October 18, 2018

Updates to Wood Wall Aspect Ratio Limits in RISA-3D

With the initial implementation of wood wall design in RISA-3D, the wall aspect ratio was calculated as the full height of the wall divided by the width of the region.This was intended to accommodate balloon framed multi-story walls that were drawn as one continuous wall stack. With recent publications of the ANSI/AWC SDPWS, it has been made clear that the aspect ratio should rather be taken on a floor-by-floor basis.

In RISA-3D v17.0, the aspect ratio for walls will now be calculated based on the individual regions height. The below example shows the differences between the wall height and region height of a multi-story wall.

Tags: RISA-3D, New, Wood

February 15, 2022 | RISA-3D, New, Rotation, UI, View

Enhanced Rotation Tools in RISA-3D

RISA-3D Version 20 includes enhanced rotation tools which allow the user to better control their view of the structure. Users can now utilize click to rotate buttons about each axis (X, Y and Z) as well as define the rotation angle of each click/increment. For more information about these enhanced rotation tools, check out the video below…

August 30, 2024 | RISA-3D, New

How Do I Dock Spreadsheets in RISA-3D?

Docking spreadsheets in RISA-3D can be a game-changer for streamlining your workflow. Whether you're managing complex data sets or need quick access to design parameters, integrating your spreadsheets directly into RISA-3D allows for seamless data management and enhanced efficiency. In this guide, we'll walk you through the steps to dock spreadsheets in RISA-3D, helping you optimize your workspace and make the most of this powerful feature. Steps To Dock: Open up a spreadsheet. Example: the members spreadsheet Left click on the purple bar, and then hold your mouse. So if you hold that left click and drag the purple bar on the top of the spreadsheet, you can bring it down to the circle you see in the center of your screen. The circle has a dot in the middle and then four arrows in it. To dock it in either of those circle locations, drag your mouse with the spreadsheet into that location. In the example below, see the members spreadsheet hovering over the arrow to dock it down below. The arrow has turned gray. And then as soon as the left click is release, it'll be docked down below Features To Note: When active in a spreadsheet, all…

March 30, 2020 | RISA-3D, New, Steel

How Can I Optimize My Members in RISA-3D?

In RISA-3D when drawing members you must start with initial sizes. After loading and load combinations are completed the model is solved and then member design must be done, making sure that members pass for both strength and serviceability considerations. For both strength and serviceability considerations, RISA-3D has the ability to provide Suggested Design results to help optimize member design. To access the suggested design, first make sure that results are available and then click on the Suggested Design button found on the Results tab. These suggested shapes are either based on Section Sets if used, or on individual members. For Section Sets the program will find the worst case member code check within each Section Set. Based on that member the program will provide a suggestion of a shape that will work that is either bigger or smaller depending on whether the code check is failing or passing by a large margin. For individual members, the suggestion is made based just on that member. If a member or Section Set does not show up in the list that tells you that either the current section is optimal or a section cannot be found to meet strength criteria. If you…