What is Section Mapping?

When you work with PROKON, the Section Database is readily available. No matter which
module is used, the Section Database can be used to load sections. The Section Database is
the central repository for all sections used in PROKON.

There is, however, no direct link between a section’s name and its physical properties. The
Section Database can be amended and no naming convention is forced upon the user. This
means that a section’s name does not define the section itself.

When we collaborate with other software we need to be able to tell the third-party program
what is the correct section to use. We can’t depend on the PROKON Section Database
names; the names could have been customized by the user, and the default names don’t
necessarily correlate with the names that other programs use. We need to “map” the
PROKON section name to a name that the third-party program will successfully interpret.

Third-party integration

Both Sumo and Frame Analysis can form an integral part of your Building Information
Management (BIM) strategy. Several options are available for sharing models with other
software:

• Revit®: Using Prodesk Suite, round-trip information sharing for 3D structures is possible between Revit® on the one side, and Sumo or Frame analysis on the other side. Build the model in Revit (or modify the architect’s model), and send it to Frame Analysis or Sumo for analysis and design.
• Industry Standards: Integrate with models created by third-party packages. You can import models from and export to CIS/2 (CIMSteel Integration Standard) and SNF (StruCad Neutral File) format.

Prodesk

Prodesk uses the SecMaps.db database file to store the section mapping data. Frame refers
to the section mapping information found in SecMaps.dat when exporting data for use in
third-party programs. Both these files can be found in the C:\Prokon\User directory