Form: Merge Selected Joints
Any joints in the model may be merged at any time using the Edit menu > Merge Joints command. To use this command, first select the joints to be merged. Then execute the command, specify a merge tolerance, and click the Apply button to modify the model as specified. The merge then takes place. ETABS uses the following logic to merge the joints:
ETABS orders the selected joints based first on the number of grid lines that pass through them and based second on the order in which they were drawn.
ETABS merges all selected joints that are within the specified merge tolerance of the first joint in the sorted list (if any) with the first joint in the selected list.
The sorted list is updated by deleting any joint that has been merged to the first joint on the sorted list and by deleting the first joint on the sorted list.
Steps 2 and 3 are repeated until all joints have been deleted from the sorted list.
A couple of special cases exist for merging joints, as follows:
If one joint lies at a story level and another joint lies just above that story level, and thus is actually associated with the story level above, the joint above always merges into the joint located at the story level, assuming the joints are within the specified merge tolerance.
If one joint is located just below a story level and another joint is located just above the same story level, and thus is actually associated with the story level above, those two joints will never merge. This is true regardless of the specified merge tolerance.
Note: Use the Merge Tolerance option ( Options menu > Tolerances command) to set a basic tolerance check in the model. When joints are created (drawn, moved, copied, replicated, and so forth) such that they lie closer together than the Auto Merge Tolerance value, ETABS automatically merges the new joint into the existing joint.