Staad Pro V8i Select Series 4
Kapil Grunewald
Exploring Bentley STAAD.Pro V8i (SELECTseries 6) is a comprehensive textbook that has been written to cater to the needs of the students and professionals. The chapters in this textbook are structured in a pedagogical sequence, which makes the learning process very simple and effective for both the novice as well as the advanced users of STAAD.Pro. In this textbook, the author explains in detail the procedure of creating 2D and 3D models, assigning material constants, assigning cross-section properties, assigning supports, defining different loads, performing analysis, viewing results, and preparing report. The chapters in the book are punctuated with tips and notes, wherever necessary, to make the concepts clear, thereby enabling the user to create his own innovative projects.
STAAD.Pro V8i is used to create, analyze, and design any type of virtual structure through its flexible modeling environment. The three basic activities which are to be carried out to achieve this goal are: model generation, calculations to obtain the analytical results, and result verification. All these activities are discussed individually in different chapters. STAAD.Pro is designed for engineers who understand the process of modeling, analyzing, and designing a structure.
2) Ability to perform structural analysis and design such as static, P-delta, pushover, response spectrum, time history, cable (linear and non-linear), buckling, and steel, concrete and timber design.
You can start STAAD.Pro V8i by double-clicking on the STAAD.Pro V8i icon available on the desktop. Alternatively, choose Start > All Programs > STAAD.Pro v8i > STAAD.Pro from the task bar (for Windows 7), refer to Figure 1-1; the interface will be displayed.
The Project Tasks area contains several options which are used for creating a new project, opening an existing project, opening a STAAD model from a project wise repository, configuring settings, and so on.
The New Project option is used to create a new project. The process of creating a new project is discussed in detail later in this chapter. The Open Project option is used to open an existing project in STAAD.Pro. The Open From ProjectWise option is used to open a model from a project wise repository. The Configuration option is used to configure the program settings such as units, color, input/output file formats, default design codes, and so on. The Backup Manager option is used to view and edit the backup options such as the settings for backups and auto save.
In the Recent Files area, six recently used files will be displayed. You can open any of these files by clicking on the required file. When you place cursor on any of the recently used files, its preview and location will be displayed on the right side of the area.
In the Help Topics area, several options are available which are used for accessing help documents online and offline, technical support services, product news, and so on. You can access the offline help by clicking on the Help Contents option.
In the License Configuration area, you can select the code required for the project by selecting the check box beside the code. If the license is available, the circle beside the check box will be green otherwise it will be red.
In STAAD.Pro, you can start a new project. To do so, choose the New Project option from the Project Tasks area; the New Model dialog box will be displayed, as shown in Figure 1-3. In this dialog box, you need to provide some essential data which is necessary for creating the model such as the structure type to be created. Select the Space, Plane, Floor, or Truss check box to specify the structure type. For example, for space structure type, select the Space check box and then specify the name of the file in the File Name text box. Next, specify the location where the file will be saved. To do so, choose the Browse button available next to the Location edit box; the Browse For Folder dialog box will be displayed. In this dialog box, select the folder in which you want to save the file and then choose the OK button; the path of the location will be displayed in the Location edit box. In the Length Units area, specify the length unit by selecting the corresponding radio buttons. Similarly, specify the force unit by selecting the corresponding radio button in the Force Units area.
After specifying all the data, choose the Next button; the Where do you want to go? dialog box will be displayed, as shown in Figure 1-4. In this dialog box, you will specify the method to be used for creating the model. These methods are discussed next.
The File menu contains the options which are used for performing different file operations such as creating new structure, opening an existing model, saving files, printing files, and so on. Figure 1-6 shows different options in the File menu.
The New option in the menu is used for creating a new structure. On choosing this option, the New dialog box will be displayed. The options in this dialog box have already been discussed. The Open option is used for opening an existing file. The Report Setup option is used to create a customized output report. The Print option is used to print different files. The Export Report option is used to export the output file in Word or Text file. The Import option is used to import data from other formats, such as DXF. The Save option is used to save the input data. The Recent STAAD Files option shows a list of the most recently used or created STAAD input files. The Exit option is used to exit STAAD graphical environment.
The Edit menu contains the options that are used to perform editing operations such as copy, paste, undo, redo, editing input command file, and so on. Figure 1-7 shows the different options in the Edit menu. You can use the Undo and Redo options to undo/redo an operation. The Cut option is used to cut the selected object and then paste that object at the desired place by pressing CTRL+V from the keyboard or by using the Paste option. The Copy option is used to copy the selected object to clipboard. The Paste option is used to paste an object from the clipboard into the STAAD. The Delete option is used to delete the selected object. The Take Picture option is used to take a snapshot of the current view. The Edit Input Command File option is used to edit the input command file.
The View menu contains the options used to perform various view-related tasks such as zooming, panning, setting colors, fonts, and so on. Figure 1-8 shows different options in the View menu. The Zoom option is used to magnify or reduce the size of the structure in the main window.
The Pan option is used to move the structure in the current view window in any direction. The View Selected Objects Only option is used to view the selected objects only. The Orientation option is used to modify the settings for various view orientations of the structure, such as plan view, elevation view, and perspective view. The Set Structure Colors option is used to specify colors for different items such as structure color and analysis results. The 3D Rendering option is used to view the rendered view of the structure.
The Tools menu contains the miscellaneous tools and options which are used for performing different tasks such as checking orphan nodes, checking overlapping members, performing simple calculations, inserting text, changing units, and so on. Figure 1-9 shows different options in the Tools menu.
The Check Multiple Structures option is used to check for more than one unconnected structure in a model. The Check Duplicate option is used to check for duplicate entities such as two nodes having same coordinates. The Orphan Nodes option is used to check for the unconnected nodes in a structure. The Unit Converter option is used to convert data from one unit system into another. The Calculator option is used to display STAAD.Pro Calculator which can be used for performing calculations. The Dimension Beams option is used to display the dimension of beams in a view. The Set Current Input Unit option is used to set the unit while creating structure, assigning properties, and so on. The Section Wizard option is used to display the Section Wizard window. In this window, you can calculate section property values such as area, moment of inertia, and so on for cross sections. These cross sections can be assembled from pre-existing standard shapes, user-created shapes, and parametric shapes. The Insert Text option is used to add comments and titles to pictures and result diagrams.
The Nodes Cursor tool is used for selecting nodes in a structure. The Beams Cursor tool is used for selecting beams in a structure. The Plates Cursor tool is used for selecting plate element in a structure. The Geometry Cursor tool is used for selecting the nodes, members and elements of the structure at the same time. The Load Edit Cursor tool is used to change any load applied on the structure. The Support Edit Cursor tool is used to modify any support applied on the structure. The Beams Parallel To tool is used to select the members parallel to any of the specified global axis. The Entity at node tool is used to select beam, plates, or solid attached to any particular node. The By Specification tool is used to select nodes and members based on the specifications assigned to them.
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