What is the difference between an object and an element?
Objects are what the user draws in the ETABS interface, and are intended to represent physical members and areas. Internally, objects are mathematically modeled in the program using elements, or finite elements. Each object will consist of one or more elements. At analysis time, the program automatically converts (meshes) the object-based model into an element-based model, and when the analysis is complete, converts the results back for display at the object level. Since objects are designed and reported using the same dimensions as they were drawn, a long girder with secondary beams framing into it for example, will be internally broken into several elements for analysis, but output design and analysis results will be reported based on the length which the girder was drawn.
