Calculation and Analysis Utilities

Obtaining Engineering Properties

The Engineering Properties command automatically calculates the engineering properties of a 2D object.

To determine the engineering properties of an object:

1. Select a single object, or select a single object and a locus point.

2. Select Model > Engineering Properties.

The Engineering Properties dialog box opens. The data that displays is selection-dependent.

For a single closed surface, the following displays:

●    Plane properties (area, perimeter, and absolute coordinates of the centroid of the object)

●    Moments of inertia, section modulus’, and radii of gyration about the object’s centroidal axes

For a single closed surface and a locus point, the moments of inertia and radii of gyration about the axes that pass through the locus are also displayed, as well as the horizontal and vertical distances from the locus to the centroid of the object.

3. Select the desired options and units.

Click to show/hide the parameters.

Parameter	Description
Units	Select a unit of measurement for the calculated values
Place locus at centroid	Adds a locus at the centroid of the selected object after closing the Engineering Properties dialog box
Place properties on drawing	Places a list of the properties at the next mouse click after closing the Engineering Properties dialog box
Write properties to a file	Sends the properties to a text file; specify the file name and location after closing the Engineering Properties dialog box

4. Click OK.

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