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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New (21)

August 12, 2020

WEBINAR: Basics of Dynamics Analysis in RISA-3D

Modeling and analyzing structures for dynamic conditions is essential to...

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August 10, 2020

Video: Mat Slab Design in RISAFoundation

In this video, we’ll take a look at the modeling and analysis of a mat...

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July 30, 2020

Introducing Integrated Design: Seamlessly Linking Architecture and…

Learn how Graphisoft and RISA are working together to leverage model...

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July 21, 2020

Improving Mass Participation in RISA-3D

In structural engineering, a modal analysis uses the overall mass and...

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July 15, 2020

ADAPT-Builder 2019.2 Released

The latest release of ADAPT-Builder 2019 includes improvements that...

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July 14, 2020

WEBINAR: Multi-Story Post-Tensioned Building Design using…

Reinforced and post-tensioned concrete structures in today's construction...

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July 07, 2020

Expanded Results for Contour Plots

Color contours and gradients can be very helpful to visualize the...

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June 30, 2020

Cheng Song awarded SEAOSC Young Engineer of the Year

We are excited to announce that one of our own, Dr. Cheng Song PH.D, PE,...

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June 16, 2020

Understanding differences between Basic Load Cases, Load Categories…

One of the questions our support team receives often is the difference...

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