Columns and beams are the structural BIM objects in Snaptrude. Draw them in BIM Mode with the same draw tools you use for walls, set their size in the Properties panel, and repeat them across stories once your structural layout is in place.

Before you start

Columns and beams are drawn in BIM Mode, which is available on the Pro, Organization and Enterprise plans. See Plans and Billing for what each plan includes.
Make the story you want to work on active under Stories in the left panel before you draw. If your project has more than one building, pick the right one from the Building dropdown at the top of the left panel too.

Draw a column

Switch to BIM Mode.
Pick a draw tool from the toolbar: Line for a square or rectangular column, Circle for a round column, or Arc for a curved profile.
With the tool active, choose Column as the object type.
Draw the column's profile in plan. Follow the on-screen dimensions, or type a value to set an exact size.
Close the profile to create the column on the active story.

Draw a beam

In BIM Mode, pick the Line or Arc tool.
With the tool active, choose Beam as the object type.
Set the beam's dimensions in the beam parameters before you draw. You can change them later.
Click the start point of the beam, then click the end point, the same way you draw a wall.
Press Enter to finish.

Round and curved columns and beams

Columns and beams aren't limited to rectangular sections. Draw a column with the Circle tool to get a round column, and use the Arc tool for curved beams and curved column profiles. You can also ask the Snaptrude Agent to build or edit round columns and beams for you.

Edit a column or beam

Select the column or beam. Its settings appear in the Properties tab of the right panel.
Change its size and other parameters there. For a column you can set Length, Width and Height; the panel also shows data such as Story, Surface Area and Volume.
To reshape it directly on the canvas, use the Edit tool (P) on a face.

Note: The Offset tool (F) works on columns but not on beams.

Which story columns and beams belong to

Snaptrude assigns most objects to the story their base sits on. Slabs, beams and roofs are the exception: they belong to the upper story. In practice:

A column drawn on Story 1 belongs to Story 1.
A beam at the top of Story 1, under the Story 2 floor slab, belongs to Story 2.

To check or change an object's story, select it and check its Story field in the Properties tab, where you can reassign it.

Copy columns and beams to other stories

Select the columns and beams you want to repeat.
Use Duplicate Above or Duplicate Below to copy them to the next story up or down.

To repeat columns along a bay, use the Copy/Array tool (C) and set the count and spacing.

Note: When you copy columns and beams, you can choose whether each copy is an Instance (linked to the original, so edits apply to both) or Unique (independent).

Place columns on grids

Grids give you a structural layout to place columns against. Draw your grid first, then draw columns along it. Grids can also create columns for you; Snaptrude places its default column type, which you can then edit like any other column.

Tips

Draw columns on the lowest story first, then use Duplicate Above to repeat the structural layout up the building.
Use a story underlay to line up columns with the story below.
Dimension lines attached to columns and beams update automatically when you resize or move them.

Walls
Floor Slabs and Flooring
Stories and Buildings
Grids and Reference Lines
Copy, Array and Duplicate Above/Below
Families and Parametric Components
Keyboard Shortcuts

Columns and Beams