September 22, 2015

Why Did the Wood Design Values Drop?

You may notice discrepancies in the wood design values when comparing RISA with the NDS 2012 and older versions of the code. The American Wood Council updated the wood design values in the Addendum, which supersede the values used in the NDS 2012 and previous versions of the Design Values for Wood Construction. The design values for all grades of visually-graded Southern Pine and Mixed Southern Pine lumber 2-4″ thick have changed. The Addendum can be found on the AWC website using the link below.

AWC - Addendum to 2012 NDS

The updated wood design values from the Addendum have been implemented in the Shape Database in RISA programs for all wood codes. These values can be found in the Shape Database under the Wood tab once a specific a material and size are selected.

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Tags: RISA-3D, RISAFloor, New, Wood

October 30, 2020 | RISA-3D, New, Loading, Spreadsheets

Scaling Factor for Basic Load Cases

The ability to apply a scaling factor to an entire Basic Load Case in the Basic Load Case spreadsheet is now available in RISA-3D v19. These scaling factors give the user the flexibility and freedom to modify and manipulate the loading conditions in the model. An example for when this feature would be useful is in the preliminary design stages of a structure, when the loading conditions may not be fully known. In this instance, the user has the ability to factor up the applied loads to account for variability in the design. To use this feature, you will need to enable it in the Application Settings. Once enabled, a new column will appear within the Basic Load Case spreadsheet. Basic Load Cases may be scaled by both negative and positive values. When this feature is disabled in the Application Settings, the column will be hidden but the values in the column will still be applied to the Basic Load Cases. Therefore, it is imperative that values in this column be cleared out before hiding the column if the intent is to not include the factors in the design…

May 5, 2020 | RISA-3D, Webinar, New, Events

WEBINAR: Designing Industrial Structures in RISA-3D

Industrial Structures are generally designed to fulfill a specific function within an industry or to support equipment, raw materials, or communication lines. These structures present complex challenges to structural engineers due to their narrow scope, size and requirement for efficiency in design. As a result, tools like RISA-3D are required in order to achieve the specific project requirements of industrial structures. Join us on May 19th, 2020 at 2pm EST (11am PST) to learn how to: Utilize powerful modeling tools to create complex industrial structures including tanks Apply various load types including moving loads and lateral loads Quickly run analysis and perform steel member design Review results and create a complete engineering report Click the button below to visit the webinar registration page. PDH Credits: 1.0 PDH credit will be sent to all attendees based on the email address used to register for the webinar. PDH credits cannot be sent to multiple people based on a single registration. If you wish to view the webinar as a group, please have each person in the group register individually and then after the webinar, email info@risa.com with a list of all group attendees. PDH credits will be sent out to these people…

July 13, 2023 | RISAFloor

Tips for Solving a Slow Solution in RISAFloor

Is your RISA software solution running slower than you expected? There are a few things you can do during your model set up in order to make your model more efficient and reduce the solution time. RISA has compiled a list of our most common tips for solving a slow solution in RISAFloor. 1. Is your Analysis Mesh too Small? RISA software uses a finite element analysis mesh to analyze and solve the structural model. By default, the FEA mesh size is set to 24 inches. RISA users have the ability to reduce the mesh size. However, reducing the FEA mesh size causes the program to generate a much finer mesh which takes a longer time to solve. If your model solution is very slow, we suggest reviewing these FEA mesh size settings. You may need to increase this mesh size. This mesh setting is found in your Model Settings, then open the Solution tab. 2. Do you have a Large Number of Unused Nodes? How does this happen? Unused nodes can be lingering from previously deleted elements or perhaps maybe even accidentally drawn from the Node Spreadsheet. They may be tightly packed or close to other used nodes. In…