CE Computer
Application
INTRODUCTION TO
[Link]
Introduction
[Link] is a general-purpose program for performing the analysis and design of a wide
variety of types of structures. The basic three activities which are to be carried out to achieve
that goal – a) model generation b) the calculations to obtain the analytical results c)
results verification – are all facilitated by tools contained in the program’s graphical
environment.
About [Link]
[Link] is a general-purpose structural analysis and design program with applications primarily in the building industry - commercial buildings, bridges and highway
structures, industrial structures, chemical plant structures, dams, retaining walls, turbine foundations, culverts and other embedded structures, etc. The program hence
consists of the following facilities to enable this task.
1. Graphical model generation utilities as well as text editor-based commands for creating the mathematical model. Beam and column members are
represented using lines. Walls, slabs and panel type entities are represented using triangular and quadrilateral finite elements. Solid blocks are represented
using brick elements. These utilities allow you to create the geometry, assign properties, orient cross sections as desired, assign materials like steel,
concrete, timber, aluminum, specify supports, apply loads explicitly as well as have the program generate loads, design parameters etc.
2. Analysis engines for performing linear elastic and p-delta analysis, finite element analysis, frequency extraction, and dynamic response (spectrum, time
history, steady state, etc.).
3. Design engines for code checking and optimization of steel, aluminum and timber members. Reinforcement calculations for concrete beams, columns, slabs
and shear walls. Design of shear and moment connections for steel members.
4. Result viewing, result verification and report generation tools for examining displacement diagrams, bending moment and shear force diagrams, beam,
plate and solid stress contours, etc.
5. Peripheral tools for activities like import and export of data from and to other widely accepted formats, links with other popular softwares for niche areas like
reinforced and prestressed concrete slab design, footing design, steel connection design, etc.
System Requirements
The following hardware requirements are suggested minimums. Systems with increased capacity provide enhanced performance.
• PC with Intel-Pentium or equivalent.
• Graphics card and monitor with 1280x1024 resolution, 256 color display (16 bit high color recommended).
• System memory: Minimum of 1 GB is required and suitable for small to medium problems. However, for large, complex problems up to 8 GB may
be needed.
• Windows 7 or Windows 8 operating system.
• Windows XP, Windows NT, Windows 2000, and Microsoft® Vista are no longer supported.
• Sufficient free space on the hard disk to hold the program and data files. The disk space requirement will vary depending on the modules you are
installing. A typical minimum is 500MB free space.
• A multimedia ready system with sound card and speakers is needed to run the tutorial movies and slide shows.
Additional RAM, disk space, and video memory will enhance the performance of [Link].
User Interface
Introduction
[Link] offers general purpose structural analysis and design along with extensive model
generation and post-processing facilities. All these features are integrated in one common
Graphical User Interface (GUI).
[Link] makes use of a concept called Page Control. A tabbed menu appears along the
left side of the screen as a guide to the process of creating a structure. Every "Page" serves a
specific purpose. There are two levels of tabs indicating pages and subpages. We should
start from the top of the tabbed menu and gradually work down through the pages and
subpages to input geometry, supports, loads, and other parameters.
User Interface
Application Window Layout
The application window contains the following special
sections by default when an input file is open.
A. Title Bar
B. Menu Bar
C. Toolbars
D. Mode Bar
E. Page Control
F. View Window
G. Data Area
H. Status Bar
User Interface
Application Window Layout – Title Bar
Located at the top of the window, this bar displays the title of the STAAD input file that is
currently open.
User Interface
Application Window Layout – Menu Bar
• File Menu
Located just below the title bar, this bar contains • Edit Menu
menus of essentially all functions available in the • View Menu
current mode. • Tools Menu
Menu items are typically independent of the • Select Menu
• Geometry Menu
current page, which allows you to easily access
• Commands Menu
tasks not related to the current page even when
• Analyze Menu
Page Control has been toggled on.
• Mode Menu
• Window Menu
• Help Menu
• Right-Click Pop-up Menu
User Interface
Application Window Layout – Toolbars
• File Toolbar
All available toolbars are displayed and docked
• Print Toolbar
on the top and left-hand sides of the window by
• Structure Toolbar
default.
• View Toolbar
• Rotate Toolbar
• Mode Toolbar
• Results Toolbar
• Selection Toolbar
• Geometry Toolbar
• Generate Toolbar
• Structure Tools Toolbar
User Interface
Application Window Layout – Mode Bar
You can quickly switch between available modes of operation by selecting the appropriate
tab here. The Pages, Menus, and active Toolbar tools dynamically update for the selected
mode.
User Interface
Application Window Layout – Page Control
A set of tabs that appear to the left of the Main Window. There are two rows of tabs for
accessing Pages and Subpages. Each Page allows access to certain Subpages. Each
Subpage allows us to perform specific tasks. The organization of the Pages, from top to
bottom, represents the logical sequence of operations, for example, definition of beams,
specification of member properties, loading, and so on.
User Interface
Application Window Layout – View Window
The central portion of the [Link] window displays a graphical view of the structural
model. This is used to graphically draw, edit, load, and review the model. Multiple view
windows can be open simultaneously, with the top-most being called the active view
window.
User Interface
Application Window Layout – Data Area
The right side of the dynamically updates to display different dialogs, tables, list boxes, etc.
pertinent to the selected page in the page control. This is often where numerical data is
entered and parameters are assigned for structural objects. In some instances, [Link]
will re-size the view window to display multiple items for data manipulation.
User Interface
Application Window Layout – Status Bar
Provides prompts and context-sensitive assistance. Additionally, the status bar displays the
current mode, load case, and input units.