Multiframe3D and Multiframe4D allow you to render the display of the frame in the Frame, Load and Plot windows as an aid to visualising the relative sizes and orientation of the sections in the structure.  Rendering involves drawing a representation of the frame, complete with web and flange details, with hidden lines removed.  Rendering can only be done in the 3D view in a window and only on the Deflection diagram in the Plot window.  The number of segments drawn per member on the rendered, deflected shape is controlled by the precision set using the Plot… command from the Display menu.

To turn on rendering in the front window

§    Choose Render from the Display menu

A dialog will appear with the rendering options.

§    Check the Render Members check box to turn on the rendering

If you wish you can also choose whether to use shading on the sections and whether to draw separate lines for the edges of the sections.

The Section scale field can be used to exaggerate the sizes of the section shapes as they are drawn in the rendered view.  Because the size of sections is usually very small compared to the size of the frame, this helps make the actual shapes more clearly visible.

The Rendered length field can be used to shrink the rendered length of the members back from their actual end locations. This can help to visualise the orientation and position of members at a joint.

The OpenGL check box allows you to turn on and off the use of OpenGL rendering. This provides high speed rendering with most graphics cards and also allows use of transparency with clipping and masking. You will need to run off OpenGL rendering to print a rendered view to a printer.

§    Click the OK button

The structure will be drawn using rendering until you turn rendering off. To turn off rendering, choose the Render command and turn off the Hidden Lines check box.

If you have clipping or masking turned on, rendering will only render the visible members.  If you have drawn custom sections using Section Maker, rendering will display the actual shape of the custom section.  Circular sections are displayed approximately as octagonal shapes.