Question:
What options are available to distribute the surface loads on members of a planar member structure as member loads?
Answer:
At this point, two options are available:
1.
The load wizard (Data Navigator) provides the exact distribution of a two-dimensional load on the corresponding members.
In the "Load Wizard/Edit Member Loads from Area Loads" dialog box, you can enter the corresponding parameters in the "Basic" and "Geometry" tabs; see Image 01.
2.
The load distribution surface is a new surface type without stiffness, which has the function of distributing surface loads within the plane to the corresponding members. The load distribution is constant in this case. In the "Edit Surface" dialog box, select the "Load Distribution" stiffness type under "Basic", and a new tab called "Load Distribution" appears; see Image 02. The corresponding parameters for the load distribution can be defined here.