As you add members and joints to a structure, Multiframe will automatically assign numbers to them. If you wish to renumber the joints and or members, you can do so using the Renumber command from the Geometry menu.

Renumbering is performed by sorting the joints by their coordinates. Three levels of sorting are used to perform the renumbering. The primary sort is used to first sort joints along a specified direction. All joints with the same location in the primary sort direction are then sorted using a secondary sort. Finally, all joints having the same location in both the primary and secondary sort directions are then sorted using the tertiary sort.

In 3D, the primary sort can be visualised of as sorting all the joints into planes of joints, the planes being aligned perpendicular to the sort direction. The secondary sort then takes the joints in each of these planes and sorts them into lines of joints, the lines being aligned perpendicular to the secondary sort direction. The tertiary sort then performs a simple sort to order the joints along each the lines of joints in each of the planes.

To renumber the structure

§    Choose Renumber from the Geometry menu

§    Choose the Primary, Secondary and Tertiary sort directions

§    Click on the OK button

Note that you can renumber after analysis and your results will be preserved but displayed using the new joint and member numbers.

You can display the joint and member numbers on the members in the drawing windows by using the Symbol command from the Display menu and turning on Joint Numbers and/or Member Numbers.