Introduction
“New” is always a relative term in software development. While some features may have been available for several months—or even longer—they still qualify as new when viewed against the broader history of a program. In the case of Prokon SUMO, a few recently introduced tools have quietly but significantly enhanced the user experience. The motivation for this post is to ensure that we, as SUMO users, are aware of these functions and are taking full advantage of SUMO’s evolving and intuitive interface.
These tools include the ability to convert beams to columns or monolithic beams, to convert hosted loads into floating line loads, and to convert or extrude plane shells into walls. Each of these features might appear minor at first glance, but together they make the modelling and analysis workflow in SUMO faster, more flexible, and ultimately more powerful.
Convert Beams to Columns or Monolithic Beams
The first set of tools relates to beams, offering the option to convert a beam into either a column or a monolithic beam. This functionality may sound simple, but it offers significant practical advantages—especially when refining existing models.
Typically, when placing a column, users must define its height as a parameter rather than by direct placement. You click once to position the base and a second time to define rotation. The height, however, must be entered manually. When working within an existing model, particularly one with varying floor levels or irregular geometry, this can become tedious.
The Convert to Column command solves this issue elegantly. By allowing a beam to be converted directly into a column, you can take advantage of snapping functions to define start and end points without manual height calculation. It’s especially useful when modelling vertical members within complex frameworks.
Converting Hosted Loads to Floating Line Loads
Another useful enhancement is the ability to convert hosted distributed loads into floating line loads. At first, this might seem trivial, but it provides a major improvement in workflow flexibility.
In previous versions, hosted loads were tied directly to their supporting beams, meaning they could not be copied or reassigned independently. With the new Convert to Line Load command, engineers can now generate floating loads that are easily transferable from one member to another. This simple feature streamlines the process of duplicating load cases or transferring loads between similar structural members, saving valuable time during model refinement.
Converting and Extruding Plane Shells
The final set of tools concerns plane shells, expanding how these elements can be utilized within the model. One feature allows the conversion of a vertical plane shell into a wall, which mirrors the beam-to-column conversion logic—transforming one structural element into another without rebuilding geometry.
The other, and arguably more powerful, feature is the ability to extrude a plane shell. This adds substantial depth to SUMO’s already robust 3D finite element analysis (FEA) workflow.
Before extruding, it’s important to set an appropriate mesh size. A smaller mesh yields more accurate results but increases computational demand, as finer meshes generate more elements for analysis. Once the mesh size is defined, navigate to the Modify tab and select Mesh All.
To visualize the mesh, switch to the Discretized Model View. From there, select the desired plane shell and click on Extrude. You’ll then be prompted to define the Vector Start and Vector End, effectively controlling the direction and depth of the extrusion.
Conclusion
These features, though subtle, represent meaningful improvements to SUMO’s modelling and design workflow. They eliminate repetitive manual steps, reduce modelling time, and allow for greater flexibility when modifying or expanding existing structures.
In a broader sense, they reflect Prokon’s ongoing commitment to enhancing usability and efficiency—a hallmark of SUMO’s development philosophy. For users, the takeaway is simple: explore these tools, incorporate them into your workflow, and let them do the heavy lifting so you can focus on what truly matters—engineering insight and design excellence.
