Risa Tips & Tricks: How to Use Our Structural Analysis Software

September 1, 2026

Celebrating RISA Since 1987

1987 was the year President Reagan told Gorbachev to “tear down this wall” and the New York Giants won their first Super Bowl. Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” and The Bangles’ “Walk Like an Egyptian” topped the charts. While Pope John Paul II’s visit to Los Angeles drew national attention, the engineering world was also getting exciting news out of Southern California. RISA was founded there in September 1987. For nearly four decades, RISA has partnered with engineers to turn vision into structure. RISA-2D started it all, offering a simplified and straightforward software for the analysis and design of 2D structures. Today, that foundation has grown into a family of 10 products that support engineers throughout the design process from a single steel connection to a multi-story, post-tensioned concrete building. Through every stage of our company’s growth, RISA’s focus has remained the same: put the engineer first. RISA develops practical software with intuitive interfaces and efficient workflows, helping engineers spend less time on redundant tasks and more time applying their expertise to complex design challenges. We are grateful to the engineers who have been part of the RISA journey. Your trust, feedback, and challenging projects have helped shape…

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November 12, 2014

How do Unbraced Lengths affect Analysis?

The axial compression and flexure strength of beams and columns is...

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October 29, 2014

Code Requirements for Panel Zone Shear Deformation

Code requirements for consideration of panel zone shear deformation can be...

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October 21, 2014

How are Cantilevered Slabs designed?

Concrete buildings often have large cantilevers. In RISAFloor ES, the...

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October 03, 2014

How to Model Support Lines with Parallel Walls

In RISAFloor ES, you draw a support line from support point to support...

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September 11, 2014

How Do I Create Offset Connections in RISA-3D?

By default RISA-3D draws all members as line elements located at the...

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August 27, 2014

What is a Rigid Link in RISA-3D?

A rigid link is a member element in RISA-3D that can be used for many...

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July 01, 2014

Viewing the Deflected Shape in RISAFloor

The deflected shape is really helpful to understanding your model’s...

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June 19, 2014

How to Use Moving Loads

RISA-3D and RISA-2D will allow you to add a moving load pattern to your...

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June 10, 2014

How to Model Column Outriggers in RISAFloor

RISAFloor now has the capability to model column outriggers. This feature...

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