Graitec Advance 2014 - Welcome Guide

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Table of contents WELCOME TO ADVANCE! ............................................................................................5 ABOUT THIS GUIDE......................................................................................................5 A GLOBAL STRUCTURAL BIM SOLUTION FOR CONSTRUCTION PROFESSIONALS................ 6 GRAITEC ADVANCE SUITE KEY FEATURES.................................................................. 6 WHERE TO FIND INFORMATION................................................................................. 8

Built-in help system........................................................................................... 8 CONTACTING THE TECHNICAL SUPPORT.................................................................... 9

GRAITEC Advantage ........................................................................................... 9 Technical support ............................................................................................... 9

QUICK INSTALLATION GUIDE..................................................................................... 10 System requirements ....................................................................................... 10 Installation process ........................................................................................... 10 Activating the software.................................................................................... 11

WHAT IS NEW IN ADVANCE STEEL ........................................................................... 12 Customizable tool palette................................................................................. 12 New osnap points available ............................................................................. 13 PDF printing....................................................................................................... 13 New “Render” module...................................................................................... 14 Enhanced performances ................................................................................... 14 Unique group for the Features ......................................................................... 14 New beam representation available................................................................ 15 Flexible & powerful new command for tapered beams ................................. 15 Building generator tool palette ........................................................................ 16 Collision check results ...................................................................................... 17 New GUI for Connection vault .......................................................................... 17 Automatic joints on tapered beams................................................................. 18 New overlapping bolted purlin joint ................................................................ 18 Shear plate joint enhancements ...................................................................... 18 Define your own detailing direction ................................................................ 19 Switch off the display of folding lines in views .............................................. 19

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Camera presentation with extended possibilities .......................................... 20 Export to a 3D DWF file enhancements .......................................................... 20 Export to a GTCX file enhancements................................................................ 21 Export a DStV XML file for welding robots ...................................................... 21 AutoCAD 2014 compliancy................................................................................ 21

WHAT IS NEW IN ADVANCE CONCRETE ....................................................................22 Ribbon optimization to improve the Advance Concrete workflow ................22 Dynamic wedging .............................................................................................22 Improved handling of curved model elements ...............................................22 Several improvements with for the representation of openings ................... 23 Reference surface (roof / ramp) improvements............................................. 23 Improvements for bar distributions ................................................................. 23 Bending detail text orientation for straight bars............................................ 24 Bent mesh numbering ..................................................................................... 24 3D copy reinforcement .....................................................................................25 Optimizations / Performance improvements for the external drawing handling.............................................................................................................25 Exchange ...........................................................................................................25

WHAT IS NEW IN ADVANCE DESIGN ........................................................................ 26 Longitudinal reinforcement bars ..................................................................... 29 Transverse reinforcement bars ....................................................................... 29 Export ................................................................................................................33 Import ............................................................................................................... 34

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WELCOME TO ADVANCE!

Thank you for acquiring GRAITEC Advance - a global CAD / Analysis & Design BIM solutions for the construction engineering field! For more than 25 years, GRAITEC has provided high performance CAD and engineering software for structural building construction with a continued commitment to exceed the industry's creative design and quality requirements. As a result, GRAITEC Advance suite is the first complete BIM solution on the market which includes Design and Multi-material CAD in the same package.

Advance Steel BIM software for structural steel engineering, detailing and fabrication

Advance Concrete BIM software for structural concrete engineering, detailing and fabrication

Advance Design BIM software for FEM structural analysis including international design codes

Advance CAD 2D /3D CAD software for creating and modifying native DWG™ files, dedicated tothe AEC industry

The package contains: - A DVD containing the latest release of GRAITEC Advance - A printed Welcome guide

We wish you a good start with GRAITEC Advance and we welcome your questions, comments or suggestions!

ABOUT THIS GUIDE This guide is a brief presentation of GRAITEC Advance suite and does not describe its features. If you are new to GRAITEC Advance, you will find out how it can improve your work. This guide contains: • A short presentation of the GRAITEC Advance suite key features • A guideline on how to use the documents provided with the software • Quick link to the Technical support • A quick installation guide • Guidelines on the key features of the new release. For detailed information about the program functions, refer to the corresponding Help file provided with the application and accessible from the user interface.

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A GLOBAL STRUCTURAL BIM SOLUTION FOR CONSTRUCTION PROFESSIONALS

GRAITEC Advance is a Building Information Modeling (BIM) system that automates the entire structural design and construction documentation process from engineering design and structural analysis to member optimization, detailing and fabrication. Advance Design interacts with Advance Concrete and Advance Steel to ensure the coherence of your projects. All the models created with GRAITEC software can be synchronized, with no data loss and no need to re-input data. GRAITEC Advance communicates with the following applications and standards: • Autodesk Revit Structure • IFC 2.x3 • CIS/2 • SDNF • PSS

GRAITEC ADVANCE SUITE KEY FEATURES

Advance Steel

Advance Steel is easy-to-use BIM structural steel software designed for steel professionals to automatically create and manage drawings, documentation and fabrication files. • Advance Steel drastically increases productivity and drawing quality, while

reducing the risk of errors. • Advance Steel accelerates the design phase (single or multi-user mode) by offering an

extensive library of smart objects, automatic joints (connections) and specific tools for creating standard structures, stairs, railings and miscellaneous steelwork.

• Advance Steel automatically generates all workshop and general arrangements drawings with intelligent tools to control dimensions and labels with all required views of objects and assemblies.

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Advance Concrete

Advance Concrete is easy-to-use BIM structural concrete software designed for concrete professionals to automatically create and manage RC drawings, documentation and fabrication files. • Advance Concrete drastically increases productivity and drawing quality, while

reducing the risk of errors. • Advance Concrete accelerates the design phase (single or multi-user mode) by offering

an extensive library of structural (beams, columns, walls, slabs, foundations, etc) and reinforcement (bars, stirrups, meshes, etc.) elements.

• It generates all construction drawings using intelligent drawing tools that automatically control dimensions, symbols and drawing layout.

Advance Design

Advance Design is specifically designed for structural engineers who require a professional and easy-to-use FEM Structural Analysis software for simulating and optimizing their projects. • Advance Design includes a user-friendly structural modeler, automatic load and

combination generators, a powerful FEM analysis engine (static, dynamic, time history, non linear, buckling, large displacement analysis, etc.), comprehensive wizards for designing concrete and steel members according to Eurocodes, efficient result post-processing and automatic report generators.

• Advance Design automatically updates all reports, including graphical results when modifications are made to the model.

Advance CAD

Advance CAD is 2D /3D CAD software for creating and modifying native DWG™ files, dedicated to the AEC industry. • Advance CAD is fully compatible DWG® CAD software. • Advance CAD provides a modern easy-to-use interface, for creating all 2D and 3D

entities. Concepts such as "layers", "snap points", "windows", "Boolean operations", etc. are available as well as all navigation features and rendering functionalities.

• Advance CAD includes innovative features, such as a startup screen, multiple-document interface (MDI), editing multiple entities at the same time, unlimited undo and redo actions, meant to enhance your productivity.

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WHERE TO FIND INFORMATION

GRAITEC provides learning tools to help you start using the software. Please connect on Graitec Advantage, in the documentation section, for accessing the following documentation:

Installation guide Provides step-by-step description of the installation and licensingprocess. Please see the chapters related to the License activationbefore calling the Technical support.

What’s new Available for each product (Advance Steel, Advance Concrete and Advance Design), it describes the new features and improvements inGRAITEC Advance 2014.

Starting guide Available for each product (Advance Steel, Advance Concrete, Advance Design and Advance CAD), it provides a short tutorial on using GRAITEC Advance.

User’s guide Available for each product (Advance Steel, Advance Concrete andAdvance Design), it provides a description of the application mainfeatures.

Tutorials For each product of the GRAITEC Advance Suite, a general tutorial is available. The tutorials consist in a set of lessons providing step-by-step instructions for creating a model from start to finish, result post-processing (for Advance Design) and drawing creation (for Advance Steel andAdvance Concrete).

Validation guide Available for Advance Design, the Validation Guide contains a set of testcases describing the theory of the implemented computations (for sometests) and comparing the results of Version 2014 to reference values.

Note: The documentation is written for the Windows 7 interface. Windows 8 is changing a few things. In particular, the Start menu is now the Start Screen.

Built-in help system

Each Advance application has a built-in help system that offers step-by-step instructions. To access the help: Advance Steel:

• Ribbon: Manage tab, Help panel: • Instant help: press F1 Advance Concrete

• Ribbon: Manage tab, Help panel: • Instant help: press F1 in a dialog box

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Advance Design: • Main menu: select ? > Help • Instant help: press F1 in a dialog box or press <Shift F1> and select a toolbar button. Advance CAD:

• Ribbon: Help tab, Help panel: • Instant help: press F1

CONTACTING THE TECHNICAL SUPPORT

To guarantee an optimal use of the software, GRAITEC and its reseller network offer the GRAITEC Advantage guarantee. This agreement provides: • All GRAITEC Advance updates • Technical support • Access to the GRAITEC Advantage website

GRAITEC Advantage

The GRAITEC Advantage website provides access to various informations. • Direct software updates download • Direct software documentation download • Access to a frequently asked question list • Access to the GRAITEC discussion forum • Access to e-support

To log on: • Access www.graitec.com/en • Click GRAITEC Advantage • Input your Login* / Password and click LOGIN.

Your login and password is provided when subscribing to the GRAITEC Advantage agreement. • For more information contact your reseller.

Technical support

For all GRAITEC Advantage subscribers, GRAITEC offers a technical support center for assistance in the daily use of the software. Before calling the technical support, please take a look on GRAITEC Advantage – the FAQ list (using the search tool) and the Forum. If you did not find the necessary information, please contact the Technical support. Before calling, make sure you have the Serial Number (from the Entitlement certificate / also available in the “About” dialog box). Technical support is provided by your reseller or contact your closest GRAITEC office for the appropriate telephone number.

http://www.graitec.com/en

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QUICK INSTALLATION GUIDE

The new GRAITEC Advance suite is provided on a single DVD with a new installation kit allowing the installation of the full solution in one step. System requirements To successfully install Advance certain requirements must be met. For more details, see the Installation guide on GRAITEC Advantage or www.graitec.com/en/advance_installation.asp.

Installation process

• Close all active Windows applications before starting the installation. • ANTIVIRUS software must be deactivated during the installation process. • You must have local windows ADMINISTRATOR rights during the installation

Note: If you are updating from a previous GRAITEC Advance software version, read the Migrating from another version chapter in the Installation guide.

Proceed with the installation as follows: 1. Insert the installation DVD into the DVD drive. The setup program starts automatically and the DVD Browser appears. If the AutoPlay tool on the computer is switched off and thus the setup does not start automatically, use the Run command:

− On the Windows task bar, click . − In the “Search programs and files” filed, enter SetupAdvance.exe. Double-

click the file to start. The installation starts. 2. Select the installation language and click Install products. 3. On the next screen, select the software to install and click Next.

4. Read the license agreement. Click I accept to agree to the specified terms and click Next.

http://www.graitec.com/en/advance_installation.asp

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5. On the next screen, select the interface language and the installation path. 6. Click Install to start the installation. The installation starts. 7. Click Finish to complete the installation. Once GRAITEC Advance is installed, you must activate a license to use the software.

Activating the software

You must activate a license to use the software. Once the license is successfully activated, the software can be used according to the license rights. At first launch of GRAITEC Advance (after having installed the software), a wizard will ask you to activate your license. This activation is based on a Serial Number and an Activation Code provided by your reseller or by GRAITEC. If you do not yet have them, please contact your reseller or GRAITEC. If you have • A standalone license • A Serial Number and an Activation Code, • An Internet connection follow the next process to activate the software:

1. Start the activation process by launching Advance 2. Select I want to activate my license.

3. Enter the Serial Number and the Activation Code. 4. If you are connected on the Internet, this information will be processed online

and your license will be successfully activated. 5. Click Finish.

What is new in Advance Steel

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WHAT IS NEW IN ADVANCE STEEL

Advance Steel 2014 has a full set of great new features and customer enhancements in several areas: • AutoCAD 2014 compliancy • Tool palette customization options • CAD platform enhancement. • Speed improvements when creating PDF files • New Render module • User interface enhancements • New GUI for the Connection vault • More powerful features tools • Tapered beams & PEB market • Extension of existing connections to work on tapered beams • Connections & macros improvements • Automatic detailing enhancements • Cameras presentation with extended possibilities • BIM exchange with other software • Creation of DStV XML file for welding robots

User interface enhancements

Customizable tool palette

A new tool palette containing the frequently used commands was introduced with Advance Steel 2013 and the new Advance Steel 2014 release provides different options to customize this tool palette according to your requirements. On the top-right of the tool palette, users can find a new button called Settings which opens a new dialog box which includes the following options: • Opacity and colors can be changed • Category and item height and width can be

adjusted • Number of icons per columns can be set from 1 to 4

The icons displayed in the tool palette can be reorganized with a long right-click on the palette which provides access to the customization. The following manipulations are then possible: • Tap the top-right red cross to delete the icon • Drag & drop an icon in same or different group It is also possible to customize the organization of the groups defining the tool palette by clicking on the “+” symbol which appears on the top-right of the tool palette.

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The user has then access to additional functions: • Move a group or create a new group • Insert a new icon with the Command option • Add a separator with the Separator option • Insert a row ender (separator) with the Row ender option

When adding a new icon with the “Command” option, users can combine multiple commands in one button. The customized tool palette can be shared between different Advance Steel users; the “GrPaletteData_User.xml” file containing the Advance Steel 2014 tool palette user customization can be found at C:\ProgramData\Graitec\Advance Steel\2014\Steel\Support\Toolbars.

New osnap points available

Advance Steel 2014 gives access to new osnap points which are a great help for the modeling phase: • Mid between 2 points • From

PDF printing

With Advance Steel 2014 used on its own CAD platform, a PDF printer is now installed by default, which has the following advantages: • PDF printer available in File > Print • PDF printer available in the Document Manager • Speed improvements when creating PDF files • Reduced size for the file sent to the printer • Possibility to create a multi-sheet PDF file


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New “Render” module

Advance Steel 2014 used on its own CAD platform includes a new “Render” module available both in 32-bit and 64-bit. You can run the Render module at any time on your 3D model and get nicely rendered pictures which can be saved if you want to use them or share them.

Enhanced performances

Advance Steel 2014 has various enhanced performances in different parts of the software such as: • Faster handling of models with the updated Advance Steel DWT template file

delivered by default with Advance Steel 2014 • Improved selection in modeling when using multiple viewports • Improved speed when using the multi-user mode • Opening the workshop drawing of a part with the contextual menu • Navigation in models containing Advance Steel special parts

Modeling

Advance Steel 2014 provides a complete range of new functionalities and different enhancements to speed up the modeling phase, such as the possibility to easily create tapered beams and different connections to them.

Unique group for the Features

All “Features” commands are now placed in a unique “Features” group in the Tool palette. Also, numerous commands to create features have been unified so that the same command can be used on a beam or a plate, which makes the use of the features easier than what it was in the past when there were dedicated features tools for beams and different dedicated features tools for plates.

Features on beam & plates

Features on beams

Features on plates

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New beam representation available

A new representation type Exact with edge features is available for the beams, displaying: • Beam corners • Weld preparation on beams

Flexible & powerful new command for tapered beams

Advance Steel 2014 provides a new command to create tapered beams, with a properties dialog box offering many advanced possibilities: • Can have up to 5 segments • Possibility to specify “Fixed lengths” for some segments of the tapered beam • Variable flange dimensions which can be parallel • Variable web dimensions • Flanges can be made of plate or flats (bottom and top flanges can be the same or

different)


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• Include weld preparation on the different elements of the tapered beams • Many settings available for the welds definition • New representation type Exact with edge features • Option to create a tapered hollow box • Search filter extended to find tapered beams

Building generator tool palette

Advance Steel 2014 offers a dedicated tool palette for speeding up the modeling of industrial and commercial buildings. With this Tool palette, it is easy to create your 3D model with the different available groups containing the frequently used functionalities used for these structures: • Group for “Framing” • Group for “Framing connections” • Group for “Purlins & cold rolled connections”

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Collision check results

Advance Steel 2014 displays the collision check results in a new design similar to the Tool palette.

There is no need to enter the collision number one by one like it was in the past, the results are displayed in such a way that double-clicking on a line zooms directly to the collisions. A new option to directly ignore found collisions is also available (and with the option to reset temporarily ignored collisions).

Joints

New GUI for Connection vault

Advance Steel 2014 displays the Connection vault in a new design similar to the Tool palette.

With this new User Interface, the Connection vault stays open and can be minimized for higher efficiency. The Joint group classification has been reviewed and enhanced. The Connection vault can be customized by the user with the (new) option to place joints in a “Favorite” group.


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Automatic joints on tapered beams

With Advance Steel 2014, many automatic connections have been extended to work for the different situations with tapered beams: • On a tapered beam (e.g. base plate, cap plate, stiffeners) • Between 2 tapered beams • Between a standard section and a tapered beam

New overlapping bolted purlin joint

Advance Steel 2014 provides a new automatic connection for connecting two purlins on a rafter with bolts both on the purlins and on the rafter.

Shear plate joint enhancements

Advance Steel 2014 provides more options in the shear plate joint: • Improved marking option • Variable column stiffener placement (new outside chamfer option) • New sloped bolt alignment • Stiffeners values (width and corner size) are read from defaults

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Drawings

Define your own detailing direction

To decide how to represent the part on its workshop drawing, Advance Steel 2014 provides a new option so that the user can define the detailing direction of the selected object. The option (Show Assembly CS) to display the current direction of the picked object is available through the contextual menu. You can then rotate the UCS in your 3D model and after that it is possible to use the new Define object detailing direction option available in the Tool palette to set your own detailing direction.

As an example, this gives more flexibility for elements such as railing or bracing which can be oriented exactly as required on workshop drawings.

Switch off the display of folding lines in views

Advance Steel 2014 provides a new option (available in the GRAITEC Advance Manager 2014) named “Hides the folding lines in views” which does not display the folding lines of folded plates and twisted folded plates within isometric views created on general arrangement drawings.


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Camera presentation with extended possibilities

A new presentation on drawing as “circle” or “rectangle” is available for cameras, which can be found as a new default, “Detailing camera representation type”, in the GRAITEC Advance Manager 2014.

There is also a new token “Camera description” which can be used for drawing labeling and title view. The Camera properties dialog box includes a new option to define the “Scale” set to the camera.

BIM

Export to a 3D DWF file enhancements

With Advance Steel 2014, the export to a 3D DWF file includes compound beams and grating properties.

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Export to a GTCX file enhancements

Advance Steel 2014 provides new options to include the following information in the exported BTCX file: • Additional weld information • Option to include drawings

GTCX files can be used between GRAITEC Software (Advance Steel, Advance Concrete, and Advance Design) and they can also be imported in systems like BIMReview (from AceCAD).

Export a DStV XML file for welding robots

Advance Steel 2014 provides the option to export a DStV XML file for welding robots. This writes the assembly information (including location of attached parts and welding information) in the XML file, based on the latest commitment from the DStV group.

AutoCAD 2014 compliancy

Advance Steel 2014 can be used with or without AutoCAD®.

Advance Steel 2014 is compliant with AutoCAD® 2010-2014 (i.e., the latest 2014 release of AutoCAD®). Advance Steel users will benefit from the enhancements of AutoCAD 2014 for higher productivity and any other AutoCAD 2014 related improvements.

What is new in Advance Concrete

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WHAT IS NEW IN ADVANCE CONCRETE

Advance Concrete 2014 has a full set of great new features and customer enhancements in several areas: • AutoCAD 2014 compliancy • Tool palette customization options • CAD platform enhancement • Speed improvements when creating PDF files • New Render module • User interface enhancements • Stability improvements for all Advance Concrete modules • Handling improvements external drawing technology

General GUI improvements

Ribbon optimization to improve the Advance Concrete workflow

Changed the arrangement of the multiuser icons to show the most used icons and commands on top. The most used multiuser commands are faster to access with less clicks.

Dynamic wedging

The command for the "AutoUCS" (dynamic wedging) is now working within another command. The "AutoUCS" set a temporary local UCS to place elements exactly in non-orthogonal directions. It is very useful to place an opening in a wall:

Modeling

Improved handling of curved model elements

The "Trim" command was improved for curved elements. Curved elements are correctly converted to ACIS elements:

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Several improvements with for the representation of openings

• Some doors had a wrong representation while using the orbit. This issue was corrected. • Standard openings no longer change the color if there is an intersection /

overlapping with a window. • 3D representation of some specific door types was corrected:

Reference surface (roof / ramp) improvements

Roofs and Ramps are reference surfaces created from lines, polylines or CAD surfaces. Model elements can be bound to these references. Advance Concrete 2014 provides several improvements related to the reference surfaces. The commands to use the reference surfaces are on the "Extended Modeling" ribbon (AdvanceCAD) or the "AC Model" (AutoCAD) ribbon.

Slab openings follow the slab modifications if the slab is bound to a roof reference surface:

Reinforcement

Improvements for bar distributions

• Cut distribution: The bars in a cut distribution are in alphabetical order if letters are used as bar marks

• Bars are no longer displayed outside of the formwork if the distribution type "by quantity" is used (Advance Concrete on AdvanceCAD).

What is new in Advance Concrete

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• Linear distribution on an arc: There was an issue with modifications if the distribution type is set to "by quantity".

Bending detail text orientation for straight bars

The segment length text was always displayed at the bottom of the bar and did not depend on the straight bar drawing direction.

Bent mesh numbering

Renumbering bent meshes recognize/compare the real bent shape and not the unfold mesh length. Bent meshes with different shapes (but the same unfold length) get a different bar mark. In older Advance Concrete versions the renumbering tool just compared the unfold bent mesh length to assign the bar mark to the bent mesh:

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3D copy reinforcement

Amazing performance improvement from approximately 3 minutes to around 15 seconds! Copy already created reinforcement in a rebar drawing from one element to another. With the current performance improvement this tool is very powerful and can speed up the reinforcement drawing creation dramatically.

Drawings

Optimizations / Performance improvements for the external drawing handling

• Project settings load and data update optimized • New drawing creation and existing drawing load optimized • Project structure (Project Browser) automatically refresh after loading a drawing

or updating a drawing.

Exchange

Export a reinforcement list to Excel: • The bending detail dimensions are exported correctly. • Bending detail with mm-exponent are displayed in the exported Excel file:

3D PDF and DWF Export: • Improved PDF export for Advance Concrete drawings on AutoCAD • Reinforcement bar properties are correctly exported to 3D DWF files. • DWF export from Advance Concrete on AutoCAD or on AdvanceCAD creates the

same exported result. GTCx files with steel members exported from Revit: The steel elements are imported to Advance Concrete. Import and export the IFC object IDs.

What is new in Advance Design

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WHAT IS NEW IN ADVANCE DESIGN

Advance Design 2014 has important improvements in several areas: • New tools to tune a descriptive model imported from GTC • Automatic supports stiffness calculation according soil properties • Implementation of a 2D climatic generator • New post-processing grid • New option “Modified construction” for EC8 design • New envelope tables on supports • Rebar improvements on concrete columns • Improvements on the link from Advance Design to Advance Concrete

2D Climatic generator – Eurocode 1

Advances Design features a brand-new 2D climatic generator, based on EN1991-1-3 (snow effects) and EN1991-1-4 (wind effects). It benefits from the same functionalities as the 3D climatic generator that has been in Advance Design for several years: • CsCd coefficient taken into account • Wind parameters given per direction • Specificities from national appendices This 2D climatic generator is available as soon as the workspace is set on plane:

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Properties of wind load cases will then show new parameters. These parameters enable users to define: • Building length (out of plane dimension) • Position of the structure • Cpi coefficient (if needed) • Openings

Additional parameters will be available through the linear element properties. Users will be able to: • Activate the 2D climatic generator on the selected elements

• Define the selected element as a parapet wall, an awning… • Define the load span on both sides of the elements (so that Advance Design can

convert planar wind and snow forces into appropriate linear forces). • Enter a continuity coefficient (extremely useful when purlins are not simply supported).


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The automatic generation will create the corresponding wind and snow forces:

Rebar improvement for reinforced concrete columns

In previous versions of Advance Design, it was not possible to calculate\impose the real transverse reinforcement on columns, useful, for example, for the capacity design. The existing dialog box was the following:

This dialog box has been improved in order to be able to define all bars (longitudinal and transverse) of a reinforced concrete column:

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Longitudinal reinforcement bars

The “Longitudinal reinforcement bars” tab allows the user to define all parameters for this rebar family: • Diameters of the main and secondary longitudinal bars. • Hook angles at the two extremities of the column. • Number of longitudinal bars (main and secondary ones) on each side of the column.

This “real” rebar definition will be used for the capacity design check. Transverse reinforcement bars

The “Transverse bars” tab allows the user to define the transverse bars in the 3 different zones of the column (extremities and current zones), as defined in the EN1992-1-1:

Users can define as many series as they want, with the diameter and the spacing for each one.


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Automatic support stiffness calculation

Advance Design 2014 now features a method to calculate support stiffness (in kN/m3) based on soil properties. Users will first define soil layers (soil type and thickness), by choosing from a customizable library:

Then, Advance Design will turn the support contour into a much simpler shape (equivalent rectangle).

Eventually, knowing the equivalent rectangle dimensions and the definition of soil layers (level and modulus of elasticity), Advance Design 2014 will apply the bedding method to calculate the foundation modulus. The vertical stiffness (KTZ field) from support properties is then automatically updated.

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This process is available for planar support (elastic and T/C) but also for punctual and linear supports. In order to calculate the equivalent rectangle, new fields have been introduced in the punctual and linear support properties to define footing dimensions.

The soil profile can be defined from support properties, by setting the "Vertical stiffness" field to “auto calculation” and then by defining soil layers:

But one can also access the Soil manager through the Edit / Used soils… menu:

One or several soil profiles can be defined:


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These soil profiles are then available for selection in support properties:

A dedicated chapter from the report generator is available if automatic calculation of vertical stiffness has been activated on one or several supports.

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Import/Export of support actions

In AD2014, users can export the actions on supports from a model in order to use them as inputs in another model. This works on a selection of punctual supports, using a simple .TXT file.

Export

After the calculation, users must select one or several punctual supports and access the File / Export / Actions on supports menu:

Advance Design 2014 then exports support actions for all the active load cases from the combinations menu.


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This creates a .TXT file containing forces coordinates (X,Y,Z) and intensity (FX,FY,FZ,MX,MY,MZ) but also load case number and type (Dead loads, Live loads, Wind, Snow, etc.):

Import

The process is similar to export, except actions must be imported in model phase (i.e. before the calculation). Users will simply open the File/Import/Actions on supports menu; select a .TXT file as well as an anchor point:

ImportIf load cases described in the file do not exist in the model, Advance Design will automatically create them.

Documents

Graitec Advance 2014 - Welcome Guide