Member Size Control

Allows you some control over the member size in the final topology and the resulting degree of simplicity of the final design.

This feature may be added one of the two ways.

Table 1. DOPTPRM Card
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	(6)	(7)	(8)	(9)	(10)
DOPTPR	`MINDIM`	`VALUE`

Here, only the preferred minimum diameter (width in 2D) of members may be defined as the VALUE field, following the MINDIM keyword. A global minimum member size is defined in this way.

Table 2. DTPL Card
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	(6)	(7)	(8)	(9)
DTPL	`ID`	`PTYPE`	`PID1`	`PID2`	`PID3`	`PID4`	`PID5`	`PID6`
	`PID7`	etc	etc	etc
	`MEMBSIZ`	`MINDIM`	`MAXDIM`	`MINGAP`

Here, both the preferred minimum, MINDIM, and the maximum, MAXDIM, diameter of members may be defined on the MEMBSIZ continuation line. Member size dimensions can be defined differently for each DTPL in this way. MINGAP defines the minimum spacing between structural members formed. It is only used in conjunction with MAXDIM. Usage of MAXDIM implies that the a MINGAP constraint of the same value as MAXDIM is applied. Therefore, for MINGAP to be effective, it should be greater than MAXDIM.