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 (34)

April 19, 2018

Vertical Brace Connections per Canadian Code now Available

RISAConnection Version 8.0 now offers Vertical Brace Diagonal Connections,...

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April 12, 2018

Weak Axis Column to Beam Moment Connections now Available

RISAConnection v8 now offers weak axis moment connections with beams...

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April 05, 2018

Seismic Load Consideration for Retaining Walls

RISAFoundation has the capability to consider seismic loading for...

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March 29, 2018

Two-Sided Shear Connection Design now Available

Now available in RISAConnection v8: the ability to design a Two-Sided...

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March 22, 2018

Utilizing RISA-3D for Seismic Design of Concrete Walls

In RISA-3D we now have the ability to design concrete shear walls for...

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March 15, 2018

Brace to Column Base Plate Design now Available

You may now design a Brace to Column Base Plate Connection in...

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March 09, 2018

Brace Design with Tapered Gusset Plates

In RISAConnection v8, you may now design a Knee Brace and Diagonal Brace...

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February 19, 2018

Masonry Cover Flexibility in RISA-3D

In RISA-3D we now have the ability to:

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February 03, 2018

What is the Difference Between Fixed and Reactions on Boundary…

In RISA-3D, you can define a boundary condition as Fixed (reaction will be...

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