F13LD.beam
Strut-and-node lattices. Pick a named cubic cell in the Library and tune it, or draw your own on a snap grid in the Builder. Beam-frame homogenization reports the stiffness either way.
What it generates.
F13LD.beam builds explicit truss lattices — a graph of struts (beams) joining nodes in a unit cell. It has two modes: a Library of named cubic cells you tune by radius and size, and a Builder for drawing custom cells on a snap grid.
Use it for classic strut lattices where individual members carry load, and where you want a beam-lattice export. For smooth surfaces, see tpms; for stochastic structures, see grain.
Struts, nodes, and beam-frame stiffness.
A cell is a set of nodes connected by beams of a given radius. Stiffness is computed by a direct beam-frame method with periodic boundaries, which is accurate for slender struts and far faster than field methods.
Whether a lattice is stretch- or bending-dominated — and therefore how its stiffness scales with density — depends on how the struts connect. A fully triangulated cell is stiff per unit density; an open cubic cell is more compliant. See anisotropy & Zener.
Worked example: a library cell.
Open the Library
Set Mode to Library and pick a topology from the catalog. The cell loads with default struts.
Set density and size
radius is the strut thickness — the main relative-density control — and cell size sets the unit-cell dimension. tiling 1³/2³/3³ shows how cells repeat.
Set the parent material
Enter parent Eₛ and νₛ. The directional-stiffness readouts update to the effective lattice stiffness.
Export
Export JSON (recipe), LTCX (beam-lattice format), or CSV (node and beam tables).
Or draw your own
Switch to Builder, name a cell, and set snap density (15/27/63). Add and Remove struts on the grid, use symmetry to mirror as you go, and Undo/Redo to iterate; export the same three ways.
Each control has an i in the tool that opens its reference entry. This page is the walkthrough; the in-tool guide documents what every control does.
Cells.
Connectivity families to start from; pick the matching topology in the catalog.
A fully triangulated cell (octet-type). Stiffness scales near-linearly with density.
A simple cubic-type cell. More compliant at the same density; higher energy absorption.
A BCC-type cell — a middle ground between the two.
Draw any connectivity in the Builder; symmetry keeps it cubic.
Export and handoff.
F13LD.beam exports JSON (the recipe), LTCX (a beam-lattice format carrying the full node and beam graph), and CSV (node and beam tables). JSON round-trips within the suite.
The JSON recipe opens in F13LD.mesh like any other, where the struts are thickened into a watertight 3MF.