Frame Editor Reference

Physical links

Physical links turn logical spans into real tube, rod, or profile members while remaining connected to the frame's dependency model.

Definition#

A Physical link is a manufactured stock member positioned between two nodes. It represents the real tube, rod, or profile that will be cut and assembled, rather than only the logical relationship between its endpoints.

Physical links own material and section properties, appear in stock-member output, and provide parent geometry to Physical-link attachments. Their placement still belongs to the logical frame: each Physical link is associated with a Virtual-link reference axis.

Logical span and manufactured member#

At first, a Physical link normally follows the same terminal nodes and centre-line span as its Virtual reference. Keeping the logical and physical entities separate allows the editor to express two different truths:

  • the Virtual link records the intended structural relationship;
  • the Physical link records the stock material that can actually occupy the assembly.

That distinction becomes visible during reconciliation. Logical links can meet exactly at a zero-thickness node, while real members have radius and may intersect. Reconciliation can move a Physical link's effective endpoints along its reference geometry without moving the logical junction itself.

Section, material, and length#

The standard Physical-link section is a circular hollow member described by:

  • Radius: the outside radius in millimetres.
  • Wall thickness: the material thickness between the outside and inside surfaces.
  • Material: the stock-member material.
  • Length: the resolved distance between the current Physical-link endpoints.

Radius and wall thickness accept literal values or Frame reactive-property expressions. Wall thickness must be positive and smaller than the radius.

Length is derived, not entered directly. It changes when terminal nodes move or reconciliation adjusts the manufactured endpoints.

Terminal nodes and orientation#

A Physical link has an ordered start node and end node. Their positions determine the member's axis, direction, normal, and resolved length.

Changing either terminal is a topology edit. The editor finds or creates a suitable Virtual reference, checks that the member lies on it without overlapping another Physical link on the same span, and updates hosted attachments as part of the same transaction.

The Physical link's axis follows its terminal placement. Its circular section is rotationally symmetric, but its resolved local orientation gives hosted attachments a starting frame. Rotate an individual attachment when that part needs a different roll around the member; rotate the Virtual reference when its own Relative nodes or Virtual-link attachments need a different radial reference.

Reconciliation participation#

Each Physical-link terminal has a Reconciliation participation control. When enabled, that end is eligible for the reconciliation specification owned by its logical node. When disabled, that member end acts as a constraint rather than an endpoint the reconciliation action may adjust.

Reconciliation is not a generic collision solver and it does not create printable joints. It coordinates real member endpoints around a logical junction. Attachments and Attachment Connections handle the manufactured joint geometry afterward.

Reconciliation is performed only when you explicitly choose Reconcile for one eligible junction or Reconcile all links for the frame. “Automatic” describes how the specification is maintained, not when the action runs. Read the Reconciliation reference for eligibility, constrained members, ordinary endpoint edits, automatic and manual specifications, and the atomic transaction boundary.

Physical-link attachments#

A Physical-link attachment belongs to one Physical link and is anchored from a node on that member's reference span.

The attachment receives resolved parent inputs including:

  • link radius;
  • link wall thickness;
  • available link length in each direction from the attachment;
  • the member's local direction and orientation.

This is why changing a tube radius can regenerate its sleeves, clamps, sockets, or caps automatically. The attachment is a dependent parametric entity, not a detached mesh.

Creating and editing Physical links#

Create a Physical link from the frame-level Add menu or from a selected node, then choose the opposite terminal. New members use the current Physical-link defaults for radius, wall thickness, and material. The frame's reconciliation preference determines whether their terminal participation starts enabled.

The main editing actions are:

  • rename the member;
  • change its start or end node;
  • edit radius and wall-thickness expressions;
  • choose its material;
  • enable or disable reconciliation at either end;
  • add a Physical-link attachment;
  • hide, show, or delete it.

Creation defaults seed new members. Changing a default does not restyle Physical links that already exist.

Properties and relationships#

The main user-facing Physical-link properties are:

  • Name: its human-readable identity.
  • Start node and end node: the current manufactured terminals.
  • Reference Virtual link: the logical axis that contains the member.
  • Length: the resolved stock-member length.
  • Radius and wall thickness: its section expressions and resolved values.
  • Material: the stock material.
  • Terminal reconciliation flags: whether each end may participate.
  • Hosted attachments: Physical-link attachments on this member.
  • Visibility: whether the member is rendered in the scene.

A Physical link cannot use the same node at both ends, extend outside its Virtual reference, or overlap another Physical link along the same reference range.

Manufacturing and export#

Physical links are the source of stock-member information. Before manufacturing, inspect:

  • resolved length after reconciliation;
  • section and material;
  • which attachments occupy or clear each end;
  • whether cutting, drilling, threading, or bonding assumptions match the chosen attachment system.

Hiding a Physical link affects the scene, not its identity. Delete it only when the member should no longer be part of the frame.

Common mistakes#

  • Treating the Virtual reference as redundant. It preserves the logical axis and supports other dependencies even when the stock member is visible.
  • Entering a desired stock length directly. Length follows terminal placement and reconciliation; edit the owning geometry instead.
  • Using wall thickness greater than or equal to radius. That cannot describe a hollow circular section.
  • Changing section properties without inspecting attachments. Link-aware attachments regenerate from the new parent values and may need another visual review.
  • Disabling reconciliation merely to silence an unexpected result. That changes the member's constraint role; choose it only when the design requires that end to remain fixed.

Watch the Triangle Frame narrated build turn a logical triangle into Aluminium tubes, then compare their manufactured endpoints with the logical junctions after reconciliation.

Read Virtual links for the reference geometry, Reconciliation for explicit endpoint adjustment, Physical-link attachments for member-aware printable parts, or Nodes for terminal placement.