Keyboard Shortcuts
It is also possible to work with keyboard shortcuts. Almost all commands can now be called with 2 letters just like in Autocad - Revit.
The two letters, often an abbreviation of the command (such as BE for “Add Beam” or LQ for “Add beam Load Q”), make it logical and quick to learn, even for beginners. We've already created those shortcuts for you. And you can use the menu or the letters KS (“Keyboard Shortcuts”) to show that list of shortcuts.
With keyboard shortcuts, you don't have to move your hand from the keyboard to the mouse all the time. This saves several seconds each time, which adds up to hours of time saved in a workday.
Note that to repeat the last drawing command just press the Enter key or the spacebar like in AutoCAD, or F4 key like MS Word. This is super convenient because you often want to quickly repeat the drawing of, say, a new beam. The big advantage is that you don't have to move your mouse to the function in the ribbon menu so you can input your model even easier and faster.
General
| Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|
| KS | Shows this overview of Keyboard Shortcuts |
| Ctrl+Z | Undo |
| Ctrl+Y | Redo |
| Return / Enter / Spacebar / F4 | Repeats the last command |
| Escape | Interrupt |
File
| Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+N | New file |
| Ctrl+O | Open file |
| Ctrl+S | Save file |
| Ctrl+P | Print file |
| PV | PreView |
Geometry
| Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|
| BE | BEam / Adds a beam to the model |
| NO | NOde / Adds a node to the model |
| PL | PLate / Adds a plate to the model |
| LI | LIne / Adds a line to the model |
| PA | PAnel / Adds a panel to the model |
| GR | GRid / Changes grid lines in the model |
| HI | HInge / Adds a hinge to a beam |
| SP | Support Pinned / Adds a pinned support to the model |
| SF | Support Fixed / Adds a fully fixed support to the model |
| SX | Support Roller-X / Adds a roller x-support to the model |
| SY | Support Roller-Y / Adds a roller y-support to the model |
| SS | Support Spring-Z / Adds a z-spring support to the model |
| TG | Tables Geometry / toggles between Show and Hide of geometry tables |
Loads
| Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|
| LG | Load Generator / Starts the load generator |
| LQ | Load Q / Adds a distributed load on a beam |
| LP | Load Point / Adds a point load on a beam |
| LM | Load Moment / Adds a moment load on a beam |
| LN | Load Node / Adds loads on a node |
| LS | Load Surface / Adds a surface load to the model |
| GL | Generate Plate Load / Generates surface load on a plate |
| TL | Tables Loads / Toggles between Show and Hide of load tables |
| TC | Tables Cases/Combinations / Toggles between Show and Hide of tables |
Edit / Modify
| Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+M / MV | MoVe / Moves selected element(s) |
| Ctrl+C / CO / CC | COpy / Copies selected element(s) |
| RO | ROtate / Rotates selected element(s) around an axis |
| MC / AR | Multi Copy / ARrays / Creates a linear or radial array of selected element(s) |
| MR / MM | MiRror / Reverses the position of selected element(s) using a selected mirror surface |
| DE / Del-key | DElete / Deletes selected element(s) |
| MA | MAtch / Matches all beam properties to another beam |
| PP / P | ProPerties / Opens the property dialog of selected element(s) |
| SL | SpLit / Divides selected beam(s) at selected node(s) |
| EX | EXtend / Extends selected beam(s) and line(s) |
| DV | DiVide / Generates nodes on selected beam(s), divided along beam axis |
| IS | InterSections / Generates nodes on intersections of selected beam(s) and line(s) |
| BO | Beam Orientation / Swaps start and end node of selected beam(s) |
View
| Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+A | Select All |
| S | Select Previous – Repeats previous selection |
| SR / FR | Search – Opens search dialog |
| VV | Visibility – Toggles between Highlight Selection and Show All |
| MD | Measure Distance – Measures distances using a tape measure |
| VS | Visual Style – Toggles between Render and Wireframe (Solid and Line mode) |
| DL / DI | Dimension Line – Adds dimension line to the model |
| SD | Snap Distance – Sets the snap distance |
| PS | Print Screen – Makes a screenshot |
| ZE | Zoom Extend – Zooms to fit all elements fit in view |
| ZS | Zoom Selection – Zooms to fit all selected element(s) in view |
Calculate
| Shortcut | Description |
|---|---|
| CA | CAlculate – starts analysis |
| CS | Calculation Settings – Shows all calculation settings |