2.2.6: Provide Cross Sections
There are two options for attaching cross sections to elements:
- 1.Directly at the component where the element is created as shown in fig. 2.2.6.1.
- 2.Via element names (“B” and “S” in fig. 2.2.6.2) or regular expression by plugging cross sections into the “Assemble”-component.

Fig. 2.2.6.1: Definition of a cross section
Fig. 2.2.6.1 shows how to attach a custom cross section to an element. It is an I-profile with a height and width of
. The physical unit of any input- or output-value is mentioned in the help text which pops up when the mouse pointer hovers over the corresponding plug.
Assignment via the “Assemble”-component overrides direct assignment in the element.

Fig. 2.2.6.2: Definition of a cross section via element names
Fig. 2.2.6.2 shows hows cross sections can be defined by element names “Elem|Id”: definition of a beam cross section (1); definition of a shell cross section (2); selection of a cross section from the default cross section library (3).
Arbitrary I-, hollow box, filled trapezoid and hollow circular cross sections can be defined for beams. Alternatively Karamba3D lets the user select a predefined standard cross section. In case of shells, it is possible to attach a different cross section to each element.
The Karamba3D cross sections are available as multi-components: they can be accessed via the single component “Cross Sections”. The drop down menu lets one select the cross section type.
Should you not assign a cross section to your beam or shell elements, the default cross section will be used.
Last modified 2yr ago