In this article, you will learn why some components in Advance Steel receive negative position numbers and how you can control this behavior. Negative numbers indicate that a component has been deliberately excluded from numbering and the bill of materials.

Prerequisites

  • The model has already been numbered, in whole or in part, with the Numbering function.

Which parts does SuCri exclude?

When placing a connection, SuCri Module 3 deliberately disables numbering and the bill of materials (main part and single part) for certain parts:

  • Screws and anchors as existing parts: If the setting Screw insertion is set to "Inserted as existing parts" or "Not inserted and mark as existing", screws and anchors are marked as existing, i.e. they are not numbered and not included in the bill of materials.
  • Catalog parts not relevant to the bill of materials: Parts that do not belong in the bill of materials according to the manufacturer catalog are also excluded.

These parts receive a negative number during numbering. Do not manually re-enable numbering and the bill of materials for these parts. If screws and anchors are to be counted in future, change the "Screw insertion mode" setting instead before placing the connections.

Step-by-step guide

If another component has a negative number but is to appear in the bill of materials, follow these steps:

  1. Select the corresponding component in the model and open the Advance Steel properties by double-clicking or via the context menu.
  2. Navigate to the Behavior tab.
  3. Check the identical part detection option (e.g. for single parts or main parts). If it is disabled, the part receives a negative number.
  4. Enable identical part detection by checking the corresponding check box.
    Result: The prerequisite for positive numbering is now met.
  5. Run Numbering on the Output tab again for the entire model or the selected parts.
    Result: The component now receives a valid, positive position number and is listed correctly in the bill of materials.

Important notes

  • Deliberate default: Components that are not to be numbered (e.g. placeholders, auxiliary constructions or parts marked as existing) receive a negative number and are ignored in bills of materials.
  • Not a software error: Negative numbers are a technical indication of components that have been deliberately excluded from the fabrication documentation.
  • Consistency: Define at the start of the project which component types (e.g. existing structures or screws) are to be excluded from numbering, and set "Screw insertion mode" accordingly.

Troubleshooting

  • Part does not appear in the bill of materials despite numbering: Check whether the component has a negative number. If it is a screw, an anchor or a catalog part that SuCri has excluded, this is intended. Otherwise, enable identical part detection as described above.
  • Number does not change after the change: After changing the properties, run the Numbering command again, as the numbers are not updated automatically.

Related articles