Creating Custom Combinations using Templates

Custom Load Combinations can also be created by using the templates to generate combinations and then making changes, if desired. In the Custom Load Combinations dialog, the engineer has access to ALL templates, regardless of design code selected. At the top of the dialog there are two drop-down combo controls; both are defaulted to "None".

From the first drop-down combo box, the template ID is selected.

Once a template ID is selected, the Code for Combinations drop-down control lists the available templates for that material (Figure 4). From this control, a code is selected and the dialog controls become available and the Generate button becomes active.

At this point, combinations can be generated just as if one was using the Load Combination Generation command. There are two important differences:

Existing combinations are not replaced when new combinations are generated as they are in the Generator. New combinations are appended to the end of the existing combination list.
Because these are Custom Combinations, they can be modified and/or deleted from the combination list.

To edit a load combination, select it in the Load Combinations list and make the desired changes. It should not exceed 254 characters, including blanks and can have at most twenty five load cases.

In the Custom Load Combinations command, the settings for the generator are temporary. Template ID and code are not saved, nor are the parameters used for generating combinations; only the combinations themselves are saved.