Editing ETABS Geometry Using a Spreadsheet Page 1 of 3

Editing ETABS Geometry Using a Spreadsheet

Geometry data for a model can be copied from an ETABS model, edited in a spreadsheet, and then
pasted back into ETABS. Note that only geometry and some section properties can be created or
modified in this fashion. Assignments (loads, supports, end offsets, and the like) cannot be made through
spreadsheet input.

Input data must be in the appropriate format. To simplify formatting, start a model using one of the ETABS
templates and then copy a portion of the model geometry into the spreadsheet and paste it back into
ETABS as follows:

1. Use a template to start a model or open an existing model.

2. Set the active window to a plan view.

3. Select a portion of the ETABS model by clicking on it or windowing over it.

4. Click the Edit menu > Copy command, the Copy button , or the Ctrl C keyboard command to
copy the selected geometry to the clipboard.

5. Open a spreadsheet.

6. Use the spreadsheet's Paste function to paste the geometry data into the spreadsheet.

7. Modify the data as needed and the use the spreadsheet's Copy function to copy the geometry back
to the clipboard.

8. Return to the ETABS model and click the Edit menu > Paste command, the Paste button , or
the Ctrl V keyboard command to paste the geometry from the clipboard into the ETABS model.

9. When the Paste Coordinates form displays, use the Delta X and Delta Y edit boxes to specify
placement of the geometry data.

Editing the Geometry Data

In the spreadsheet, each object is described in one line. Following are descriptions of the column
headings for each of the three object types (point, line and area) when the data is copied between ETABS
and the spreadsheet.

◾ Point Objects. This feature relates to point objects that have been drawn using the Draw menu >
Draw Point Objects command. Other points in the model are created automatically when line
objects are created and are copied automatically when line objects are copied.

The geometry data for point objects has the following column headings.

◦ Type: The word POINT always appears in this column for point objects.

◦ X: The global X coordinate of the point object.

◦ Y: The global Y coordinate of the point object.

◦ DZ: The Z-direction distance from the story level associated with the plan view where the
object is pasted into ETABS to the point object. DZ is 0 if the point object is on the
associated story level. Otherwise it is a positive number measured from the story level
down. Note that if the currently active plan view is showing a reference plane, a DZ value of

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zero pastes the object in at the story level associated with the reference plane, not at the
reference plane level.

◾ Line Objects. The geometry data for line objects has the following column headings.

◦ Type: The word LINE always appears in this column for line objects.

◦ Section: Name of the frame section property assigned to the line object. If no frame section
property is assigned to the line object, it is NONE. If a line object has a property name for
which a property is not already defined, ETABS sets the property assignment for that object
to None. For example, if a line object has a property name of COL1 and there is no
previously defined frame section property named COL1, ETABS sets the property
assignment for that object to None.

The following items are provided for each end point of the line object:

• XI (XJ): The global X coordinate of the considered end point of the line object.

• YI (YJ): The global Y coordinate of the considered end point of the line object.

• DZI (DZJ): The Z-direction distance from the story level associated with the plan view
where the line object is pasted into ETABS to the considered end point of the line
object. DZ is 0 if the end point lies at the associated story level. Otherwise it is a
positive number measured from the story level down. Note that if the currently active
plan view is showing a reference plane, a DZ value of zero places the object at the
story level associated with the reference plane, not at the reference plane level.

• BelowI (BelowJ): A flag that indicates if the considered end point of the line object
lies at the story level below the story level associated with the plan view where the
line object is pasted into ETABS. This item can be Y for yes or N for No. Y means it
does lie at the story level below the plan view; N means it does not. When the item is
Y, any value input for DZ is ignored and the end point is simply placed at the story
level below the story associated with the plan view. For example, the bottom end
point of a column typically has this flag set to Y. This way a column can be pasted
into a story of any height and it will always span from story level to story level.

• Area Objects. The geometry data for area objects has the following column headings.

◦ Type: The word AREA always appears in this column for area objects.

◦ Section: Name of the wall, slab or deck section property assigned to the area object. If no
section property is assigned to the area object, it is NONE. If an area object has a property
name for which a property is not already defined, ETABS sets the property assignment for
that object to None. For example if an area object has a property name of WALL1 and there
is no previously defined wall, slab or deck section property named WALL1, ETABS sets the
property assignment for that object to None.

◦ Points: The number of corner points in the area object. The following items are provided for
each corner point, n, of the area object, where n represents a number 1 through the number
of corner points in the area object:

• X-n: The global X coordinate of the considered corner point of the area object.

• Y-n: The global Y coordinate of the considered corner point of the area object.

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• DZ-n: The Z-direction distance from the story level associated with the plan view
where the area object is pasted into ETABS to the considered corner point of the
area object. DZ is 0 if the corner point object is on the associated story level.
Otherwise it is a positive number measured from the story level down. Note that if the
currently active plan view is showing a reference plane, a DZ value of zero pastes the
object at the story level associated with the reference plane, not at the reference
plane level.

• Below-n: A flag that indicates if the considered corner point of the area object is at
the story level below the story level associated with the plan view where the area
object is pasted into ETABS. This item can be Y for yes or N for No. Y means the
corner point lies at the story level below where it is pasted; N means it does not.
When the item is Y, any value input for DZ is ignored and the corner point is simply
placed at the story level below where it is pasted into ETABS. For example, the
bottom corner points of a wall typically have this flag set to Y. This way a wall can be
pasted into a story of any height and it will always span from story level to story level.

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