Column Tool Settings: Preview and

Positioning
The Column Settings dialog box is divided into four pages.

The Preview section remains visible on all four pages, and reflects your settings modifications.

Navigate among the pages using the tree structure on the left:
Core Width/Height

For a simple (single-segment) Column, enter the core’s horizontal and vertical dimensions.
 Note: For Columns with a rectangular cross-section, use the chain icon to constrain them to
the same value.

For a circular column, enter a diameter.

Column height

Shows the Column’s total height.

•For an unlinked Column, set its height here.

•For a top linked Column: this field is not editable. Column height depends on the settings in the
Positioning panel below.

Column Positioning Panel

By default:

•The Column top is linked to one story up

•The Home Story is the current story.

Top Link
Use this control to do one of the following:

•Top link the Column relative to its Home Story (Home+1, Home+2, etc.)

If you later modify the positions and heights of stories in your projects, the heights of any linked
Columns will follow automatically.

•Choose Not linked to make it a fixed-height Column. Define its height in Column height field
above.

Offset from Top Linked Story

You can offset the Column top from its top linked story.

•The offset value can be positive, negative or zero.

•The offset field is not available if the Column has no top link.

You can also offset the Column bottom from the Home Story, in either direction.

•The Column height value (seen in the Preview section of Column settings) is affected by the top
and bottom offsets, if any.

Home Story

See Home Story.

Bottom Elevation [to Reference level]

Calculates the current elevation of the Column’s reference line, as measured from the Reference
level (by default, this Reference level is Project Zero).

Click the pop-up arrow to change the Reference level, if needed.

Note: Reference levels are defined at Options > Project Preferences > Reference Levels.

For general information on levels, see Reference Levels Preferences.

Note: This is a calculated value, not a link. If you change the Reference level, the Column
will not change its position.

Column Slant Angle

See Create a Slanted Column.

Wrapping Method

See Columns and Composite Walls: Wrapped or Unwrapped.

Relation to Zones

See these topics:

Calculating Zone Area and Zone Volume

Relation to Zones