Using Dr. Frame2D

 

General Operation

Dr. Frame2D has been designed to be simple to use for both basic and advanced analyses:

  • Use the various tools in the Tool Palette to create and modify loads, supports, members, etc.-- the structure will respond immediately to these actions. Selected objects and groups of objects can also be modified using the arrow keys.
  • Selected objects will appear in the inspection pane/window allowing for direct numerical data input. Again, the effects of changes will appear immediately.
  • Modifying the viewing parameters is most easily accomplished by holding down the space bar and clicking and dragging in the modeling window. See also the camera tool.
  • Various display and modeling options are available via menu commands, as is the generic functionality associated with typical Macintosh or Windows programs, such as printing, file management, etc.
  • Many operations can be accomplished via simple QuickKeys.
  • Dr. Frame2D has 10 levels of undo, so it is possible to experiment quite freely without worrying about getting stranded in an unwanted state.

It is likely you will be able to accomplish most basic analysis and modeling with only casual reference to this documentation, but there is much useful information here available as needed. If any of Dr. Frame2D's operations seem cumbersome or inconvenient to carry out, take a look at the relevant documentation--chances are there is an easier way to get the task done (if not, let us know and we'll see what we can do to make it so).

Overview of the Dr. Frame2D Environment

Before we get into specifics it will be helpful to lay out the main components of the Dr.Frame environment as shown in the screen shot below:

  • Tools and Controls Button Palette - contains Dr. Frame2D tools for creating and manipulating structures, and for quickly modifying viewing parameters
  • Modeling Pane View - the main modeling/visualization pane: used for creation, manipulation, and inspection.
  • Feedback Pane - provides useful information concerning objects, views, and tools.
  • Results Pane - provides basic numerical results summaries in tabular format.
  • Property Inspector - hierarchical display of object properties with support for direct editing of values.

Working with the Tools

The heart of Dr. Frame2D's functionality is accessible primarily via the tools palette. The specifics of each particular tool are covered in subsequent sections, but the features common to all tools are overviewed here.

  • Objects generally are created by clicking at the desired location on a particular member or joint. Magnitudes are set by dragging.

Objects attached to joints behave differently than objects attached to members. To place an object at a member's end, create the object away from the end, and then drag it to the desired end location.

The view location/angle can be adjusted at any time by holding down the space bar, which temporarily selects the camera tool.

  • Objects can be deleted by selecting them and hitting the Delete or Backspace key (or by choosing Delete from the Edit menu).
  • Most tools have additional behavior available by holding down modifier keys while clicking and/or dragging.
  • Selected objects and groups of objects can be modified using the arrow keys. The effect depends on the type of object selected and what it is applied to (joint or member). Holding the control key will decrease the effect of the arrow keys while holding the shift key will increase the effect, where the increment of change is based on the appropriate displacement, length, load, etc. settings in the Number Formatting command in the Options menu.
  • The Select Tool ( ) is the most general purpose tool for selecting, relocating, and modifying objects. It can mimic the behavior of most the other tools in regards to these operations, but it cannot be used to create objects.
  • Multiple objects can be selected simultaneously by shift-clicking with an appropriate tool or area dragging with the Select Tool. Note: you can Group selected objects so that they can be selected and operated on later as an ensemble via the Group command in the Edit menu.
  • Brief help information appears in the status bar at the bottom of the window frame when the mouse is placed over a given tool button in the tool palette, or when the cursor is placed over an on-screen modeling object.

A quick overview of the available tools is given below:
Select Tool: Used for general selection and object manipulation.
Magnifying Glass Tool: Used for zooming in on particular objects or on a dragged area.
Panning Tool: Used for panning the view and for translating the model position (in combination with the shift key).
Label Tool: Used to add value labels for viewing numerical results.
Annotation Tool: Used to add annotations and comments to views and objects.
Point Load Tool: Used to create and manipulate concentrated loads.
Distributed Load Tool: Used to create and manipulate distributed loads.
Distributed Load Tool: Used to create and manipulate concentrated moment loads.
Distributed Load Tool: Used to create and manipulate internal hinges in members.
Fixed Support Tool: Used to create and manipulate fixed supports.
Pinned Support Tool: Used to create and manipulate pinned supports.
Line Roller Support Tool: Used to create and manipulate line roller supports.
Rotational Spring Support Tool: Used to create and manipulate rotational spring supports.
Spring Support Tool: Used to create and manipulate spring supports (bilateral or unilateral).
Fixed-End Member Tool: Used to create fixed-end members.
Free-End Member Tool: Used to create members with free (truss elements) or partially restrained ends.
Wall Tool: Used to create simply-meshed walls.

 

Getting Started

The best way to get started with Dr. Frame2D is to run the interactive demo available in the Help menu (Choose the "Run Auto Demo" command). This will provide a quick overview of the basic features, functionality, and operation of the program. Once the demo starts the Auto Demo Dialog, shown below, will appear.

  • Use the navigation buttons on the top of the dialog to navigate between steps.
  • Use the pull-down menu at the top of the dialog to choose from a small set of demo topics.
  • During the demo, you can try out the features as they are introduced: the demo is not a movie, but rather is a live demo in which you can participate.
  • Quitting the demo will restore the pre-demo state of your model.
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