enter this value or define the insertion point by means of the data points. Item No. - Specifies an item number. Grid - When on, an additional grid is visible at the upper side that can be set. By this way you can show that it isn’t a plate but a component part such as e.g. gridirons.  In the settings/plate, you can enter a reduction of weight in percent for this case.
Insertion Plane	Sets the user coordinate system to be used for insertion. Current ACS - Inserts the plate using the active ACS. Object ECS - Inserts the plate by selecting a multi segment line element. The plate is situated in the plane of the selected multi segment line. User-defined plane - Insert the plate on a UCS plane defined by two data points.
Insert Edge	Sets the vertical insertion position of the plate relative to the current UCS or ECS system, depending on the selected option. They are: Bottom Top Middle
Options	Label - Assigns a name for your plate from an editable file. The content of this file is displayed in this list. Click to open Pro_St3d.pdc. In addition to the name, you can define a weight as well which is indicated with plain text. After selection of a name, the material is directly set as well. Material - Lists all available materials. Part Family - If part families are defined, you can set them here. The selection of part family can influence the colour of the component part. Detail Style - If detailing styles are defined, you can determine them here. Display Class - If display classes are defined, you can determine them here. Area Class - If area classes are defined, you can determine them here. Description - If general part descriptions are defined, you can determine them here. The selection of the description can influence the colour and the layer. level - Here, you can specify on which layer the plates have to be stored.
Preview	Displays the selected plate in a plan view. Insertion points are shown as well. Select one of these points to insert the plate at this insertion point.
By points	Inserts a plate by entering data points to form a polygonal shape. This polygon is used to form a poly-plate after the dialog closes. Construction lines or similar elements are not necessary. Make sure that the polygon edges do not overlap.
By shape	Inserts a plate by selecting an existing element to be the base of the plate. The selected element can be a polygon, a circle or an arc. As with the insert by points method, there can be no overlapping edges. However, the element does not have to be a closed shape. If an open shape is selected, the tool closes the shape with a straight edge. Note: Plates can alternatively be created on the current UCS or on the selected element's ECS.
Rectangular by insertion point	Inserts a rectangular plate using the Length and Width dimensions defined here at the selected insertion point. Note: The shape of polygonal plates can be modified, but rectangular plates always remain rectangular unless you change their status using Change Properties.
Rectangular by diagonal points	Inserts a rectangular plate based on a diagonal. The alignment of the X and Y direction is specified by the current UCS.
Rectangular on line	Inserts a plate by selecting a line or line segment. The length of the line determines the plate length. Width and Thickness are defined here. After insertion, you can adjust the position, rotation and the insertion point with the controls on the dialog. Rotation can either be modified in 90° increments or by user defined increments. The plate is rotated about the insertion line. -Phi – Rotates the plate in a negative direction using the Rotation angle entered here. +Phi – Rotates the plate in a positive direction using the Rotation angle entered here. -90 – Rotates the plate in a negative direction by 90°. +90 – Rotates the plate in a positive direction by 90°.
Rotation	Sets the value used for rotation by either the +Phi or - Phi options.
By four points	Inserts a plate by entering of four points. The points do not need to be on the current UCS. The first three points define the insertion plane. The order is: bottom left; bottom right, top left, top right.
Transform flat to plate	Transforms a flat ProStructures element into a polyplate. Settings made here are applied to the new plate.
Accept current	After insertion, plates are still connected to the dialog. Modifications are still possible. Click to interrupt this connection, thus preventing further modifications (via this dialog) to already inserted plates.