General Section

Section Name
- If the Import New Property button was used: If multiple sections were selected, the Section Name item will be a drop-down list. Choose the section to be used by clicking on it. Click the Import button to display or redisplay the list of sections available from the selected database if additional sections need to be imported.
- If the Add New Property button was used: SAP2000 will suggest a default section name (FSEC1, FSEC2 and so forth). If necessary, change the name by typing directly in the edit box.
- If the Modify/Show button was used: The name that appears in the Section Name item is the name of the section selected in the Properties area of the form before the Modify/Show button was clicked.
Section Notes Modify/Show Notes button. Click this button to access the Frame Section Property Notes form and add section notes to the model file.
Section Properties button. Click this button to display the Property Data form, which shows the frame section properties. If the Import New Property button was used to access the General Section form, the values on the Property Data form will be for informational purposes only and cannot be edited. If the Add New Property button was used, the values can be changed by typing directly into the edit boxes.
Set Time Dependent Properties button. Click this button to access the Time Dependent Properties form.
Set Modifiers button. Click this button to display the Frame Property/Stiffness Modification Factors form. Use that form to specify the desired modification factors. Note that modification factors can be assigned here as well as directly to line objects, as explained in Frame - Property Modifiers.
Material drop-down list. Displays the list of defined material properties. Use the list to choose the property to be included in the section definition. Clicking the + (plus) symbol preceding the Materials drop-down list will access the Define Materials form, which can be used to add or modify the material definition associated with the selected section type.
Dimensions area. Displays the default values for outside depth, outside flange width, flange thickness, and web thickness. If the General Section form was accessed using the Add New Property button, the dimension values can be changed as necessary. Note that the section shown in the gridlined display box on the right side of the form updates as changes are made to the dimension values.
Display Color. The color that will be used to display the section on-screen in the model.
1. Click on the "Display Color" text or the small sample square of the color to bring up the Color form.
2. Select the desired new color on the Color form and click the OK button.

Access the General Section form as follows:

Click the Define menu > Section Properties > Frame Sections command or select a frame object and click the Assign menu > Frame > Frame Sections command to display the Frame Properties form. The Frame Properties form also can be accessed by clicking the + (plus) symbol that may appear next to a {Type} Section drop-down list, such as appears on the {Template} forms.

Then do one of the following:

- Click the Import New Property button to access the Import Frame Section Property form.
- 1. Select Other from the Frame Section Property Type drop-down list.
  2. Click the General button.
- Click the Add New Property button to access the Property Data form. Use the form to specify the property data, which the program will use to generate the section; then click the OK button to access the General Section form.
- Highlight the name of a previously defined angle section in the Properties area/Find this Section list on the left side of the Frame Properties form and click the Modify/Show button.

If the Import New Property button is used and a database containing the selected section type has already been accessed, a form listing the sections of that type in that database will appear; choose the sections to be imported from the list by highlighting them. Note that clicking the + (plus) symbol preceding the Materials drop-down list will access the Define Materials form, which can be used to add or modify the material definition associated with the selected section type.

If sections of the specified type are not included in the database, a form to select another database to be imported will appear; choose a database from the list. If the selected type of section is not included in that database, an error message will display. To switch to another database, see the Note below.

Note: When the Import drop-down list is used, the General Section form will include an Open File button; click that button to access a form listing the various section database files available. After choosing a database, a form listing the individual sections within the selected database will appear. Choose the sections to be imported from the list and click the OK button to display the General Section form.