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Choose Settings… then the Preferences tab to set your preferences for:
Concept Mode Options
Double click gridlines, columns, and point loads
By default, Sizer only requires a single click for these to create gridlines, columns and point loads at a point. However, you can use a double-click procedure in order not to inadvertently create objects by single clicking on white space.
Point loads on beams in Concept Mode are always created by double click if there is another load at the same point. It is also possible to create a UDL on the whole beam via double-click.
Allow supporting members to be deleted
If a member supported other members, unless you select this option, you are required to remove them prior to deleting a member. This was done to ensure that members were supported properly as you worked. Many users find it convenient to temporarily bypass this requirement in order to modify some members - for example, replace a beam with a wall. Sizer gives you the option of turning off the support requirement with the understanding that having deleted a member you will immediately replace with something suitable.
Generate Materials List
Select this option to create a table that contains a complete list of materials used in designing the structure. For each design group, the number of pieces for each length of the material; wall, roof and floor areas; total length of joist trimmers and wall plates are all listed. All quantities are then totaled. The table will be generated when the Design button is pressed.
Generate Design Results for each member
Select this option to create a table that lists the design performance of each member with respect to the various design criteria - bending, shear, deflection, etc. The table will be generated when the Design button is pressed. Please note that this option may double the time it normally takes to produce a design.
Design Members Individually
If Generate Design Results for each member is selected, then you have a choice of sizing each member individually, or performing a design check on each member using the size designed for the group and displayed in the Design by Group results.
It is useful to compare design results using the two methods, to see if certain members ought to be placed in different design groups.
Beam and Column Mode Options
Show Beam Loads view in a pop-up window
Users with certain touch screen monitors experienced a crash whenever entering Beam Loads view, and more rarely, Column Loads view. For these users, we allow you to show beam and column loads view in a pop-up window rather than a window docked to the main program window.
Express beam or joist slope as rise/run
Select this checkbox if you wish to show slope as a pitch in number of inches over 12 instead of degrees.
Show design ratios as a percentage
Allows you to show the design ratio in the Force vs. Resistance output as a percentage, .e.g. 87.1 %, rather than a ratio, e.g. 0.87. Note that there is 10 times greater precision in reporting the design ratio as a percentage, so that when it is for example 1.002, the report will show a failed design of 100.2% when percentage is chosen, but a passing design of 1.00 when it is not.
Include "Additional Design Data" in results
Select this checkbox if you wish to show supporting design information such as the value of the design factors in the design check results.
Include detailed bearing design results
If unchecked, in the Bearing subsection of he Reactions and Bearing Table, only the length, width ( if applicable) and minimum length is output.
If unchecked, the bearing subsection contains additional information including bearing capacity of beam and of the supports, the governing load combination number, bearing and load duration factors.
Express bearing reactions on joists as UDL
If this is checked, the joist reactions shown in the Bearing and Reactions table are expressed as plf, kips/ft, or kN/m, that is, as line loads, using the joist spacing to convert from point reactions to line loads.
Include stock length warning in results
Select this check box if you want to turn on or off the warning that is printed in the results whenever a section is designed that exceeds the typical stock length value.
Show wood textures on members on screen/ in printed output
De-select this checkbox if you do not wish to show the wood grain bitmaps in the beam and column diagrams. This option was added as a small proportion of users were experiencing display or printing problems with the graphically enhanced members.
This setting can be set separately for printing and for displaying on the screen, so that you can see the textures on display but not have them cause problems for printing
Show horizontally projected beam span dimension lines
If this is checked, in the drawing of a sloped beam, the lines showing the clear spans and the full length of the beam show the horizontal distance between the inner face of supports and between the member ends. If it is no checked, the distance along the slope is shown.
Generate span tables
If this is checked, the operation of Sizer goes into an entirely different mode in which a list of allowable span lengths is generated for the input materials and loading. Note that this is considered a "beta" feature and has not yet undergone as rigorous testing as the rest of the program.
Whole inch output
If this is checked, the output of span lengths in the span table report is rounded up to the nearest inch.
Start Up Mode
Select which mode (Concept, Beam or Column) will be the default mode when you first start Sizer. This will dictate which of the opening screen design mode toolbar buttons will be pressed, which in turn determines what type of file will be opened on your first File New or File Open command
Save Before Design?
Sizer normally prompts you to save the current project file prior to doing the design. To change this, choose one of the following:
Prompt first
Sizer will prompt you to save the current project file prior to starting the design process. This is the default.
Always save
Sizer will automatically save the current project file (without prompting you) prior to starting the design process.
Never save
Sizer will not save the current project file prior to starting the design process. Sizer will not prompt you to save the file until you try to close it or exit altogether.
Save as Default
To save this information as a default to be used every time you open a new Sizer project file, check the Save as Default check box before exiting the Settings dialog box.