STAADProFundamentals TRN017580 1 0002

STAAD.
Pro Fundamentals
STAAD.Pro V8i
Bentley Institute Course Guide
TRN017580-1/0002
Trademark Notice
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service marks of Bentley Systems, Incorporated. All other marks are the property of their
respective owners.
AccuDraw, MDL, MicroStation, and SmartLine are registered trademarks; PopSet and
Raster Manager are trademarks.
AutoCAD is a registered trademark of Autodesk, Inc.
Copyright Notice
Copyright 2012, Bentley Systems, Incorporated. All Rights Reserved.
STAAD.Pro Fundamentals 2 Jan-12

Copyright 2012 Bentley Systems, Incorporated
Table of Contents
Model Generation ___________________________________ 7

Module Overview _____________________________________7
Module Prerequisites __________________________________7
Module Objectives_____________________________________7
The Start Page ________________________________________8
Backup Manager ___________________________________10
Configuration _____________________________________11
Starting a New Project ______________________________13
Getting Started _______________________________________15
Graphical User Interface _____________________________15
Job Setup _________________________________________16
STAAD.Pro Structural Entities _________________________17
Making Selections in STAAD.Pro_______________________18
Undo and Redo Tools _______________________________20
Creating Structure Geometry ____________________________21
Working with Grids _________________________________21
Using the Geometry Toolbar__________________________29
Creating Geometry Using Tables ______________________33
Using the Structure Wizard___________________________35
Using the Generate Toolbar __________________________41
Using the Copy and Paste Commands __________________50
Editing Structure Geometry______________________________56
Deleting Geometry Graphically________________________56
Deleting/Modifying Geometry using Tables______________58
Modifying Structure Geometry using the STAAD.Pro Editor _60
Merging Members__________________________________62
Segmenting Members_______________________________64
Splitting Member if New Node is Added ________________66
Intersecting Members_______________________________68
Renumbering Beams and Nodes_______________________71
Removing Orphan Nodes___________________________73
Viewing Structure Geometry_____________________________75
Displaying Structure Labels___________________________75
Controlling Structure Label Appearance_________________76
Working with Structural Tool Tip ______________________77
Working with the Query Function _____________________79
Displaying Member Lengths __________________________81
Jan-12 3 STAAD.Pro Fundamentals

Table of Contents
Controlling the View ________________________________83

Module Assessment ___________________________________89
Finite Element Modeling ______________________________ 91

Module Overview _____________________________________91
Introduction to Finite Element Analysis ____________________92
Why Use a Mesh? __________________________________94
Guidelines for Mesh Density__________________________95
Guidelines for Element Shape_________________________97
Resolving Poorly Shaped Plates _______________________99
Creating Individual Finite Elements________________________100
Snap Node/Plate Tools ______________________________101
Creating Finite Elements Using Tables __________________103
Add Plates Tools ___________________________________104
Generating a Finite Element Mesh ________________________106
Using Structure Wizard to Generate a Mesh _____________106
Creating a Mesh from a Super Element _______________112
Using the Generate Surface Meshing Command __________114
Using the Editor to Create a Mesh _____________________121
Additional Considerations _______________________________122
Property Assignment ________________________________ 125

Module Overview _____________________________________125
General Tab __________________________________________126
Working with Groups _______________________________127
Property _____________________________________________132
Sections __________________________________________132
Beta Angles _______________________________________141
Specifications _________________________________________159
Node Specifications_________________________________159
Beam Specifications ________________________________160
Plate Specifications _________________________________166
Toggle Specification and Highlight Assigned Geometry _____169
Supports_____________________________________________170
Fixed and Pinned___________________________________170
Fixed But _________________________________________170
Enforced and Enforced But ___________________________171
Multilinear Springs _________________________________172
Foundations_______________________________________173
Inclined __________________________________________174
Tension / Compression Only Springs ___________________175

Table of Contents
Loads and Load Definitions ______________________________177

Definitions ________________________________________177
Load Cases________________________________________177
Load Items ________________________________________180
Load Envelopes ____________________________________180
Materials ____________________________________________190
Loads and Load Generators ___________________________ 193

Module Overview _____________________________________193
Introduction __________________________________________195
The Load & Definition Dialog_____________________________195
Self Weight___________________________________________199
Nodal Loads __________________________________________201
Member Loads________________________________________206
Uniform Force _____________________________________206
Uniform Moment __________________________________208
Concentrated Force_________________________________208
Concentrated Moment ______________________________209
Linear Varying _____________________________________210
Trapezoidal _______________________________________211
Hydrostatic _______________________________________212
Pre/Post Stress ____________________________________214
Fixed End Load ____________________________________219
Physical Member Load ______________________________221
Floor Load ___________________________________________224
Snow Load ___________________________________________230
Temperature Load _____________________________________234
Plate Loads___________________________________________237
Pressure on Full Plate _______________________________237
Concentrated Load _________________________________239
Partial Plate Pressure Load ___________________________241
Trapezoidal _______________________________________243
Hydrostatic _______________________________________246
Element Joint Load _________________________________251
Surface Loads_________________________________________253
Concentrated Load _________________________________253
Pressure on Full Surface _____________________________255
Partial Surface Pressure Load _________________________257
Solid Loads ___________________________________________259
Solid Pressure Load _________________________________259
Vehicle (Moving) Load __________________________________263
Some additional notes pertaining to Vehicle (Moving) Load: 269
Wind Load ___________________________________________270
Jan-12 5 STAAD.Pro Fundamentals

Table of Contents
Wind Definitions ___________________________________270

Wind Load Items ___________________________________278
Seismic Load _________________________________________288
Direct Analysis Loads ___________________________________304
Load Combinations ____________________________________309
Load Envelopes _______________________________________317
Reference Loads ______________________________________319
Analyzing the Model _________________________________ 323

Module Overview _____________________________________323
Preparing for the Analysis _______________________________324
Understanding the STAAD.Pro Input File ________________327
About the Print Analysis Results Command ______________329
Performing the Analysis_________________________________331
How STAAD.Pro Generates Results ________________________332
Viewing the Output File_________________________________334
Exercise Problems ___________________________________ 337

Module Overview _____________________________________337
Exercise Problem One __________________________________338
Exercise Problem Two __________________________________339
Exercise Problem Three _________________________________341
Exercise Problem Four __________________________________345
Exercise Problem Five __________________________________349
Concrete Design ___________________________________352
Exercise Problem Six ___________________________________354

Model Generation
Module Overview
In this module, you will learn how to create, edit, and view structure geometry in
STAAD.Pro.
Module Prerequisites
Familiarity with general principles of structural engineering
Module Objectives
After completing this module, you will be able to:
Navigate the STAAD.Pro Graphical User Interface
Create Structure Geometry
Edit Structure Geometry
View Structure Geometry
Jan-12 7 Model Generation

The Start Page
The Start Page

Open STAAD.Pro by double clicking on the icon on your desktop or navigating to
the program location through the Start menu. The STAAD.Pro Start Page will be
displayed automatically when the program is opened.
Model Generation 8 Jan-12

The Start Page
The Start Page is divided into five sections that can be used to achieve the
following:
1 Project Tasks:
Start a new project or open an existing project.
Adjust the program behavior with the Configuration options or the
Backup Manager.
Access the License Management Tool.
2 Recent Files:
Access the last 6 models opened.
Preview each model (and view the file path and project information) of
each model in the list by hovering the cursor over the model name.
3 Help Topics:
Access the online Help document.
Locate technical support centers and find contact details.
Find the latest information on the program online from the Product
News link.
Access the growing STAAD.Pro online knowledge base.
Determine What's New in the latest release of STAAD.Pro.
4 License Configuration: Indicates which SELECT licenses are being used by
the current session of STAAD.Pro using the following color coding scheme:
Green: Indicates that the license is available and selected.
Grey: Indicates that the license has not been selected.
Red: Indicated that the selected license cannot be obtained or is not
available from the server.
5 STAAD News:
Displays the most current information about STAAD and Bentley, such
as program updates, seminars, and training courses, using an RSS
(Really Simple Syndication) reader.
Each news items is identified with a title that acts as a link to a web site
containing more information on that particular item.

The Start Page
Backup Manager
The STAAD.Pro Backup Manager has the ability to perform automatic saves at a
user-specified frequency to protect against loss of data. It also provides tools to
view, compare, open, and restore backup saves from earlier times.
Hint: Even with powerful backup and restore features, it is good practice to execute
manual saves after significant modeling steps by using File > Save from the
Menu Bar. Under normal conditions this is a user preference item.
Exercise: Customize the Backup Manager for Training

1 Open STAAD.Pro by double-clicking on the icon on your desktop. The Start
Page should be open by default.
2 In the STAAD.Pro Start Page, click on the Backup Manager... item in the
Project Tasks area.
3 In the Backup Manager dialog, modify the following parameter:
Enable Auto Save: (unchecked)
Note: In order to ensure uniformity, this training session is accompanied by a

dataset of standardized STAAD.Pro training files. To avoid frequent
messages during training, we will disable the autosave option.
4 In the Backup Manager dialog, click OK.

The Start Page
Configuration
In STAAD.Pro, the following program features can be configured from the Start
Page:
Base Units Working Directory

File Options RSS Feed
Input/Output File Format Section Profile Table
Error File Format Background Color
Global Axis Orientation STAAD Default Design Codes
Note: In the following sections, we will review the Base Unit Configuration and the
Global Axis Orientation.
Base Unit Configuration
In STAAD.Pro, the base unit selection dictates the system of units used internally
to store numerical values during calculations. It also dictates the default input
units and the default system of units used to display results in tables and reports.
The following base units are available for selection in STAAD.Pro:
English
Metric
Note: The base unit is selected from the STAAD.Pro Start Page and it is NOT possible
to change the base unit selection when a model is open. All models must be
closed in order to modify the base units.
Regardless of the base unit setting, it is possible to change the current input units
at any time during the modeling process. However, be aware that mixing unit
systems will require an internal conversion that carries a finite number of
significant digits. Because these conversions cannot be mathematically exact,
converting between unit systems can be a potential source of modeling issues if
round-off error becomes significant.

The Start Page
Exercise: Review the Global Axis Orientation and the Base Unit System
1 In the STAAD.Pro Start Page, click on the Configuration... item in the
Project Tasks area.
2 In the Configure Program dialog, click on the Base Unit tab and then enter
the following parameter:
Select Base Unit: English {Metric}
Hint: It is good practice to set the base unit system so it is consistent with the
input units that will be used in the current working session. If the
English units dataset files will be used, set the Base Unit selection to
English. If the metric units dataset files will be used, set the Base Unit
selection to Metric.
3 Keep the Configure Program dialog open for the next exercise.
Global Axis Orientation
The location of entities in a STAAD.Pro model is defined with reference to the

origin of the global (Cartesian) coordinate system. The default orientation of the
global coordinate system is that the Y axis points in the vertical direction, and a
plan view is represented by the XZ plane.
This coordinate system orientation may be different than that used in some CAD
programs. To address this, STAAD.Pro provides an option called Set Z Up. This
option may be used in situations where model geometry is being imported from a
CAD file where the Z axis has been oriented vertically. However, be aware that the
use of the Set Z Up option will eliminate the ability to use some other functions in
the program, such as the wind load generator.
STAAD.Pro does provide tools for re-orienting the coordinate axis when importing
or exporting to a CAD program. It is recommended to reorient the coordinate
system when importing or exporting. This would allow you to use STAAD.Pro's
default global coordinate system, rather than using Set Z Up command.
Exercise: Select the Axis Orientation

1 Continue to modify the Configure Program dialog from the previous
exercise.
2 In the Configure Program dialog, click on the Global Axis Orientation tab
and then enter the following parameter:
Select Axis Orientation: Y up
3 In the Configure Program dialog, click Accept.

The Start Page
Starting a New Project

When a new project is started in STAAD.Pro, you will begin by selecting the
structure type, the length units, and the force units. In STAAD.Pro, there are four
structure types available, each with its own set of capabilities:
Space:
Acceptable for any configuration of model geometry and loading.
Permits three-dimensional structures.
Permits loading in any direction.
Permits deformations in all three global axes directions.
Coordinate system follows right-hand rule.
Best practice is to orient Y axis up (so gravity pulls in negative Y-
direction).
Plane:
Acceptable only for two-dimensional models in the XY-plane with no
loading or deformations perpendicular to this plane.
All loads and deformations are in the plane of the structure.
Floor:
Acceptable for two-dimensional models in the XZ-plane with loading
and deformations perpendicular to this plane.
All loads and deformations are parallel to the global Y-axis.
Truss:
Permits loading in any direction, but members only provide axial
resistance. Members cannot resist bending or shear loads.
Permits three-dimensional structures.
Permits deformations in all three global directions.
Coordinate system follows right-hand rule.
Hint: The Plane, Floor, and Truss structure types all conserve system resources by
taking advantage of declared conditions to reduce the complexity of the
stiffness matrix. With today's computers, however, this is no longer necessary,
but the program still provides these options for backward compatibility with
models that were created using these structure types.

The Start Page
Exercise: Start a New Project

1 Ensure STAAD.Pro is still open.
2 In the STAAD.Pro Start Page, click on the New Project... item in the Project
Tasks area.
3 In the New dialog, enter the following parameters:
Structure Type: Space
File Name: My Model
Length Units: Foot {Meter}
Force Units: KiloPound {KiloNewton}
Note: The File Location field provides a default path where project files will be
stored. To change the Location click the (...) button, and browse to the
location where you wish to save the file.
4 In the New dialog, click the Next > button.
Note: The Where do you want to go? dialog offers quick access to a variety of
common next steps, including:
Add Beam: Starts the program with the Snap Node/Beam dialog active,
providing a snap grid to begin constructing a structure consisting of
beams and columns.
Add Plate: Starts the program with the Snap Node/Plate dialog active,
plates.
Add Solid: Starts the program with the Snap Node/Solid dialog active,
solids.
Open Structure Wizard: Opens a library of parametrically scalable
prototype structure templates that can be used to quickly generate
model geometry.
Open STAAD Editor: Allows you to build your model using the STAAD
syntax commands in the STAAD editor (non-graphical interface).
Edit Job Information: Opens the Job Information dialog where you can
enter information relative to the job, such as client name, job number,
comments, etc.
5 In the Where do you want to go? dialog, select the Edit Job Information
checkbox and then click on the Finish button.
6 Keep this model open for the next exercise.

Getting Started
Getting Started
STAAD.Pro is a finite element-based structural engineering software product for
3D model generation, analysis, and multi-material design. Before we begin
modeling structure geometry, we will first review the graphical user interface, the
structural entities that can be created in STAAD.Pro, and a few basic features of
the STAAD.Pro graphical environment.
Graphical User Interface

The STAAD.Pro Graphical User Interface (GUI) is divided into several sections:
Menu Bar: Provides access to the STAAD.Pro menu functions. Many of the
same functions are also available from the Toolbar and from the Page Control.
Tool Bar: Provides access to the most frequently used commands. The
individual tool bars are dockable (i.e. the layout can be reconfigured) and
customized toolbars can be created.
Main Window: Displays the graphical representation of the model and any
other display options. Note that the background color can be set to either
white or black using the Configuration option in the Project Tasks section of
the Start Page.
Status Bar: Presents helpful information regarding the status of the program.
It also displays pertinent information for the current page, such as hints for
using the current command, current program operating mode, cursor
position, current input units, etc.
Page Control: Allows you to perform specific tasks from each tab.
Hint: The organization of the Tabs in the Page Control, from top to bottom,
represents the logical sequence of operations in STAAD.Pro. Generally,
it is recommended to progress through the tabs, from top to bottom, to
enter all the data that is relevant to your project.
Data Area: Displays dialogs, tables, lists, and so forth. The Data Area is context-
sensitive to the type of operation being performed.

Getting Started
Menu Bar Main Window Toolbar
Page Control Status Bar Data Area
Job Setup
In the Page Control Area, the Setup tab is the first tab available when you are in
the Modeling mode. When the Job sub-tab is selected, the Job Info dialog is
displayed in the Data Area.
The Job Info dialog provides a way to define data such as job name, client, job
number, engineer and checker initials and dates, and so forth. Information
entered in the Job Info dialog will be printed in the output reports and shown in
the Recent Files section of the Start Page. The use of this dialog is optional.

Getting Started
STAAD.Pro Structural Entities

STAAD.Pro provides five types of entities to use in modeling structure geometry:
Beams: Beams are linear structural members. The terms member and
beam are synonymous. In addition, the use of the term beam should not
be taken to imply that the member cannot resist an axial load. (Beam entities
are used to model beams, columns, braces, etc)
Nodes: Nodes are points of connectivity between structural entities.
Plates: Plates are finite elements commonly used to model surface
structures such as walls, slabs, plates or shells. Plates may be either 3-noded
(triangular) or 4-noded (quadrilateral).
Solids: Solids are finite elements that enable the solution of structural
problems involving three dimensional stresses. Solids are useful for solving
problems such as stress distribution in concrete dams, soil and rock strata, etc.
Solid elements typically consist of 8 nodes. Solids most commonly take the
form of cubes, but, by collapsing various nodes together, an 8-noded solid
element can be degenerated into forms with 5 to 7 nodes.
Surfaces: Surfaces are useful in the rapid modeling of walls, slabs and other
planar surfaces. The are similar to plate elements in terms of structural
behavior, but faster and easier to model. An entire wall or slab can be
modeled with just a few Surface entities. When STAAD.Pro performs an
analysis, it automatically subdivides the surface into elements.
Plate versus Solid Elements
If you are unsure of whether to use Plate elements or Solid elements, remember
this: when the ratio of the width of the shortest side of the structure to the
thickness is less than 10, consider using solid elements.

Getting Started
Making Selections in STAAD.Pro

In STAAD.Pro, elements can be selected in the Main Window using a variety of
methods. Before we begin modeling, we will review several of the selection
methods available, which will assist you in creating and editing structural
geometry.
Selection Cursors
In STAAD.Pro, twelve different cursors are available for selecting the various types
of STAAD.Pro entities. Each cursor selects specific types of objects for editing or
manipulation. Having specific cursors can be very convenient when assigning
properties where various types of entities are crowded together.
Cursor Selects
Nodes Cursor Nodes only
Beams Cursor Members only
Plates Cursor Plate elements only
Surface Cursor Surface entities only
Solids Cursor Solid elements only
Geometry Cursor All types of entities
Select Text Cursor Text labels only
Load Edit Cursor Loads only
Support Edit Cursor Supports only
Member Release Edit Cursor Member releases only
Filtered Selection Cursor Multiple types of geometric entities with

specific attributes
Select Joints Cursor Connections defined in the RAM
Connection module
The Selection Cursors are available in the Selection toolbar (typically at the left-
hand side of your screen) or through the Select menu at the top of the screen.

Getting Started
Cursor Facts:
The Nodes Cursor selects the nearest node when you click in close proximity
to a node.
The Beams Cursor selects/deselects individual members by clicking on them.
Multiple members are selected by pressing Control (Ctrl) and clicking.
Hint: The keyboard shortcut Ctrl + A can be used to quickly select all entities
based on the current cursor selection.
The Geometry Cursor selects all entities in a certain area, no matter what type
of entities they are.
The Select Text Cursor is disabled or grayed out if there are no text objects in
the model.
The Filtered Selection Cursor helps quickly identify the location of entities
with certain attributes. It works hand-in-hand with Select > Configure
Selection Filter. In the current file it would make it possible, for example, to
select only aluminum W8x35 members, or all stainless steel members.
The Select Joints Cursor is disabled or grayed out unless you are in the RAM
Connection module and at least one connection has been defined.
In addition to using the toolbars, you can also choose cursors from the Select
menu on the Menu Bar.
The cursor choice controls WHAT items will be selected. The Selection Mode
controls HOW those items will be selected.
Cursor Selection Modes
In STAAD.Pro, there are three selection modes available to be used in conjunction

with the Selection Cursors. Each mode is available from the Select > Selection
Mode menu.
Drag Box Mode: When the Beams Cursor is used in the Drag Box mode, a
rectangular selection box is created. The rule is that a member will be selected
if the box includes the mid-point of the member.
Drag Line Mode: When the Beams Cursor is used in the Drag Line mode, it
creates a selection line. Any beam crossed by the Drag Line will be selected.
Region Mode: When the Beams Cursor is used in the Region mode, a selection
polygon of any shape can be drawn. The polygon is always closed, and left-
clicking with the mouse inserts additional vertices. Double-click to stop
creating more vertices and execute the selection. Similar to Drag Box, a
member will be selected if the region includes the mid-point of the member.

Getting Started
Select Menu
In the Menu Bar, the Select menu provides various means of selecting members,
plate/solid elements, and nodes. Some highlights include:
Select > Beams Parallel To > (X or Y or Z) to select all beams that are parallel to
the selected axis.
Select > By Range > (XY or YZ or XZ) to select all entities that lie entirely
within the range of coordinate values specified for a selected axis. Note that
the entities to be selected are dependent upon the active cursor. For instance,
to select nodes by range, ensure that the Nodes Cursor is active when
activating this selection option.
Select > By Inverse > Inverse Beam Selection to invert the current selection
status of all beams in the model. Selected beams become deselected and vice
versa.
Select > By Specification to select on the basis of a variety of available
Specification items.
Undo and Redo Tools

STAAD.Pro has Undo and Redo tools that are accessible from toolbar icons or
through the Edit menu.
When accessed from the toolbar icons, both tools provide the ability to Undo/
Redo multiple commands at one time. The pulldown arrow to the right of the icon
opens a list of modeling steps with the most recent command on the top of the
list. Double-clicking on an item in the list will Undo/Redo back to that command.
STAAD.Pro will purge the Undo cache in the GUI if changes are made in the
command file editor and the Save command is issued. Nothing that was done in
the GUI before the command file was changed and saved will be available to
Undo.
There is an Undo feature in the command file editor, itself, too, but once changes
are saved and the editor is closed, that cache is purged as well. The Undo
command in the GUI cannot undo changes made in the command file editor.

Creating Structure Geometry

Structural geometry can be created in STAAD.Pro using a variety of methods. In
the next several sections, we will demonstrate how to generate structural
geometry using the following methods:
Working with Grids
Using the Geometry Toolbar
Creating Geometry using Tables
Using the Structure Wizard
Using the Generate Toolbar
Using the Copy and Paste Commands
Working with Grids

In STAAD.Pro, grids can assist with model construction by providing dimensional
control and snap points. You can create and save multiple grid systems in one
model, but only one grid system can be displayed at a time. There are three types
of two-dimensional grids that can be defined: Linear, Radial and Irregular:
Linear: Regularly spaced linear construction lines. The plane can be defined as
being coincident with the global XY, XZ, or YZ planes, or it can be rotated about
one of the global axes. The location of the origin of the grid system is defined
with respect to the global coordinate system.
Radial: Regularly spaced radial and circumferential construction lines. The
plane can be defined as being coincident with the global XY, XZ, or YZ planes,
or it can be rotated about one of the global axes. The location of the origin of
the grid system is defined with respect to the global coordinate system. Radial
grids are well-suited for drawing circular models, using piece-wise linear
techniques.
Irregular: Regularly or irregularly spaced linear construction lines. The plane
can be defined as being coincident with the global XY, XZ, or YZ planes, or it
can be rotated about one of the global axes. In addition, Irregular grid systems
offer a third orientation option called Arbitrary Plane, which allows them to
be oriented in any arbitrary plane by specifying two sets of coordinate points
that define the grid x and grid y directions. Also, the spacing of the grid lines
can vary in both directions and the spacing between successive grid lines is
specified in the Relative gridline distances field using a space-delimited
format.

Hint: For additional information, the following diagrams show examples of

linear, radial, and irregular grid systems in STAAD.Pro:
Linear Grid Radial Grid
Irregular Grid

Exercise: Define a Linear Grid

1 Ensure that the model named My Model.std is open.
2 In the Page Control area, click on the Geometry tab and then the Beam
sub-tab.
Note: The Snap Node/Beam dialog, which controls the grid layout, will
automatically appear. To explore the available controls for grid creation,
we will first create some additional grids for demonstration purposes.
Hint: You can also access the Snap Node/Beam dialog by clicking Geometry >
Snap Grid/Node > Beam in the menu bar or by clicking on the Snap
Node/Beam icon in the Geometry toolbar.
3 In the Snap Node/Beam dialog, click on the Create button.

4 In the pop-up dialog, enter the following parameters:
Grid Type: Linear
Name: Training Grid
Plane: X-Y
Angle of Plane: X-X, 45 degrees
Grid Origin:
X: 10 ft {3 m}
Y: 10 ft {3 m}
Z: 0 ft {0 m}
Construction Lines (for X and Y):
Left: 0
Right: 12
Spacing: 1 ft {1 m}
Skew: 0
Note: This pop-up dialog can also be used to create radial and irregular grids
by selecting the alternate options in the grid type pull down menu
(located at the top of this pop-up dialog).

Hint: The Grid Origin can also be changed from the default location of (0, 0, 0)
by using the icon in the Grid Origin icon to select an existing node in the
model to represent the new grid origin.
Warning: Use caution when setting the spacing value for a skewed grid
system. The Spacing value is not measured perpendicular to the
grid lines to which it applies.
5 In the pop-up dialog, click OK.

6 In the Snap Node/Beam dialog, click the checkbox in front of Training Grid
(Linear) to make it the active grid system.

Active Grid Labels
In the Snap Node/Beam dialog, the Active Grid Labels Setup category controls
how the labels will appear for the currently selected grid system. Since these
settings are specific to individual grid systems, they can be set differently for each
grid system in the model. See the bullet items below for additional information
about each field:
End(s): Offers different options for labeling the ends of the gridlines.
Frequency: Provides a way to control the frequency of grid labels; labels on
every single grid line, every second grid line, every third grid line, etc.
X, Y and Z: Toggles the display of X, Y, and Z coordinate labels for grid lines.
Local Coordinate and Relative Coordinate: Provides a variety of alternatives
for viewing the coordinates of grid lines:
Relative Coordinate is NOT Relative Coordinate IS

Selected Selected
Local Grid labels represent the Grid labels represent the
Coordinate coordinates of grid line relative change in the
is NOT intersections referenced to the coordinates of grid line
Selected origin of the global coordinate intersections measured parallel
system and measured parallel to the axes of the global
to the axes of the global coordinate system.
coordinate system.
Local Grid labels represent Grid labels represent the
Coordinate coordinates of grid line relative change in the
IS Selected intersections referenced to the coordinates of grid line
origin of the grid and measured intersections measured in the
parallel to the axes of the grid. plane of the grid and parallel to
the X and Y axes of the grid.
Axis Ids: Toggles the display of an axis prefix on each grid label. This can be
helpful to establish the orientation of the X and Y axes in a grid system.
Additionally, the Import button provides two options for importing grid systems
into the current model:
Import grid files (with the .grd file extension) that have been created in other
STAAD.Pro models.
Import DXF files for use as grids.

Snap Node/Beam Tool
Beams can be modeled by clicking at various grid intersections using the Snap
Node/Beam tool, available in the Geometry toolbar.
When you are ready to start modeling using the Snap Node/Beam tool, click on
the grid intersection that represents the starting node of the first member. As you
click on that node, it will appear in red, indicating that it is the current hot spot.
Also, a line will start rubber-banding from the hot spot.
Line Rubber Banding
Hot Spot
Then, click on the grid intersection that represents the ending node of the first
member. The hot spot will now appear at the end of the first member,
indicating that it will be the starting end of the next member.
Note: The starting end of a member is also referred to as End A or Node A; the other
end is called End B or Node B.
If the next member does not start at the ending node of the previous member,
the hot spot can be reset by holding down the Control (Ctrl) key.

Hint: At the left hand side of the Status Bar, STAAD.Pro will display some instructions
for the currently active command. Remember to check this area if you would
like some additional information about what response the program expects
next. At the right hand side of the Status Bar, STAAD.Pro will display the
coordinates of the current cursor position.
In its default mode, the Snap Node/Beam tool only snaps to grid intersections.
However, note that the Snap Node/Beam dialog has a checkbox labeled Snap to
existing nodes too. When this checkbox is activated, the Snap Node/Beam tool
will be able to snap to any node in the model. This can be useful if it ever becomes
necessary to snap to an existing node that is out of the plane of the grid, outside
the extents of the grid, or between grid intersection points.
Exercise: Drawing Beams with the Snap Node/Beam Tool

1 Continue with the model from the previous exercise.
Note: In this exercise, we will use the Default Grid system to model the
following braced frame:
7 ft {2m}
8 ft {2.5 m}
2 In the Snap Node/Beam dialog, click the Default Grid (Linear) checkbox.
Note: Edit the Construction Lines Spacing values in the X and Y directions to
0.25 m and then click OK, if working in metric.
3 In the Snap Node/Beam dialog, click on the Snap Node/Beam button if it
is not already active.

4 In the Main Window, click at the origin (0, 0, 0) to create the first node.
5 Then, click again at (0, 8, 0) {(0, 2.5, 0)} to draw the first vertical member.
6 Then, click again at (7, 8, 0) {(2, 2.5, 0)} to draw the horizontal member.
7 Then, click again at (7, 0, 0) {(2, 0, 0)} to draw the second vertical member.
8 Then, click again at (0, 8, 0) {(0, 2.5, 0)} to draw the first diagonal member.
9 On your keyboard, press and hold the Control (Ctrl) key. Then, click on the
node at (0, 0, 0) {(0, 0, 0)}.
10 Release the Control (Ctrl) key. Then, click at (7, 8, 0) {(2, 2.5, 0)} to draw
the second diagonal.
11 In the Snap Node/Beam dialog, click on the Snap Node/Beam button to

stop drawing beams.
Note: In STAAD.Pro, grids can be adjusted on the fly. Nodes that have already
been placed will NOT move with the grid. Instead, nodes maintain their
coordinates once they have been placed.
12 In the File toolbar, click on the Save icon.

Using the Geometry Toolbar

The Geometry toolbar provides several tools to add members to a model:
Add Beams tool
Add Curved Beams tool
Add Beam Between Midpoints tool
Add Beam by Perpendicular Intersection tool
Hint: Notice the black triangle in the lower right corner of the Add Beams icon. This
icon indicates that there are additional related tools available beneath the
visible icon. The related tools are grouped and hidden on a fly-out toolbar to
save screen space. Hold down the left mouse button on the icon to see the fly-
out toolbar and select an alternate tool.
The Add Beams tool automatically snaps to existing nodes in the structure and
allow a beam to be added between two existing nodes, without the use of a grid.
In contrast to the Snap/Node Beam tool, the Add Beams tool adds one beam at a
time and does not use the last node as the starting point for the next beam.

Exercise: Using the Add Beams Tool

1 Open the dataset file Modeling 1.std in STAAD.Pro.
2 In the Geometry toolbar, click the Add Beams icon.
Hint: The Add Beams tool is also accessible from the Menu Bar by clicking
Geometry > Add Beam > Add Beam from Point to Point.
3 In the Main Window, click at the lower left node in the portal frame, and
note that a line starts rubber-banding between that node and the cursor
location.
4 Then, click at the upper right node to model a single member between
those two nodes.
5 Repeat this process to draw the other diagonal.
Note: The Add Beam tool can also be used to add a beam where there is no
existing node.
6 In the Main Window, click near the middle of the horizontal member.
7 In the STAAD.Pro dialog, click Yes to confirm that you want to add a node.

8 In the Insert Nodes into Beam dialog, enter the following parameters:
Proportion: 0.5
Click the Add New Point button. And, then click OK.
9 In the Main Window, click on the node that was just created. A line starts
rubber-banding between that node and the cursor location.
10 Then, click near the middle of the vertical member on the right.
11 In the STAAD.Pro dialog, click Yes to confirm that you want to add a node.
12 In the Insert Nodes into Beam dialog, click on the Add Mid Point button.
Then, click OK
13 In the Main Window, click on the node that was just created.

Exercise: Using the Add Beam between Mid-Points Tool

2 In the Geometry toolbar, hold down your left mouse button on the Add
Beams icon and then release your mouse button on the Add Beam
between Mid-Points icon.
3 Then, click on the Add Beam between Mid-Points icon to activate the
tool.
4 In the Main Window, click on the vertical member on the left.
Hint: The line starts rubber-banding from the mid-point of the vertical
member, and the message in the Status Bar now says Select Second
Beam.
5 Then, click on the left half of the top horizontal beam.
6 In the Geometry toolbar, click the Add Beam between Mid-Points icon
again to turn the tool off.

Creating Geometry Using Tables

In STAAD.Pro, structure geometry can also be created by entering data directly
into the Nodes and Beams tables (available in the Data Area when the Geometry
tab and the Beam sub-tab are active in the Page Control area).
Note: The Nodes and Beams Tables are compatible with Microsoft Excel worksheets.
They can be copied and pasted into Microsoft Excel. The structure geometry
can also be created in a spreadsheet and then copied and pasted into
STAAD.Pro. When pasting from Excel, select the first row in the STAAD.Pro
table, right mouse click, and choose Paste. Use the column mapping table to
map the data into the appropriate columns. In addition, table data can be
copied and pasted between RAM Elements and STAAD.Pro.
Exercise: Using the Tables to Create Geometry

2 In the Page Control Area, click on the Geometry tab, the Beam sub-tab.
3 In the Nodes table, input the following node coordinate values:
Node X Y Z
2 0 ft {0 m} 8 ft {2.5 m} 0 ft {0 m}
3 7 ft {2 m} 8 ft {2.5 m} 0 ft {0 m}
4 7 ft {2 m} 0 ft {0 m} 0 ft {0 m}

4 In the Beams table, input the following beam data:
Beam Node A Node B

1 1 2
2 2 3
3 3 4
4 1 3
5 2 4

6 In the Menu Bar, select File > Close to return to the Start Page.

Using the Structure Wizard

In STAAD.Pro, the Structure Wizard is a powerful and useful utility for creating
structures from a built-in library of standard prototype structures. STAAD.Pro
comes with several Prototype models already available to allow you to quickly
generate your structure geometry. In addition, STAAD.Pro provides the ability to
save user models in a parametric format that allows them to be recalled and
modified quickly using the Structure Wizard.
For a demonstration of some of its capabilities, the Structure Wizard will be used
to develop a portion of the model for the structure shown in the figure below:
To create this model, we will generate the geometry using the following steps:
1 Use the Structure Wizard to generate the basic truss:
2 Add a column.
3 Use the Mirror command to create the left side. This will be demonstrated
in a later section.

Exercise: Use the Structure Wizard to Create the Basic Truss

1 In the STAAD.Pro Start Page, click on the New Project... item in the Project
Tasks Area.
2 In the New dialog, enter the following parameters:
Structure Type: Space
File Name: STRUCTURE WIZARD
Length Units: Foot {Meter}
Force Units: KiloPound {KiloNewton}
Click the Next > button.
3 Click Space type structure in the New dialog.
4 In the Where do you want to go? dialog, click in the Open Structure
Wizard checkbox and then click on the Finish button.
Hint: The Structure Wizard can also be accessed from within STAAD.Pro at any
time by using the Geometry > Run Structure Wizard command.
Note: The STAAD.Pro graphic environment now appears, and the Structure
Wizard window opens. Note the radio button options to toggle
between Prototype Models and Saved User Models.
5 In the Structure Wizards menu bar, click File > Select Units.
6 In the Select Units dialog, ensure that the units are set to Feet {Meters},
and then click OK.
Note: The Select Units dialog allows a choice of unit systems to use in the
definition of the prototype structure. This does not necessarily have to
be set to the same units as the main STAAD.Pro model. This makes it
possible to create a prototype in one unit system and then merge it into
a model with a different unit system.
7 In the StWizard dialog, enter the following parameters:
Select the Prototype Models radio button
Model Type: Truss Models
Double-click on the North Light Truss Type
Hint: Alternatively, you can drag the North Light prototype icon over to the
right side of the Structure Wizard window.

8 In the Select Parameters dialog, enter the following information:

Length: 25 ft {7.5 m}
Height: 10 ft {3 m}
Width: 0 ft {0 m}
Number of Bays along Length: 4
Number of Bays along Width: 0
Note: In this example, the Number of bays along the width is set to 0, because
only a planar model is desired, rather than multiple units in the width
direction.
Hint: Click the button with 3 dots in it just to the right of the No. of bays along
length field.
A dialog is displayed showing the current breakdown of bay lengths. By

default, the program sets the bay lengths equal. This dialog permits the
individual bay lengths to be revised manually, but it enforces the
constraint that the sum of the bay lengths must remain the same as the
overall length of the truss.
9 In the Select Parameters dialog, click the Apply button.
Note: The local origin for the structure is indicated by a colored coordinate
axis tripod. Note the location of the origin and the orientation of the
local coordinate axes. It will be useful to know where the local origin is
when importing the structure into the STAAD.Pro model.

Hint: The structure can be viewed from various angles by dragging it with the
cursor. The Control (Ctrl) key and the Shift key can be used to constrain
the prototype to rotate in specific directions.
10 In the Structure Wizard's Menu Bar, select File > Merge Model with
STAAD.Pro Model.
Hint: If you do not see the Merge Model with STAAD.Pro Model command,
check to be sure that you have used Structure Wizard's File menu, not
the File menu in STAAD.Pros Main Application.
11 In the StWizard dialog, click Yes to confirm the transfer of the prototype
structure into the STAAD.Pro project.
12 In the Paste Prototype Model dialog, enter the following parameters:
Move Prototype Model by: By the following X, Y, and Z values
X: 0 ft {0 m}
Y: 15 ft {5m}
Z: 0 ft {0 m}
Click OK.
Note: For this example, the truss is to be supported by 15-foot {5-meter}

columns. If the coordinate location of the bottom of the columns is to
be at Y = 0, then the truss should be inserted 15 feet {5 meters} in the
positive Y direction from the origin of the global coordinate system.

Some Discussion about Units...
The purpose of the Paste Prototype Model dialog is to adjust the position of the
prototype model when it is placed in the STAAD.Pro model. Therefore, the units
provided in the Paste Prototype Model dialog are controlled by the Set Current
Display Unit setting in the STAAD.Pro Tools menu. (Tools > Set Current Display
Unit)
By contrast, the purpose of the Select Parameters dialog is to create the geometry
of the prototype within the Structure Wizard. Therefore, the units provided in the
Select Parameters dialog are controlled by the Select Units setting in the Structure
Wizard's File menu. (File > Select Unit).
For this reason, it is possible that the units that come up in the Paste Prototype
Model dialog could be different than the units that come up in the Select
Parameters dialog.
By default, a prototype model will be placed into a STAAD.Pro model so that the
origin of the prototype model coincides with the origin of the STAAD.Pro model.
The Paste Prototype Model dialog currently provides two methods to shift the
insertion point of the prototype model to a location other than (0, 0, 0) in the
STAAD.Pro model:
By distance between following two nodes and specifying two reference nodes.
By the following X, Y, and Z values and entering the desired coordinate
location.
Note: When a prototype model is merged into a STAAD.Pro model that already
contains some geometry, a third option is offered to specify the insertion point
of the prototype. It is a Reference Pt button that allows any node in the
prototype to act as a handle point that can then be inserted at any existing
node in the STAAD.Pro model.

Exercise: Modeling the Vertical Column

2 In the Page Control Area, click on the Geometry tab and then the Beam
sub-tab.
3 In the Nodes table, at the top of the Data Area, input the following node
coordinate values:
Node X Y Z
11 25 ft {7.5 m} 0 ft {0 m} 0 ft {0 m}
4 In the menu bar, select Geometry > Add Beam > Add Beam from Point to
Point.
Note: If this menu option is not active, click in the Main Window first to
ensure that this area of the graphical environment is active.
5 In the Main Window, click on the node on the shallow end of the truss and
then click again at the new node.
6 In the Geometry toolbar, click the Add Beams icon to turn the tool off.
Note: The remaining steps for completing this model will be demonstrated in
the next section.

Using the Generate Toolbar

The Generate toolbar provides additional tools to perform the following
operations:
Mirror Structural Geometry
Translational Repeat
Circular Repeat
Mirroring Structure Geometry
The Mirror command can be used to copy or move an entire structure (or a
portion of a structure) by mirroring it about any plane parallel to one of the three
global axes.
Exercise: Creating Mirrored Geometry

Note: In this exercise, we will use the Mirror command to complete the model
that we created using the Structure Wizard.
2 In the menu bar, click Select > By All > All Beams.
3 In the Generate toolbar, click on the Mirror icon.
Hint: Alternatively, select Geometry > Mirror in the menu bar.

4 In the Mirror dialog, enter the following parameters:
Mirror Plane: Y - Z
Plane at X = 0
Generate Mode: Copy
Mirror Member Orientation: (unchecked)

Note: In this case the mirror plane goes through the origin, so it is located
correctly by the default value (Plane at X = 0). Note that the Plane
Position category also provides the ability to locate the mirror plane
graphically by clicking on a node that lies in the plane using the
Highlight Nodes icon.
Note: In this case the intent is to create the full truss by mirroring and copying
the first half, which is why we selected the Copy mode.
5 In the Mirror dialog, click OK.
Note: Note that the Mirror command does not create a duplicate member or
duplicate nodes at the center of the truss. STAAD.Pro will not duplicate
any members that lie in the mirror plane. To have STAAD.Pro prove this
for you, follow the step-by-step instructions below.
6 In the menu bar, click Tools > Check Duplicate > Nodes.
7 In the Remove Duplicate Nodes dialog, enter the following parameter:
Enter Tolerance: 0 in {0 mm}
Click OK.
8 In the STAAD.Pro dialog, click OK to acknowledge that no duplicate nodes
were found.
9 In the menu bar, click Tools > Check Duplicate > Members.
10 In the STAAD.Pro dialog, click OK to acknowledge that no duplicate
members were found.

Translational Repeat
In STAAD.Pro, the Translational Repeat command can be used to create multiple

copies of your structure (or a portion of your structure). When this command is
activated, you can customize the how STAAD.Pro generates the structure by
modifying the following fields in the Translational Repeat dialog:
Global Direction: Choose which global axis (X, Y, or Z) along which the selected
structure elements should be copied.
Number of Steps: Specify the number of copies you want.
Default Step Spacing: Enter the default spacing between each step.
Step Spacing Table: If a variable step spacing is required, you can manually
enter the spacing of each copy.
Renumber Bay: If this option is selected, you will be able to instruct STAAD.Pro
to use a user-specified starting number of the members generated in each
step.
Link Steps and Open Base: Select the Link Steps option if you want STAAD.Pro
to connect the steps (or copies) by a new member, along the specified global
axis direction. Select the Open Base option if you do not want STAAD.Pro to
connect the bases of the copied structures.
Generation Flag: Controls the items that are copied when the Translational
Repeat command is used. There are three options for Generation Flags: All,
Geometry Only, or Geometry and Property Only. The following table indicates
which items do and do not get copied in a Translational Repeat based on the
Generation Flags setting.
All Geometry Geometry and

Only Property Only
Members and Nodes Yes Yes Yes
Materials (ex. Steel) Yes No Yes
Properties Yes No Yes
(ex. section and beta angle)
Member Specifications Yes No No
(ex. truss and member releases)
Supports Yes No No
Loads Yes No No

Exercise: Using Transitional Repeat

Note: Similar to the Rotate command, you must first select the applicable
members before invoking the Translational Repeat command. If no
members are initially selected, you will receive a warning message.
3 In Generate toolbar, click on the Translational Repeat icon.
Hint: Alternatively, click Geometry > Translational Repeatin the menu bar.
4 In the Translational Repeat dialog, enter the following parameters:
Global Direction: Z
Number of Steps: 2
Default Step Spacing: 15 ft {4.5 m}
Renumber Bay: (checked)
Link Steps: (checked)
Open Base: (checked)
Generation Flags: All
Note: By selecting the Linked Steps check box, STAAD.Pro will create
transverse members in the Z direction, connecting all nodes on the
frames. By selecting the Open Base checkbox, STAAD.Pro will not
generate members connecting the bases of the columns.
5 Then, enter the following information into the Step Spacing Table:
Step Number From

1 101
2 201
6 In the Translational Repeat dialog, click OK.

7 In the STAAD.Pro dialog, click Yes to acknowledge the warning that this is
an irreversible operation.
8 On your keyboard, enter Shift + K to turn on Node Points and Shift + B to

turn on Beam Numbers
Note: Note that nodes were automatically copied, even though only beams
were selected. Also, the member numbers range from 1 through 13 in
the original portal frame, 101 through 113 in the first copy, and 201
through 213 in the second copy as requested by the Renumber Bay
checkbox.

Circular Repeat
In STAAD.Pro, the Circular Repeat command is useful for creating structures that
are radially symmetrical. When this command is activated, you can customize the
how STAAD.Pro generates the structure by modifying the following fields in the
3D Circular dialog:
Axis of Rotation: Choose which global axis (X, Y, or Z) along which the selected
structure elements should be rotated.
Total Angle: The angle subtended by the arc through which the copies are
rotated. A positive angle value rotates the copies in the positive direction of
the chosen axis (right hand rule).
Number of Steps: Determines the number of copies of the selected geometry
that STAAD.Pro will generate. The program divides the Total Angle by the No.
of Steps specified, and places copies of the selected geometry at the division
points.
Link Steps and Open Base: Select the Link Steps option if you want STAAD.Pro
to connect the steps (or copies) by a new member, along the specified global
axis direction. Select the Open Base option if you do not want STAAD.Pro to
connect the bases of the copied structures.
Reference Point for Beta Angle Generation: See the commentary in the next
section for additional information on this parameter:

Reference Point for Beta Angle Generation
The Use this as Reference Point for Beta Angle Generation checkbox assumes that
the web of a column (in a structure to be copied with Circular Repeat) is oriented
so that it points through the Axis of Rotation. If this checkbox is activated, then
the web of that column will be rotated as the copies are generated, so that the
webs of the columns in all of the copies also point through the Axis of Rotation, as
shown below.
If the checkbox for Use this as Reference Point for Beta angle generation is not
activated, then the webs of the columns in all copies will remain parallel to the
web of the original column, as shown below.

Exercise: Using Circular Repeat

2 On your keyboard, enter Shift + B to turn on Beam Numbers.
3 In the Main Window, click member 13 (the tallest column) with the Beams
Cursor.
4 In the menu bar, click Select > By Inverse > Inverse Beam Selection to
select everything EXCEPT member 13.
5 In Generate toolbar, click on the Circular Repeat icon.
Hint: Alternatively, click Geometry > Circular Repeatin the menu bar.
6 In the 3D Circular dialog, enter the following parameters:
Axis of Rotation: Y
Node: 11
Use this as Reference Point for Beta Angle Generation: (checked)
Total Angle: 360 degrees
Number of Steps: 8
Link Steps: (checked)
Open Base: (checked)
Hint: The Through category provides three methods to specify a point through
which the Axis of Rotation must pass: by clicking on a node, by entering
a node number, or by providing the coordinates.

7 In the 3D Circular dialog, click OK.
Note: STAAD.Pro creates eight frames arranged symmetrically about (20, 0, 0)

{(6, 0, 0)}. If the Total Angle had been set to 315 degrees and only 7
steps had been requested, the resulting structure would have been
similar, except that the Link Steps option would not have linked the 7th
step at 315 degrees to the original frame at 0 degrees.
Note: Note that the program does not create duplicate members at the 8th
step of the 360 degree Total Angle specified, since the original members
are already there. The program actually created only 7 copies of the
selected geometry rather than 8.
Note: The selection to be copied included every member except for the tallest
column at the center of the circular repeat. Note that even if the entire
frame had been selected, including the tallest column, STAAD.Pro would
not have generated duplicate members at that center column location.

Using the Copy and Paste Commands

The Copy and Paste commands (available in the Edit menu) can be used to copy
and paste the selected objects in the model. When structural elements are copied
to the clipboard, the Paste with Move dialog will open when a Paste command is
invoked. The following options are available in the Paste with Move dialog to
instruct STAAD.Pro where to place the copied elements:
By distance between two nodes: You can specify two existing nodes and the
vector distance between the two nodes will be used to insert a copy with
respect to the original.
By the X, Y, and Z values: You can specify the distances (referencing to the
global axis) to insert a copy to, with respect to the original.
By Reference Point: Can be used to select the insertion point for which the
paste command will be executed.
Exercise: Copying and Pasting Nodes

1 Open the dataset file named Modeling 5.std in STAAD.Pro.
2 Use the keyboard combination Shift + N and Shift + K to show Node
Numbers and Node Points, respectively.
Note: For this exercise, assume that the goal is to add a 2.5 foot {0.75 meter}
long horizontal cantilever on the left side of node 6.
3 In the Selection toolbar, click on the Nodes Cursor icon.
Then, select Node Number 6 in the Main Window.

4 In the menu bar, click Edit > Copy.
Hint: This is a standard Windows shortcut to the Copy command. Instead of

selecting Edit > Copy, you can also hold down the Control (Ctrl) key and
press the C key.
5 In the menu bar, click Edit > Paste Nodes.
Hint: Another alternative is to right-click and choose Paste Nodes, or simply

use the standard shortcut key Ctrl + V.

6 In the Paste with Move dialog, enter the following parameters:

X: -2.5 ft {-0.75 m}
Click OK.
7 In the menu bar, click Geometry > Add Beam > Add Beam from Point to
Point.
8 Click on node 6 and then click on node 10 to create the cantilever.
Exercise: Copying and Pasting Members

Note: For this exercise, we will assume that a cantilever is to be added at the
top of this braced frame, similar to the cantilever at mid-height.
2 In the Page Control Area, click on the Geometry tab. The Beam sub-tab
will be active by default.
3 In the Selection toolbar, click on the Beams Cursor icon.
Then, select the cantilevered beam between nodes 6 and 10 in the Main
Window.

5 In the menu bar, click Edit > Paste Beams.
Note: If the distance between node 6 and node 2 is known, then it could be
entered in the field for the Y move value in the Paste with Move dialog.
In this case, it is easier to use the By Distance Between Following Two
Nodes option.
Move Current Clipboard Selection by: By Distance between Following
Two Nodes
Node 1: 6
Node 2: 2
Click OK.
Note: The Nodes table now indicates that there are 11 nodes in the model.
The significance of this is that STAAD.Pro automatically handles the
condition at node 2, and does not allow the Paste with Move command
to create a duplicate node at that location.
Note: The Copy and Paste Beams commands can also be used to copy and
paste a group of members all at one time.

Using Copy/Paste to Combine two Models
In STAAD.Pro, the Copy and Paste commands can also be used to insert structural
elements from one model to another model.
Exercise: Combining two STAAD.Pro models

Note: In this exercises, we will use the Copy and Paste command to combine
the two simple frame models (in two separate STAAD.Pro models)
shown below:
4 In the menu bar, click File > Close.
7 In the Paste with Move dialog, click on the Reference Pt button.
Note: The Specify Reference Point dialog opens showing a graphic of the
braced frame model.
Hint: A prompt in the dialog indicates click on the node to act as the
reference point. The node in the lower left-hand corner is currently
selected, but it is hidden by the coordinate axis tripod. Use the arrow
keys on the keyboard to rotate the structure until the node at the lower
left-hand corner of the frame is visible.

8 In the Specify Reference Point dialog, click on the node in the lower right-
hand corner.
Click
Then, click OK.
Hint: The cursor changes to the Connection Point Cursor. A prompt in the
lower left-hand corner of the screen indicates, Click on node to move
reference point to.
9 In the Main Window, click on the top of the right-hand column.

10 In the Paste with Move dialog, notice that the new Y coordinate value of
10 feet {3 meters} has been entered automatically. Click OK to confirm.
Note: The two models are merged at the defined connection point. They now
both exist in the same model, which could be further edited, saved,
etc
This example obviously uses very simple models to demonstrate the copy and
paste function, but a more realistic real-world application for this function might
be a complex model, where a common grid is established and shared by using
Save As or by exporting the grid file, so that:
Multiple STAAD.Pro models can be generated based on the original grid and
multiple engineers can work on different portions of the structure
simultaneously in separate files.
Then, the individual files can be combined into one single model using copy
and paste methods.
Finally, the final modeling steps can be completed, and the entire structure is
analyzed and designed.
STAAD.Pro also offers the ability to simultaneously run multiple separate

instances of the program on one machine. When performing a copy and paste as
demonstrated above, it would be permissible to leave both STAAD.Pro models
open simultaneously.

Editing Structure Geometry

Structural geometry can be edited in STAAD.Pro using a variety of methods. In the
next several sections we will demonstrate how to edit structural geometry using
the following methods:
Deleting Geometry Graphically
Deleting/Modifying Geometry using Tables
Modifying Structure Geometry using the STAAD.Pro Editor
Merging Members
Segmenting Members
Splitting Member if New Node is Added
Intersecting Members
Renumbering Beams and Nodes
Removing Orphan Nodes
Deleting Geometry Graphically

In STAAD.Pro, model geometry can be deleted graphically by selecting the
element (or elements) in the Main Window and then using the Delete key on your
keyboard.
Exercise: Delete Members Graphically

1 Open dataset file named Modeling 8.std in STAAD.Pro.
2 Use the keyboard combinations Shift + B and Shift + K to show Beam
Then, select Beam 11 in the Main Window.

4 On your keyboard, press the Delete key to delete the member from the
model.
Hint: Alternatively, select Edit > Delete from the menu bar or click on the
Delete icon in the File toolbar.
Hint: To delete multiple members at one time, hold Control (Ctrl) and click on
all of the members to be deleted, then release the Control (Ctrl) key.
5 In the STAAD.Pro dialog, click OK.
Note: Sometimes deleting members leaves nodes with no structural entities

attached. These are known as Orphan Nodes, and they are addressed in
an upcoming exercise. If Orphan Nodes are created when members are
deleted graphically, STAAD.Pro will prompt for a decision as to whether
or not to delete these nodes.

Deleting/Modifying Geometry using Tables

In STAAD.Pro, structure geometry can be deleted or modified using the Tables
available in the Data Area when the Geometry tab is active in the Page Control
Area.
Exercise: Deleting Beams using the Beams Table

2 In the Page Control area, click the Geometry tab and then the Beam-sub-
tab.
In the Main Window, select any node (or nodes) and notice that the
corresponding lines will become highlighted in the Nodes Table.
In the Main Window, select any member (or members) and notice that the
corresponding lines will become highlighted in the Beams Table.
Hint: Similarly, when a node or beam is highlighted in the Nodes or Beams

Tables, the corresponding node or beam will be automatically selected
in the Main Window.
5 In the Nodes Table, modify the coordinates of Node 1 as follows and
notice the changes in the Main Window:
Node X Y Z
1 3 ft {1 m} 0 ft {0 m} 0 ft {0 m}
6 In the Beams Table, highlight member 8 and then press Delete on your
keyboard.

7 In the STAAD.Pro dialog, click OK to confirm.
Note: If Orphan Nodes are created when members are deleted from the
tables, STAAD.Pro does not automatically prompt for a decision as to
whether to delete them or not. However, they can be automatically
detected with Tools > Orphan Nodes > Highlight, or they can be
automatically deleted with Tools > Orphan Nodes > Delete. These tools
are demonstrated in an upcoming exercise.

Modifying Structure Geometry using the STAAD.Pro Editor

When structure geometry is created in the graphical user interface, STAAD.Pro
automatically converts your actions into a command language and stores them in
a command file, a simple text file in ASCII format. STAAD.Pro appends the
command file with the extension .std.
As you become more experienced in STAAD.Pro, you may find that if you just want
to make a quick change to a value, it would be easier to edit the command file
rather than adjusting the model in the graphical user interface.
Hint: The STAAD.Pro Examples manual contains twenty-nine example problems and
fourteen verification problems created using the input file as the primary input
method. You can study these examples if you wish to learn how to write or
interpret STAAD.Pro command files. You can also issue a command using the
graphic interface, and then open the command file to see the equivalent
command language.
Exercise: Using the STAAD.Pro Editor

2 In the menu bar, click Edit > Edit Input Command File or click on the
STAAD Editor icon in the File toolbar.
Note: While any standard text editor can be used to create or edit the
STAAD.Pro input file, the STAAD.Pro command file editor offers two
advantages: it checks the syntax of the information and it color codes
the content.
3 Review the STAAD Editor. In the STAAD.Pro editor, STAAD.Pro keywords,
numeric data, comments, etc., are displayed in distinct colors:
Red = Commands
Black = User-defined text labels and names
Blue = Numerical values
Green = Remarks and comments
Note: The command language syntax can be interpreted with relative ease.
For instance, from the Joint Coordinates statement, you can see that
the node definitions consist of node numbers followed by the XYZ
coordinates. Node data fields are separated (delimited) by semicolons.

4 In the STAAD Editor, find the coordinates of node number 3, and edit the Y
coordinate as follows: 3 7 12 0 {3 2 4 0}.
5 In the menu bar, click File > Save and then click File > Exit to return to the
graphical user interface.
6 In the Page Control Area, click on the Geometry tab.
Note: Note that node number 3 in the graphic display has moved. The Node
table in the Data Area now shows a value of 12 {4} for the Y coordinate
of node number 3.
Warning: Do not make changes in the command file and in the graphics input
mode simultaneously. Always be sure to save and close the
command file before going back to working on the model in the
graphic interface.

Merging Members
In STAAD.Pro, the Merge Selected Members command can be used to join two (or
more) collinear beams and replace them with a single member. The intermediate
nodes will be removed and the incidences are redefined.
Since it is possible to merge members which have different properties assigned to

each, STAAD.Pro allows you to redefine the following properties for the merged
beam:
Beam Number
Section Property
Modulus of Elasticity
Poissons Ratio
Density
Note: The property options will be restricted to the properties already defined to the
component beams to be merged.
Exercise: Merge Multiple Members into a Single Member


Note: Notice that the top horizontal beam is segmented into three individual
members of various lengths, with two intermediate nodes. This was
caused by members that were modeled and then subsequently deleted.
Since there is no longer a reason to maintain those particular
intermediate nodes, they can be removed, and the individual members
can be merged into one.
In the Main Window, select the three horizontal members (members 2,

10, and 6).
Hint: Hold down the Ctrl key to select multiple members simultaneously.
4 In the menu bar, click Geometry > Merge Selected Members.
5 In the Merge Selected Beams dialog, enter the following parameter:
Beam Number to Keep: 2
Click on the Merge button and then click Close.
Note: The top three horizontal members have now been consolidated into
one member.

Segmenting Members
In STAAD.Pro, the Insert Node and Split Beam commands can be used to insert a
node (or nodes) into an existing member. The member will be automatically split
into the corresponding number of segments with automatic generation of node
numbers, member numbers, member properties, and loads.
The Insert Node and Split Beam commands contains three options for specifying
where to insert new nodes along the selected beam:
Add New Point: Distance from the starting end of the member to the new
node can be entered in the Distance field, or a ratio can be entered in the
Proportion field, where the value represents distance from the starting end of
the member to the new node divided by the total length, expressed as a
decimal value.
Add Mid Point: Creates a new node at the mid-point of the member.
Add n Points: Creates n new nodes equally spaced along the length of the
member, where the value of n is specified in the n = field. The program
divides the beam into n+1 equal-length segments, separated by n nodes.
Exercise: Split One Member into Three

Note: For this exercise, we will assume that the top horizontal member needs
to be segmented into three, equal-length segments.
In the Main Window, select the horizontal member.

4 In the menu bar, click Geometry > Split Beam.

5 In the Insert Nodes into Beam dialog, enter the following parameter:
n=2
Then, click on the Add n Points button and click OK.

Splitting Member if New Node is Added

This next section demonstrates an important setting in STAAD.Pro that affects the
way the program behaves. When modeling with a procedure such as Copy and
Paste to create new nodes on existing members, you can control whether those
nodes should automatically cause the member to be split or not.
Exercise: Use the Split member if new node is added... Setting

2 In the menu bar, click View > Options
3 In the Options dialog, select the Tolerance item in the left pane and then
modify the following parameter:
Split member if new node is added on the member: (unchecked)
4 In the Options dialog, click OK.

In the Main Window, select the cantilever at the roof level (member 13).
Move Current Clipboard Selection by: By the following X, Y, and Z
values
Y: -2 ft {-1 m}
Click OK.
9 Use the Beams Cursor to select the upper segment of the left column, and
note that it is still a single member spanning between nodes 2 and 6.
Note: This indicates that the end of the newly created cantilever is not
connected to the column. In order for proper load transfer to occur, the
cantilever must be connected to a node that is common to both the
column and the cantilever. To demonstrate an easy way to accomplish
this, take the following steps:
10 In the File toolbar, click Undo icon once.

12 In the Options dialog, select the Tolerance item in the left pane and then
modify the following parameter:
Split member if new node is added on the member: (checked)
Click OK.
13 Repeat steps 5 - 9 to copy and paste the cantilever beam.
Note: When the Split members if checkbox is selected, the column is split
and the cantilever is properly connected to the column.

Intersecting Members
In STAAD.Pro, if two members cross each other graphically, it does not necessarily
mean that there is a connection between the two members. It is permissible to
model crossing members in STAAD.Pro, and it is up to your discretion to decide
whether the crossing members should be considered to be connected at the
crossing point.
In STAAD.Pro, use the following commands to assist you with working with
intersecting members:
Use the Geometry > Intersect Selected Members > Highlight command to
identify intersecting members.
Use the Geometry > Intersect Selected Members > Intersect command to
intersect the selected members.
When each of the Intersect Selected Members commands is invoked, the

Intersect Members dialog will open and you can enter the Tolerance to consider
when highlighting or intersecting members. The tolerance value is used when
STAAD.Pro searches for intersecting members. If the distance between the
members at this point is less than the Tolerance value, they are highlighted or
intersected. This can be useful in situations where mathematical precision causes
the two lines to be in different planes.
Note: For lines that truly intersect each other, the Tolerance can be set to zero, and
the intersect members command will function properly.
Exercise: Identify Crossing Members

2 In the menu bar, click Geometry > Intersect Selected Members >
Highlight.
Hint: Even in a relatively small model like this one, it can sometimes be
difficult to determine whether there are any crossing members or not.

3 In the Intersect Members dialog, enter the following parameter:

Click OK.
Note: Notice that the two diagonals in the front face and the two diagonal in
the rear plane have been selected.

Exercise: Intersect Selected Members

Note: For this exercise, we will assume that the intent is for the bracing
members in the front plane to be connected and to transfer load at
their intersection, while leaving the bracing members in the rear plane
as they are currently modeled.
In the Main Window, select the two diagonal members in the front face
(members 21 and 22).
3 In the menu bar, click Geometry > Intersect Selected Members >
Intersect.
4 In the Intersect Members dialog, enter the following parameter:
Click OK.
Note: The selected diagonal members have each been split into two
members, and a new node now exists at the intersection point.

Renumbering Beams and Nodes

In STAAD.Pro, it is not necessary for members and nodes to be defined in
consecutive numerical order, but it may be a convenience in interpreting the
output. Beams and nodes can be renumbered after they are modeled.
Exercise: Renumbering Beams into Consecutive Numerical Order

2 In the Page Control Area, click on the Geometry tab. The Beam sub-tab is
active by default.
3 Use the keyboard combination Shift + B to turn on Beam Numbers.
Note: In the Data Area, notice that the beams are not numbered in
consecutive order.
5 In the menu bar, click Geometry > Renumber > Members.
6 In the STAAD.Pro dialog, click Yes to proceed.
7 In the Renumber dialog, enter the following parameters:
Start Numbering From: 1
New Numbering Order: Ascending
Note: The remaining controls in this dialog provide criteria for renumbering
and allow the assignment of a hierarchy, or sorting order, during the
renumbering process.
8 In the Available Sort Criteria window, highlight the Member No. option
and then click on the single right arrow to move this option to the
Selected Sort Criteria window.
Then, click the Accept button.

Note: In the Data Area, notice that the beams are now numbered in
consecutive order (from 1 to 11).

Now, the gaps in the beam numbering sequence have been eliminated, but notice
the distribution of the members. Beam 1 occurs in the lower left corner of the
model, and the next beam occurs at the opposite corner. Again, this doesn't
represent a problem for STAAD.Pro's ability to analyze and design. But it might be
more convenient if member numbers were somewhat more organized in the
model. We will now use additional sorting options in the Renumber dialog that
will help us achieve this organization.
Exercise: Renumbering Beams into a Logical Physical Order

3 In the menu bar, click Geometry > Renumber > Members.
4 In the STAAD.Pro dialog, click Yes to proceed.
5 In the Renumber dialog, enter the following parameters:
Start Numbering From: 1
New Numbering Order: Ascending
6 In the Available Sort Criteria window, highlight the X Coordinate and the Y
Coordinate options and then click on the single right arrow to move these
option to the Selected Sort Criteria window.
Then, click the Accept button.
Hint: If necessary, use the small black up arrow and down arrow icons to
define the order the list. For this model, we will X Coordinate option
first and the Y Coordinate option second. This means that the
renumbering will be based primarily on the X coordinate (of the
midpoint) of each member. In cases where the midpoint of more than
one member has the same X coordinate, then the secondary sort
criteria of the Y coordinate will be evaluated to establish the numbering
order for those members.
Note: The Structure Diagram now shows that the member numbering follows
a logical and orderly progression. The member numbers generally get
higher as you move in the positive X direction, and in cases where more
than one member shares the same X coordinate, the member numbers
get higher as you move in the positive Y direction.

Removing Orphan Nodes

In STAAD.Pro, orphan nodes are those nodes with no structural attachment to the
rest of the model. They can be created, for example, by inadvertent clicks on a
grid during modeling or by incomplete editing in the STAAD Input File Editor. They
may also be intentionally created to serve purposes such as acting as a working
point for a circular generation, acting as a reference point for insertion of
additional geometry, or acting as a convenient handle point for moving or copying
geometry.
Although they may serve a valid purpose for some modeling steps, the presence
of orphan nodes may cause the program to fail to analyze the structure
successfully. It is recommended to eliminate any orphan nodes prior to running an
analysis. STAAD.Pro provides some tools to help locate orphan nodes and to
remove them if desired.
Exercise: Identifying and Removing Orphan Nodes

In the Main Window, select the two cantilevered members on the left side
of the model (members 12and 13).
3 In the menu bar, click Edit > Delete.
Note: Because this modeling work is being done in the GUI, STAAD.Pro
provides a second warning box to indicate that deleting some beams
has created some orphan nodes. It goes on to offer to automatically
delete these nodes. These warnings are convenient, but bear in mind
that STAAD.Pro cannot offer these warnings if orphan nodes are created
as a result of editing in the STAAD Input File Editor.
5 In the STAAD.Pro dialog, click No to dismiss this dialog.

6 In the menu bar, click Tools > Orphan Nodes > Highlight to assist you in
identifying orphan nodes.
7 In the menu bar, click Tools > Orphan Nodes > Remove to remove the
orphan nodes.

Viewing Structure Geometry

STAAD.Pro provides a variety of tools and settings that can be helpful in visualizing
structure geometry and displaying information about a model. The following
sections will highlight some of the most commonly used options.
Displaying Structure Labels

STAAD.Pro offers the ability to display beam and node number labels, as well as
many other types of labels, directly on the structure diagram in the Main Window.
Exercise: Displaying Structural Labels

2 In the Main Window, click your right mouse button and then select
Labels... from the pop-up menu.
Hint: Alternatively, click on the Symbols and Labels icon on the Structure
toolbar.
3 In the Diagrams dialog, modify the following parameters:

Node Numbers: (checked)
Node Points: (checked)
Beam Numbers: (checked)
Hint: Before closing the Labels dialog, note that several of the labels can be
toggled on and off by using the Hotkeys (indicated in parenthesis
adjacent to the label types). These hotkeys are available for most of the
labeling options. For quick access to the labels using keyboard hotkeys,
press Shift + the letter shown in brackets. For Labels indicated with the
carat symbol, ^, and a letter in parenthesis, press Ctrl + Shift + the letter
shown in parenthesis.
4 In the Diagrams dialog, click OK.
5 Hold down the Shift key and press the N key repeatedly to review how
labels can be toggled on and off without leaving the Main Window.

Controlling Structure Label Appearance

In STAAD.Pro, the appearance of the structure labels in the Main Window can be
modified to suit your personal preference and to help visually distinguish different
types of labels.
Using the View > Options command, you can control the appearance of the node
and beam labels using the following properties:
Style: Offers various built-in styles that are available for node and beam
numbering.
Alignment: The alignment (positioning) of the labels can be controlled in both
the vertical and horizontal directions.
Font: The Font button provides access to a variety of Fonts, Font Styles, Size,
Color, and Effects settings.
Opaque: If the Opaque option is selected, any model geometry that tends to
interfere with the node number labels will be whited-out to clarify the
labeling.
Angle Text (Beam Labels Only): If this option is selected, beam labels will be
oriented parallel to the members they correspond to, making it even easier to
associate the members and the numbers.
Note: These settings are saved in a text file named StaadPro20070.ini, which is saved
in the Windows (or WINNT) folder, so the settings affect all STAAD.Pro models
that are opened on a particular computer.
Exercise: Modifying Structure Label Appearance

3 In the Options dialog, select the Node Labels item in the left pane to
review the node label controls that can be customized.
4 Then, select the Beam Labels item in the left pane.
Note: For this training, we will not customize the appearance of the structure
labels.
5 In the Options dialog, click Cancel.

Working with Structural Tool Tip

In STAAD.Pro, the Structural Tool Tip provides a way to display selected
information about an entity by hovering the appropriate cursor on the entity of
interest. The Structural Tool Tip settings can be configured to individually control
the display of information for Nodes, Beams, Plates, Solids, and Surfaces.
Exercise: Select the Structural Tool Tip Options

3 Hover the cursor over the horizontal member. The Structural Tool Tip pops
up to display some information about the beam.
4 In the menu bar, click View > Structural Tool Tip Options.
Note: Note that Structural Tool Tip can be completely turned off if desired.
The Tip Delay can be adjusted to control the delay time before the tool
tip is displayed. The Tip Delay is in units of milliseconds, so 500 =
second delay.
5 In the Tool Tips Option dialog, click on the Beam category in the left pane.

6 Then, modify the following parameters in the Options Window:

Number: (checked)
Length: (checked)
Click OK.
7 Make sure that Number and Length are selected in the Options category,
and then click OK.
8 With the Beams Cursor, hover over the horizontal member again, and note
that the tool tip now provides the beam number and the member length.
9 Keep this model open for the next section.

Working with the Query Function

In STAAD.Pro, you can also use the Query Function to obtain information about
entities in a model. The Query function is launched by double-clicking on a
particular element with the appropriate cursor.
Exercise: Observing Beam Query and Node Query

In the Main Window, double click on the horizontal beam.

3 In the Beam dialog, click on the Geometry tab, the Property tab, and the
Loading tab to review the information assigned to this beam.
Note: Notice that there are several parameters (such as Beta Angle, Beam
Material, or Load Items) which can be changed through the Beam
Query Function.
Note: After an analysis has been run, this dialog will accumulate additional
tabs that can be used to review analysis results, shear, bending and
deflection diagrams, and so forth.
4 In the Beam dialog, click on the Close button.
In the Main Window, double click on any node in the model.

Note: The Node Query dialog opens and displays the node number and
coordinates of the selected node. The Tables category provides direct
access to several tables pertaining to nodes in general:
The Nodes button opens the Nodes table, which provides the
coordinates of all the nodes in the model. The current node is
highlighted in the table.
The Loads button opens the Load Values table, which indicates the
magnitudes and directions of any loads applied to the model, if any
have been defined.
The Supports button opens the Supported Nodes table, which provides
information about supports, if any have been defined.
The Reactions button leads to the Support Reactions table.
The Displacements button leads to the Node Displacements table.
Both the Reactions button and the Displacements button trigger the
Results Setup dialog to open, in order to select which loads and nodes
will be reported on.
Neither table is available for this model in its current state, because
the model has not been analyzed.
6 In the Nodes dialog, click the Close button.

Displaying Member Lengths

In STAAD.Pro, member lengths can be displayed on screen using the Dimension
Beams tool or the Display Node to Node Distance tool. We will explore each of
these in the following exercises.
Exercise: Using the Dimension Beams Tool

2 In the menu bar, click Tools > Dimension Beams or click on the
Dimension icon in the Structure toolbar.
3 In the Display/Remove Dimension dialog, click on the Display radio button.

Then, click on the Display button.
Note: The dimensions for all members are now displayed. While using this
tool, please note that there are two limitations you should consider:
First, for structural elements consisting of multiple segments, the
Dimension Beams tool is inconvenient because it reports the individual
member lengths rather than the overall length.
Second, the Dimension Beams tool only works on members. It cannot
be used to measure the distance between two arbitrary nodes unless
they have a member modeled between them.
4 In the Display/Remove Dimension dialog, click the Remove radio button.
Then, click on the Remove button. Click Close.

Exercise: Using the Display Node to Node Distance Tool

2 In the menu bar, click Tools > Display Node to Node Distance or click on
the Display Node to Node Distance icon in the Structure toolbar.
3 In the Main Window, click on any two nodes to obtain the distance
between them.
Note: Note how this tool could be used to obtain the overall length of a series
of collinear beam segments. This tool could also be used to obtain the
distance between any two nodes, even if they are not connected by a
member.
4 In the menu bar, click Tools > Remove Node Dimension or click on the
Remove all Node to Node Distance Display icon in the Structure toolbar.
Note: Alternately, the node to node distances can be removed one at a time
by activating the Display Node to Node Distance icon and then clicking
the end nodes of each dimension you want removed.

Controlling the View

STAAD.Pro provides a variety of View Management options for viewing the
structure. There are tools for changing the perspective of the Main Window, and
also for creating separate view windows of all or part of the structure. The
STAAD.Pro Rotate toolbar, View toolbar, and View menu provides many tools for
changing the viewing aspect of the model in the Main Window.
The Rotate toolbar is docked in the upper left corner of the STAAD.Pro screen by
default, but can be dragged to any desired location. It contains numerous buttons
for changing the viewing angle. The functions of the Rotate tools are generally
evident from their names.
View From +Z / -Z
View From +X / -X
View From +Y / -Y
Isometric View
Rotate Up / Down
Rotate Left / Right
Spin Left / Right
Toggle View Rotation Mode

The View toolbar is docked in the top middle of the STAAD.Pro screen by default.
It, too, can be dragged to any desired location. The View toolbar contains a variety
of tools generally used to change the viewing distance and location:
Display Whole Structure: Used to display the entire structure in the current
view window. This will reset any partial view options, such as View Selected
Objects Only.
Dynamic Zoom: A portion of the structure is selected for zooming by
specifying a window around it. The zoomed-in region appears in a new
window. The original window highlights the location of the zoomed-in
portion.
Zoom Extents: Performs similar to Display Whole Structure with the exception
that Zoom Extents does not turn on elements that are not currently displayed.
Zoom In / Out: Zooms in or out on the model a set amount with each click.
Zoom Factor: Zooms in or out based on the factor entered in pop-up dialog.
Factors greater than 1 will zoom in; factors less than 1 will zoom out.
Zoom Previous: Restores the view to the previous zoom level.
Zoom Window: Provides a fence to select a portion of the model to be
magnified in the current window.
Previous Selection: Returns the selection state to the condition it was in one
step prior to the current state.
Pan: Allows the model to be repositioned within the current view.
Magnifying Glass: Provides a quick way to temporarily enlarge a portion of the
structure for closer inspection.
3D Rendered View: Used to render the model using true lighting, reflection
and shading in a separate window.
Although STAAD.Pro provides many tools for zooming, panning and rotating,
often the mouse itself is all that is necessary.
Click in the Main Window and roll the mouse wheel to zoom in and out.
Click and hold the wheel to grab the model and pan.
Click in the Main Window to make it active, and then use the arrow keys on
the keyboard to rotate the model up, down, left or right.

Displaying only Selected Objects in the Main Window
Sometimes you will want to display only specific objects in the Main Window. In
this exercise, assume that the goal is to turn off the display of the hip rafters and
central column.
Exercise: Displaying only Selected Objects

2 In the Rotate toolbar, click the View From +Z icon.
4 In the menu bar, click Select > Selection Mode > Drag Line.
5 In the Main Window, drag a horizontal line across all rafters, just below
the vertex. All rafters and the central column are selected.
6 In the menu bar, click Select > By Inverse > Inverse Beam Selection.
7 In the menu bar, click View > View Selected Objects Only and all
unselected objects become invisible.

8 In the Rotate toolbar, click the Isometric View icon.
Note: In the View menu, you will notice that the View Selected Objects Only
item is currently checked, indicating that the command is toggled on.
9 In the View toolbar, click on the Display Whole Structure icon to view the
entire structure again.
10 Keep this model open for the next section.

Isolating a Portion of the Structure into its own View
In STAAD.Pro, you can isolate a portion of the structure so it appears in a separate

view.
Exercise: Isolate a Portion of the Structure into its own View

2 In the Rotate toolbar, click the View From +Z icon.
4 In the menu bar, click Select > Selection Mode > Drag Box.
5 In the Main Window, click and drag a fence around the framing members
at the elevation of the eave. Make the box large enough to completely
include the members in the horizontal plane, but small enough not to
include the mid-points of any of the other members.
6 In the menu bar, click View > New View...

7 In the New View dialog, choose the Create a new window for the view
radio button and then click OK.
Note: A new window is created in which only the members in the horizontal
plane at the eave elevation are visible.

8 In the Rotate toolbar, click the Isometric View icon.
9 In the menu bar, click View > View Management > Save View
10 In the Save View As dialog, enter the name Eave and click OK.
Note: It is possible to create and save as many views as desired. To access the
saved views, click View > Open View, and then choose the desired
view from the list. Note that views are fully functional, and beams can
be added in any view. Grids can also be displayed in any window, not
just in the Main Window. The views are saved in an auxiliary file named
modelname.REI_SPRO_Auxilary_Data. The data required to define
views is not saved in the .std file itself.
11 In the menu bar, click File > Close to return to the Start Page.

Module Assessment
Module Assessment
Assessment is often equated with evaluation, but the two concepts are different.
Assessment is used to determine what an individual knows or can do. Complete
the assessment to see what you have gained from completing this module.
http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/543277/STAADProModelGen

Module Assessment

Finite Element Modeling
Module Overview
In this module, you will learn how to model plate elements in STAAD.Pro.
Fundamental knowledge of model generation in STAAD.Pro
Module Objectives
Understand Finite Element Analysis modeling techniques
Create individual finite elements
Generate a mesh of finite elements
Jan-12 91 Finite Element Modeling

Introduction to Finite Element Analysis

Beams and columns are modeled with line-type entities, but modeling walls,
roofs, slabs and other surface components requires an area-type entity capable of
distributing load in more than one direction. This entity is known as a finite
element, or plate. In a finite element analysis, a wall or a slab is modeled by an
assemblage of small plates consisting of triangular (3-noded) or quadrilateral (4-
noded) plates.
The difference between analyzing a beam and a plate relates to each element
types abilities to distribute loads. A load that is applied to a beam must be reacted
at one end or the other, as seen below:
By contrast, depending on their boundary conditions, plates have the ability to

distribute load in multiple directions, as indicated graphically in the figure below.
In STAAD.Pro, plates have the ability to resist both in-plane forces (plane stress
action) and out-of-plane forces (plate bending action).
Note: STAAD.Pro includes another type of entity called a Surface, which inherently is
a mesh of plate elements. Surfaces are not covered in detail in this Module.
Finite Element Modeling 92 Jan-12

Another finite element available in STAAD.Pro is a solid element, or cube. Solid

elements are normally used in situations where the thickness of the object being
modeled is large in proportion to the lateral dimensions. The eight-noded solid
element as implemented in STAAD.Pro is shown in the figure below.
By collapsing various nodes together, an eight-noded solid element can be

degenerated to forms with four to seven nodes, as shown in the figure below.
Note: Solid elements will not be used in this training, but they are presented here in
order to introduce the concept of the least lateral dimension-to-thickness ratio
as a means to decide between plate elements and solid elements.
In a structure where the ratio of the least lateral dimension to the thickness is less
than 10, it is generally advisable to model that structure using solid elements, as
indicated graphically in the figure below. When the least lateral dimension to the
thickness ratio exceeds 10 it is generally acceptable to use plate elements.

Why Use a Mesh?

When analyzing a beam, if the displacements at the ends are known, the
displacements at intermediate points can be determined using secondary analysis
techniques like the moment-area method.
However, there are no similar equations to determine the displacement at some

arbitrary point within the three or four corners of a plate. In a finite element
analysis, displacements and stresses can only be determined at the nodes
(corners) of the elements. So, it is impossible to accurately model the behavior of
a plate using just a single element.
Since there is frequently a need to evaluate displacements at arbitrary points

within a slab and around the perimeter, slabs must be modeled using a mesh of
plate elements in such a way that the nodes of some elements coordinate with
the points of interest. Likewise, when there is a need to study stresses and stress
gradients in a slab at points of interest such as near point loads, holes, inside
corners, depressions, changes in thickness, etc., it is necessary to use a mesh that
places the centers of elements in close proximity to the points of interest.
For these reasons, a finite element analysis will almost always require a mesh of
elements as opposed to just a single element or a few elements.

Guidelines for Mesh Density

Now that we have established the need for a mesh of elements in most practical
situations, the next item to consider is the mesh density. The guiding concept
should be to use a mesh that is as coarse as it can be, while still providing
adequate results. In general, coarser meshes will be stiffer than finer meshes, and
the analysis results should converge toward the theoretical solution as the mesh
density increases. So the goal is to select a mesh density that has achieved
reasonable convergence, while still being coarse enough to be manageable from
an analysis perspective.
Hint: Determining whether convergence has been achieved may require creating a
few different mesh densities and observing a parameter to determine if the
value of that parameter continues to experience significant change as the mesh
is made finer.
Engineering judgment must be used when selecting a mesh density for a model,
in order to balance accuracy with modeling efficiency. The following items provide
some guidance in selecting a mesh density.
Consider a slab supported by a frame, and assume that under load it has a
deflected shape similar to the shape shown in the figure below.
In order to obtain deflection information along the indicated edge, it is

necessary to know the deflections at the points of maximum deflection, at the
end points, and at a few intermediate points, as shown by the X's in the figure.
The more data points there are, the more accurately the deflected shape can
be modeled. On the other hand, it would be undesirable to have too many
points, since it would make the structure too cumbersome to analyze.

Try to predict the approximate deflected shape of the structure, and envision
the number of nodes that would be required to provide a reasonably accurate
indication of that deflected shape. For example, a simply supported plate
deflects like a bowl. Envision the deflected shape that would be revealed if
longitudinal and transverse sections were cut through the point of maximum
deflection. The shape would be parabolic, similar to the deflected shape of a
beam. How many points does it take to accurately represent a deflected shape
of that type? Probably a total of seven points would be a minimum. Seven
points would imply six elements along the length of the slab. Thus a six-by-six
grid of elements seems like a minimum for this plate. If the edges of the
element are fixed or monolithic with a concrete beam, the deflected shape
may include some reverse curvature. In this case, nine or more points may be
required to accurately represent the deflected shape. That would imply eight
or more elements in that direction.
Finer meshes may be needed in the vicinity of a concentrated force to
visualize the deflected shape or to evaluate the stresses and stress gradients in
that location. One rule of thumb for determining the number of nodes to be
modeled around a point load is to start by envisioning a circular area around
the concentrated load. Divide that circle into 30 pie-shaped segments. This
implies 12 triangular elements around a circle whose center is the location of
the point load.
A finer mesh should be considered around any holes in a plate.
There are no hard-and-fast rules for mesh density. But once a mesh has been
created and incorporated into a model, it can be difficult to go back and change
the mesh density and still achieve proper connectivity, so it is worth considering
thoroughly before developing a model too far.

Guidelines for Element Shape

The shape of the individual elements is important to obtain good results from a
finite element analysis.
Quadrilateral Elements: The optimum shape for a quadrilateral element is a
square. The more a quad plate deviates from a square toward a rectangular
shape, the greater the potential for error in the results. The best results are
obtained when the ratio of the element's longest side to its shortest side is no
greater than 2:1 and in no case should the ratio exceed 4:1. The potential for
error also increases as the internal angles of a quadrilateral plate deviate from
90 degrees. As a general rule, the internal angles of an individual quadrilateral
plate element should be kept between 60 and 120 degrees. Internal angles in
excess of 180 degrees are not permitted. Also, all four nodes of a quadrilateral
element should lie in the same plane. (If four nodes do not lie on one plane,
consider using two triangular elements.)
Triangular Elements: In the case of triangular elements, the ideal shape is an
equilateral triangle. As a general rule for triangular plates, internal angles
should be kept as close to 60 degrees as possible.
Hint: The figure below, taken from Section 1.6 of the STAAD.Pro Technical Reference
manual, shows examples of well-formed and poorly-formed plates.
Quadrilateral elements are generally preferable to triangular elements, because

quads have more degrees of freedom and therefore they inherently have greater
accuracy.

When creating a mesh of quadrilateral elements, it is best to orient them in the

principal stress directions. If a quad is rectangular, orient the short side parallel to
the direction of larger stress gradient as shown in the figure below. These
considerations are less important in areas of low stress, or nearly constant strain
energy.

Resolving Poorly Shaped Plates

One common cause of poorly shaped plates arises when trying to model circular
meshes. In STAAD.Pro, plate elements cannot have curved sides, so circular
structures must be approximated using a mesh of triangular or quad elements.
These elements are commonly drawn using a radial grid. Because the distance
between grid points gets larger toward the outside of a radial grid, it is possible to
end up with elements near the outer edges that are very long and narrow.
When the ratio of the elements longest side to its shortest side exceeds 4:1, the
results of a finite element analysis can become less accurate. The figure below
shows one potential method of creating elements in circular or radial structures.
These elements get smaller towards the center but retain the same approximate
proportions between the sides.

Creating Individual Finite Elements

In STAAD.Pro, individual finite elements can be modeled using a variety of
methods. In the next several sections, we will discuss how to generate finite
elements using the following methods:
Snap Node/Plate Tool
Creating Finite Elements Using Tables
Add Plates Tool
In STAAD.Pro, whether a quadrilateral plate is created using the modeling tools or

the tables, it is essential to draw the nodes of the plate element in either a
clockwise or counterclockwise sequence. Although STAAD.Pro will allow a plate to
be drawn in a sequence that is not clockwise or counterclockwise, a plate defined
in this manner will be warped and will cause errors when the analysis is run.
The geometry shown in the figure below represents an attempt to draw a plate
without drawing the nodes in consecutive order. The figure shown below is not
two triangular plates, because there is no node where the diagonal lines cross.
Instead it is a folded or warped quadrilateral plate.
Warning: Plates should not be defined in this manner, even though the program does
not prohibit nodes from being selected this way.

Snap Node/Plate Tools

Individual quadrilateral and triangular plates can be modeled by clicking at
various grid intersections using the Snap Node/Plate tools, available in the
Geometry toolbar.
Hint: The Snap Node/Plate tool behaves like the Snap Node/Beam tool in the sense
that the last node for one plate becomes the first node for the next plate,
unless the hot spot is moved by pressing the Control (Ctrl) key and clicking on a
different location.
Exercise: Use the Snap Node/Plate Tool

1 Open the dataset file named Finite Elements 1.std in STAAD.Pro.
2 In the menu bar, click Geometry > Snap/Grid Node > Plate > Quad or click
on the Snap Node/Quad Plates icon in the Geometry toolbar.
3 In the Snap Node/Plate dialog, ensure that the Snap Node/Plate button is
active.
4 In the Main Window, click the cursor at any four grid intersections, moving
in a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction.

Note: When you use the Snap Node/Quad Plate tool, STAAD.Pro will
automatically close the polygon between the fourth node and the first
node to model the quadrilateral plate.
5 In the Snap Node/Plate dialog, click the Snap Node/Plate button to toggle
off the plate drawing mode.
6 In the Selection toolbar, notice that the Plates Cursor icon is currently
active.
Then, double-click on the quadrilateral plate you just modeled in the Main
Window.
7 In the Plate Query dialog, notice the following data is available:
Node Coordinates
Length of each Side
Plate Area
Hint: The Plate Query dialog can be a useful tool in determining if you have
modeled an appropriate finite element.
8 In the Plate Query dialog, click Close.
9 In the menu bar, click Geometry > Snap Grid/Node > Plate > Triangle or
click on the Snap Node/Triangular Plates icon in the Geometry toolbar.
10 In the Snap Node/Plate dialog, ensure that the Snap Node/Plate button is
active.

11 In the Main Window, click the cursor at any three grid intersections,
moving in a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction.
12 In the Snap Node/Plate dialog, click the Snap Node/Plate button to toggle
off the plate drawing mode.
Creating Finite Elements Using Tables

In STAAD.Pro, finite elements can be created by entering data directly into the
Nodes and Plates Tables (available in the Data Area when the Geometry tab and
the Plate sub-tab are active in the Page Control area). These tables are analogous
to the Nodes and Beams tables for structures composed of linear elements.
The Nodes table provides the X Y Z coordinates for each node in the model.
The Plates table contains a listing of the plates in the model, and their
incidences, that is, the nodes at their corners A, B, C and D.
The order in which the nodes are listed represents the order in which they were
added to the model. The significance of this order is that it establishes the local
coordinate system for each plate. This local coordinate system is discussed in
detail in a different module, but for now, be aware of the fact that the order of the
nodes defines a top and a bottom surface for each plate.
Hint: Additional information on creating plate elements, and details on the

theoretical basis of STAAD.Pro finite elements are provided in Section 1.6.1 of
the STAAD.Pro Technical Reference, which is accessible through the Help menu
item.

Add Plates Tools

In addition to being able to draw individual plates using a grid, there are also tools
that allow plates to be drawn graphically without the use of the grid. These are
the Add Plates tools, which are the plate analogous to the Add Beams tool. They
offer two options:
Add 3-Noded Plates icon
Add 4-Noded Plates icon
Exercise: Using the Add 4-Noded Plates Tool

Note: For this exercise, we will assume that the goal is to add a 4-noded plate
to close the 8-sided structure.
2 On your keyboard, press the hotkey Shift + T to toggle on Plate
Orientation.
Note: Note that the existing plates are all oriented such that their local Z axes
point toward the center of the structure. Assume that the goal is to infill
the missing plate and orient it in the same way.
3 In the menu bar, click Geometry > Add Plate > Quad or click on the Add 4-
Noded Plates icon in the Geometry toolbar.

4 In the Main Window, click at the lower left corner and then click the other
nodes moving in a clockwise direction, click at the four nodes to define the
corners of the infill plate.
2
3
1
4

Generating a Finite Element Mesh

Suppose a model contains some nodes that define the corners of a wall that is to
be represented with a series of finite elements. This series or matrix of finite
elements is often referred to as a mesh, and the process of creating a series or
matrix of elements is known as mesh generation or meshing.
The previous sections have demonstrated how to manually create elements by

drawing them with the help of a grid, or by drawing them from node to node.
That is what one might call a brute force method for generating a mesh.
Fortunately, STAAD.Pro offers many alternative methods that are much more
convenient and much less labor-intensive.
Structure Wizard method
Super-Element method
Generate Surface Meshing command
Using the Editor to create a mesh
Using Structure Wizard to Generate a Mesh

The Structure Wizard offers a library of prototype models whose dimensions can
be specified parametrically to quickly create a variety of structures. The Structure
Wizard can be used to generate plate elements by selecting from several available
prototypes, including:
Polygonal Plate With Holes
Circular Plate With Holes
Quad Plate
Cylindrical Surface
Spherical Surface
Cooling Tower
Hyperbolic Paraboloid Shell

Quad Plate
In STAAD.Pro, when quadrilateral plates are generated through the Structure

Wizard, you must enter the parameters to instruct STAAD.Pro how to generate
the mesh:
Corners category: Used to input the X, Y, and Z coordinates of the four corners
A, B, C and D of the plate.
Element Type category: Used to choose whether to generate a mesh of
triangular or quadrilateral plates.
Divn. column: Used to specify the number of divisions to create along the AB,
BC, CD and DA sides. The minimum and maximum limits of number of
divisions on each side are 1 and 100 respectively. Two opposite sides may
have a different number of divisions. However, if the number of divisions for
two opposite sides is different, and if Quadrilateral elements are being used,
then the sum of all divisions must be an even number.
Bias column: Used to create divisions of varying lengths as shown below if
desired. If the goal is to create equal divisions along the length of a side, keep
the Bias parameter set to its default value of 1. The figure below shows an
example with 5 divisions along line BC. Moving from B toward C, the divisions
vary from 1 unit long to 5 units long. A mesh with this spacing could be
created by specifying the Bias for that side as 5.
The Bias value may also be negative. When negative biasing is specified, the
side is divided so that the first division length is the value of the biasing times
the last division length.
Hint: Additional information on using the Structure Wizard to model slabs may be
found in Section 2.3.6.16 of the STAAD.Pro Graphical Environment manual.

Exercise: Using the Structure Wizard to Generate a Mesh

Note: For this exercise, we will use the Quad Plate prototype.
2 In the menu bar, click Geometry > Run Structure Wizard.
Note: Look in the lower right corner of the Structure Wizard window to verify
that the Structure Wizards input units are set to ft {m}. If necessary,
input units can be revised by clicking File > Select Units in the Structure
Wizard's Menu Bar.
3 In the StWizard dialog, enter the following parameters:
Select the Prototype Models radio button
Model Type: Surface/Plate Models
Double-click on the Quad Plate icon
Note: For this example, we will create a 20 ft x 40 ft {6 m x 12 m} rectangular

mesh as shown in the figure below.
(0, 20, 0) B C (40, 20, 0)
{(0, 6, 0)} {(12, 6, 0)}
40 ft x 20 ft
{12 m x 6 m}
A D
(0, 0, 0) (40, 0, 0)
{(0, 0, 0)} {(12, 0, 0)}
Hint: The geometry must be defined either in clockwise or counterclockwise

order to avoid a warped plate.

4 Enter the values in the Select Meshing Parameters dialog as shown in the
figure below to produce a 10 x 20 mesh of 2-foot {0.6-meter} square plate
elements.
English Units:
Metric Units:

5 In the Select Meshing Parameters dialog, ensure the Quadrilateral radio

button is selected and then click Apply.
Hint: Any of the parameters can be revised by double-clicking on the graphic

to re-open the Select Meshing Parameters dialog, or by right-clicking on
the graphic and selecting Change Property from the pop-up menu. The
effect of changing various parameters can quickly be viewed and
evaluated by observing the resulting prototype model in the right pane
of the Structure Wizard.
6 In the Structure Wizards menu bar, click File > Merge Model with
STAAD.Pro Model in the Structure Wizard's Menu Bar.
7 In the StWizard dialog, click Yes to confirm.
8 In the Paste Prototype Model dialog, click OK to complete the merge and
position the prototype at the origin.

Note: The STAAD.Pro dialog pops up to indicate that duplicate nodes have
been ignored. This occurs because the dataset model already had one
node at the origin.
Hint: By using any combination of the available prototype models, a wide

range of structure geometry can quickly be generated and transferred/
merged into the main STAAD.Pro model.

Creating a Mesh from a Super Element

The Generate Plate Mesh command is an excellent way to generate a mesh from a
triangular or quadrilateral super-element. The following exercise will
demonstrate the super-element method to generate the same mesh as in the
previous exercise.
Note: The Generate Plate Mesh command is an excellent way to generate a mesh
from a triangular or quadrilateral super-element, but it cannot be used for
polygons with five or more sides.
Exercise: Creating a Mesh from a Super-Element

Note: This file already contains one 20 ft. by 40 ft. {6 m x 12 m} plate (or
super-element) that represents the overall size of the mesh to be
created.
2 In the Selection toolbar, click on the Plates Cursor icon.
Then, select the plate in the Main Window.

3 In the Main Window, right-click and then select Generate Plate Mesh... in
the pop-up menu.
4 In the Choose Meshing Type dialog, select the Quadrilateral Meshing
5 In the Select Meshing Parameters dialog, leave the Bias parameter in all
four fields set to its default value of 1, so that each side will be divided into
equal proportions creating equal length elements.

6 Then, set the Division parameters as follows to produce a 10 x 20 mesh of

2 ft. by 2 ft. {0.6 m x 0.6 m} elements:
AB: 10
BC: 20
CD: 10
DA: 20
Click Apply to mesh the plate.
7 In the View toolbar, click on the Question Mark icon.
Note: The Structural Diagram Info dialog opens and displays statistical
information about the model. In this case, it is useful to confirm that a
total of 200 plates exist in the model.

Using the Generate Surface Meshing Command

In STAAD.Pro, the Generate Surface Meshing Command can be used to generate a
polygonal or a quadrilateral finite element mesh by selecting boundary points
from existing nodes. In contrast to the Generate Plate Mesh Command, the
Generate Surface Meshing Command can be used to generate meshes in polygons
with five or more sizes. In addition, polygonal holes can be defined within the
surface during the meshing process.
Exercise: Generate Surface Meshing for a Rectangle

1 Open the dataset file named Finite Elements 5.std.
Note: For this exercise, we will use the Generate Surface Meshing Command
to create the same 20 ft x 40 ft {6 m x 12 m} mesh as we created in the
previous sections.
2 On your keyboard, press the hotkey Shift + K to toggle on the display of
node points.
3 In the menu bar, click Geometry > Generate Surface Meshing or click on
the Generate Surface Meshing icon in the Geometry toolbar.
4 In the Main Window, click on the nodes in the order shown below:
5 After clicking on Node 4, right-click the mouse to close the polygon

designating the boundary of the mesh.

Note: Another option to close the polygon is to click back on the starting node.
6 In the Choose Meshing Type dialog, select the Quadrilateral Meshing
7 In the Select Meshing Parameters dialog, leave the Bias parameter in all
four fields set to its default value of 1, so that each side will be divided into
equal proportions creating equal length elements.
8 Then, set the Division parameters as follows to produce a 10 x 20 mesh of
2 ft. by 2 ft. {0.6 m x 0.6 m} elements:
AB: 10
BC: 20
CD: 10
DA: 20
Click Apply to mesh the plate.

Exercise: Generate Surface Meshing for a Polygon

Note: For this exercise, we will use the Generate Surface Meshing Command
to create a mesh for a polygon with more than four sides.
2 On your keyboard, press the hotkey Shift + K to toggle on the display of
node points.
3 In the menu bar, click Geometry > Generate Surface Meshing or click on
the Generate Surface Meshing icon in the Geometry toolbar.
4 In the Main Window, click on the nodes in the order shown below:
5 After clicking on Node 6, right-click the mouse to close the polygon

designating the boundary of the mesh.
Note: The Boundary item in the tree view shows the coordinates of the corner
nodes used to define the polygon. It also shows the number of
divisions, that is, the number of elements to be created along each side
of the polygon, as well as the Bias value as described above. These
values can be edited directly in this table.

Note: The default is for STAAD.Pro to segment each side of the polygon into 10
divisions, regardless of the length of the side. If we allowed the program
to divide every side into 10 segments, it results in a wide range of
element sizes throughout the mesh. Let's assume that we would prefer
a more uniform distribution of element sizes.
Note: The following figure shows the dimensions around the perimeter of the
polygon. These were displayed by clicking Tools > Display Node to Node
Distance, and then clicking around the perimeter.
By using these dimensions, or the corresponding metric dimensions, a

set of Division values can be established that will set the number of
divisions proportional to the lengths of the sides.

6 In the Define Mesh Region dialog, enter the values in the Div. column as
shown in the figure below:
Note: We started drawing the polygon at the extreme left node in order to
establish the correlation between the sides of the polygon and the rows
in the table shown in the Define Mesh Region dialog.
Note: When this mesh is generated, we will see that it now consists of
elements of a much more uniform size. Before we actually generate the
mesh let's explore one more powerful function of the Generate Surface
Meshing command, which is the ability to incorporate holes into a
mesh.
7 In the Define Mesh Region dialog, click on the item labeled HOLES beneath
the Boundary item in the tree view as shown below:

8 At the top of the dialog, click the Add New Hole icon.
Note: The label associated with each hole can be edited if desired. For
instance, a hole could be labeled as Supply or Return or Elevator
or Stair.
9 Click on the upper right cell of the Define Mesh Region dialog to open a
dropdown menu of available hole shapes and select the Circle option.
Note: The input cells change based on the selected Region Type, to offer
context-appropriate options for defining holes with different
geometries.
10 Then, enter the following parameters:
X coordinate of Origin: 20 {6}
Y coordinate of Origin: 10 {3}
Z coordinate of Origin: 0 {0}
Radius of Circle: 5 {1.5}
Divisions Along Periphery: 30 {30}
Click OK.

The Division values that we entered created a very uniform element size
throughout the mesh.
The circular hole is not truly circular, because it is formed by the (straight)
edges of the adjacent plates. However, our use of 30 divisions around the
periphery results in a hole that appears very smooth, and the elements
around the perimeter of the hole are very close to the size of the other
plates in the mesh.

A few comments about this exercise:
With this 6-sided shape the program did not offer an option to choose between
polygonal meshing or quadrilateral meshing. That is because STAAD.Pro
automatically determines that a 6-sided shape is not a good candidate for
quadrilateral meshing. However, if a four-sided polygon is defined with the
Generate Surface Meshing command, even if it is not a rectangular shape,
STAAD.Pro offers the option of either polygonal meshing or quadrilateral meshing.
Holes can also be created in a mesh simply by selecting elements with the Plates
Cursor and deleting them, but this method can only be used after the elements
have actually been generated, and it limits the shape and location of holes to
conform to the existing mesh geometry.
Once a mesh has been generated with the Generate Surface Meshing tool, there
is no way to reopen the Define Mesh Region dialog to change parameters or
introduce new holes. If changes are required, the mesh must either be completely
regenerated or the modifications must be made manually.
Using the Editor to Create a Mesh

Actions performed in the GUI to build a model have the effect of adding new
commands to the STAAD.Pro input file.
It is also possible to modify the input file directly, rather than doing it through the
GUI. In some situations, this may be the easiest and most efficient way to add
commands or geometry to the input file. This concept holds true for mesh
generation as well. If a situation arises where the node coordinates and plate
incidences can be easily generated in a text file format, then this data can be
placed directly into the STAAD Input File.
Hint: The STAAD.Pro Technical Reference manual, Section 5.14 contains a complete
description of the commands available for generating meshes.
Hint: Several examples illustrating how to create meshes using the Input File Editor
are presented in the STAAD.Pro Examples manual. See Example Problem No. 9,
No. 19 and No. 20.

Additional Considerations
Additional Considerations
One final program consideration that has an influence on finite element modeling
behavior is the option to split an existing member if a new node is placed on the
member. It can be found by clicking View > Options > Tolerance in the Menu Bar.
When this option is selected, if modeling changes cause a new node to be placed
somewhere along the length of an existing beam member, the existing member
will automatically be split at the location of the new node, and both portions of
the split member will be connected to the new node. If this option is not selected,
then existing members will not be split. Instead, the existing member will remain
as a single, continuous member running through the new node location and
having no structural connection to the new node.
This setting is significant with respect to finite element modeling, because there
are often times where a mesh is created to represent a concrete slab that is
intended to behave monolithically with the supporting reinforced concrete frame.
If this is the intent, then it may be beneficial to keep this option selected when a
mesh is generated to automatically split the beams at the mesh nodes, and
transfer load at the common nodes, to represent monolithic behavior.

Module Assessment
Module Assessment
the assessment to see what you have gained from completing this module.
http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/543286/STAADProFiniteElementModeling

Module Assessment

Property Assignment
Module Overview
This module covers the fundamentals of defining and assigning Properties,
Specifications, Supports, Loads, and Materials in STAAD.Pro. The use of Groups is
demonstrated. Member/Plate orientations are discussed using a local coordinate
system, which is then related to the global coordinate system.
Prior experience using STAAD.Pro, or completion of the Model Generation
module.
Module Objectives
Describe member local coordinate system and plate local coordinate system
Create Groups and use them to perform functions on multiple entities at one
time
Define and assign Properties, Beta Angles, Specifications, Supports, and
Materials
Create primary Load Cases, populate them with simple Load Items, and assign
them to the model
Have a general familiarity with creating User Tables, adding or removing
sections from the model, modifying the section database, and creating
custom materials
Jan-12 125 Property Assignment

General Tab
General Tab
In this module, we will explore how to assign properties in STAAD.Pro through the
General tab. The General tab has five sub-tabs, which will will investigate in detail
in the following sections:
Property sub-tab: Used to define and assign section properties, plate
thicknesses, beta angles, and materials to elements in the model.
Specification sub-tab: Used to define and assign parameters that modify the
way structural entities behave.
Support sub-tab: Used to define and assign boundary conditions for the
model.
Load & Definition sub-tab: Used to define and assign load conditions and
combinations to the model.
Material sub-tab: Used to define and assign material properties to structural
entities.
The general progression will be to work through these sub-tabs from top to
bottom.
Note: Before we assign properties to the model, we will first discuss groups. Groups
will allow you gto cluster a set of entities under a single umbrella for eas of
handling the data associated with those entities.
Property Assignment 126 Jan-12

General Tab
Working with Groups

When working with structural models, it sometimes helps to cluster a set of
entities under a single umbrella for ease of handling the data associated with
those entities. These clusters are referred to as groups in STAAD.Pro, and they can
save a lot of time when assigning attributes to members of the structure.
STAAD.Pro allows properties to be assigned to a group using a single instruction,
rather than having to repeatedly select the individual members in order to assign
various properties to them.
Group definitions are inserted into the STAAD.Pro input file, so they remain part
of the model after the current STAAD.Pro session is closed. If you provide your
input file to another STAAD.Pro user, they will be able to use the groups you
created.
Note: Creating New Views is another method of filtering STAAD.Pro entities, as

presented in a different module. However, the information required to define
views is saved in a separate file, rather than within the STAAD.Pro input file,
which makes it a little less convenient for this purpose than working with
groups.
Creating Groups
The Define Group Name dialog is used to assign a group name and specify the
type of group:
Group Name: In STAAD.Pro, group names must start with an underscore
character.
Type of Group: Choose from Node, Beam, Geometry, or Floor from the
dropdown list to instruct STAAD.Pro what types of entities this group is
applicable for.
Exercise: Create Beam Groups in STAAD.Pro

1 Open the dataset file named Properties 1.std in STAAD.Pro.
Note: In this exercise, we will create four groups:
Group Name Description

_BOTC Truss Bottom Chord
_TOPC Truss Top Chord
_COL Columns
_WEB Truss Webs

General Tab
2 In the menu bar, click Tools > Create New Group

3 In the Define Group Name dialog, enter the following parameters:
Group Name: _BOTC
Select Type: Beam
Click OK.
Hint: If the underscore is not entered manually in the Define Group Name
dialog, STAAD.Pro will add it automatically when the dialog is closed.
Also, since we have select the Beam group type, only beam elements
will be able to be assigned to this group.
4 In the Create Group dialog, click the Create button.
5 In the Define Group Name dialog, enter the following parameters:
Group Name: TOPC
Select Type: Beam
Click OK.
Note: STAAD.Pro automatically inserted the required leading underscore in

_TOPC in the Create Group dialog. It can do this, because it is clear from
the context of the dialog boxes being used that the intent is to create a
group. However, if a group is being created by directly editing the STAAD
Input File, STAAD.Pro does not have the context to recognize the text as
a group name, so it would not have the ability to make this automatic
correction. For this reason, good practice dictates getting into the habit
of always using the leading underscore when referring to group names.
6 Repeat the above process to create the following Beam type groups:
_COL and _WEB.
7 Keep the Create Group dialog open for the next exercise.

General Tab
Assigning Groups
When assigning groups to model entities, STAAD.Pro provides three assignment

methods which are common to other commands through the STAAD.Pro
graphical user interface. A description of each option is provided below:
Associate to View: Associates the highlighted group name with all of the
members in the view.
Associate to Selected Geometry: Associates the highlighted group name with
all of the currently selected members. (This option will appear grayed out if
no members are selected.)
Associate to List: Associates the highlighted group name with all of the
members whose numbers are entered in the List field.
Exercise: Assign Beam Groups to Members in the Model

2 In the Create Group dialog, highlight the _BOTC group.
3 In the menu bar, click Select > Beams Parallel To > X.
Note: The bottom chord members, and only the bottom chord members, will
be selected. Notice that the Associate to Selected Geometry radio
button in the Create Group dialog is now active.
4 In the Create Group dialog, click the Associate button.
5 In the Main Window, deselect all elements and then select each top chord
member (by holding down the Ctrl key and clicking on each).

General Tab
6 In the Create Group dialog, enter the following parameters:

Group: _TOPC
Assign Method: Associate to Selected Geometry
Click the Associate button.
7 In the Main Window, deselect all elements and then select each column in
the model.

Group: _COL
9 In the menu bar, click Select > By Group Name...
10 In the Select Groups dialog, highlight all three groups. Then, click Close.
11 In the menu bar, click Select > By Inverse > Inverse Beam Selection.
Group: _WEB

General Tab
Hint: You can verify that the proper assignment of each group by selecting
each group name one at a time and clicking Highlight button in the
Create Group dialog:
If no members are highlighted after selecting a group name and
clicking the Highlight button, check to make sure that the group is
indicated as a Beam group type in the list of groups in the Create
Group dialog.
If any of the groups were accidentally created as Node type groups,
they will need to be deleted and recreated as Beam type groups,
before the members of this model can be correctly assigned their
group name.
If any members were unintentionally omitted from a group, they can
be added to the group using the Create Group dialog, or they can be
added to the list in the Input File using the STAAD.Pro Editor.
If, later on, a member is removed from the model, and if that member
was part of one of the defined groups, STAAD.Pro will remove the
13 In the Create Group dialog, click the Close button.

Property
Property
The Properties dialog is used to define and assign section properties to members.
It also offers the option of associating material properties to a section.
Sections
Standard cross sections can be chosen from tables, or custom sections can be
defined.
Note: The tabs across the top of the Section Profile Tables dialog provide
access to section tables for different materials.
Steel - provides access to a list of steel tables of more than fifteen
different countries.
Cold formed Steel - provides access to a list of tables from various
manufacturers of cold-formed steel products.
Timber - provides access to an extensive list of wood sections
comprised of various combinations of species, grades, and sawn
lumber sizes. Also includes properties for Glued-Laminated material.
Aluminum - provides access to the American Aluminum table.
Exercise: Define Properties

1 Continue with the model from the previous exercise, or open the dataset
file Properties 2.std in STAAD.Pro.
2 In the Page Control area, click on the General tab and then the Property
sub-tab.
Note: The Data Area on the right side now contains a dialog labeled Properties
- Whole Structure, referred to from here on as the Properties dialog. If
the Properties dialog is ever closed, it can be recalled by clicking on the
Property sub-tab of the General tab.
Note: In this sample model, we will use the following standard sections from
the American steel table:
Columns Wide Flange: W 18 x 35

Bottom Chord Channel: C 12 x 30

Property
Top Chord Rectangular HSS: 7 in x 4 in x 3/6 in

Webs Angle: 3 in x 3 in x 1/2 in
3 In the Properties dialog, click the Section Database button.
4 In the Section Profile Tables dialog, select the Steel tab and then highlight
the American group, W Shape table in the left pane.
5 At the right side of the Section Profile Tables dialog, enter the following
parameters:
Select Beam: W18x35
Type Specification: ST
Material: Steel
Then, click Add to add this section to the Properties dialog.
Note: In the Type Specification category, notice that there are a variety of
options available. ST specifies a single section from the standard table.
T is used to indicate a T-shaped section formed by cutting a standard W
section at the mid-depth of the web. D specifies a double profile where
the clear spacing can be defined. CM specifies a composite section
comprised of a concrete slab on top of a wide flange steel shape. This
specification requires the definition of some additional related
variables. TC, BC, and TB allow the specification of top and/or bottom
cover plates.
Note: Below the Select Beam list is the View Table button. This button
accesses a section properties table for the section type selected (in this
case, the American W-Shapes).
Note: Below the View Table button is the Material checkbox. This provides an
option to associate a material with the current Property. If the checkbox
is selected, members that receive the Property assignment also receive
a material assignment. If the checkbox is deselected, the material will
need to be assigned as a separate step.
6 In the Section Profile Tables dialog, highlight the Channel table in the left
hand pane. Then, enter the following parameters:
Select Channel: C12X30
Material: Steel
Then, click the Add button.

Property
7 In the Section Profile Tables dialog, highlight the HSS Rectangle table in
the left hand pane. Then, enter the following parameters:
Select Profile: HSST7X4X0.188
Material: Steel
8 In the Section Profile Tables dialog, highlight the Angle table in the left
hand pane. Then, enter the following parameters:
Select Angle: L30308
Material: Steel
Hint: The following figure illustrates how angles are specified in STAAD.Pro.
L 40 35 6 = L 4 x 3 -1/2 x 3/8
Angle Symbol Thickness in
sixteenths of an inch
Leg Length in Leg Length in
tenths of an inch tenths of an inch
Note: The angle code L is followed by numbers representing the length of the
longer leg in tenths of an inch, the length of the shorter leg in tenths of
an inch, and the thickness of the angle in sixteenths of an inch.
Therefore, the 3 in. x 3 in. x in. angle section for the truss webs would
be specified as L30308.
9 In the Section Profile Tables dialog, click the Close button.
Warning: At this point, all of the sections that will be used in this model are
added to the Properties list, but none have actually been assigned
to the members of the model. If this model was saved and closed at
this point, without actually assigning sections to any of the
members, ALL OF THE SECTIONS WOULD BE REMOVED from the list
in the Properties dialog when the model is reopened. The
important thing to remember is to ASSIGN each of the sections to
at least one member prior to closing the model.

Property
Exercise: Assign Properties

1 Continue with the model from the previous section.
2 In the Properties dialog, enter the following parameters:
Section: W18X35
Highlight Assigned Geometry: (unchecked)
Assignment Method: Use Cursor To Assign
Then, click the Assign button.
Note: The name of this button changes to Assigning, and the cursor changes to
a steel beam shape with a triangle in the upper left corner, indicating
that we are now in an active assignment mode.
3 In the Main Window, use your cursor to click on each of the two columns.
Then, click on the Assigning button in the Properties dialog to toggle off
the active assignment mode.
Note: The label R1 appears near the center of both columns. This is a
reference number that corresponds to the W18X35 section, and it
appears just to the left of the section name in the Properties dialog, in a
column labeled Ref.
5 In the Select Groups dialog, highlight the G1: _BOTC group.
Section: C12X30
Assignment Method: Assign to Selected Beams
Then, click the Assign button and click Yes in the pop-up dialog to confirm.
7 In the Select Groups dialog, deselect the G1: _BOTC group and then
highlight the G2: _TOPC group.
Section: HSST7X4X0.188
9 In the Select Groups dialog, deselect the G2: _TOPC group and then
highlight the G4: _WEB group.

Property
Section: L30308
11 In the Select Groups dialog, click the Close button.
12 Click the Close button to dismiss the Select Groups dialog.

Property
Missing Section Assignments
This is a relatively simple model, and it is fairly easy to see that all members have
received a property specification by looking at the labels. But in a more
complicated model, it may not be so easy to observe that all members have been
assigned a section. For this reason, STAAD.Pro provides a tool to confirm that
every member in the structure has been assigned member properties.
Exercise: Searching for Members with Missing Properties

1 Continue to work in the current model, or open the dataset file named
Properties 3.std in STAAD.Pro.
2 In the Main Window, deselect any currently selected elements.
3 In the menu bar, click Select > By Missing Attributes > Missing Property.
4 In the STAAD.Pro dialog, click OK to acknowledge that there are no entities
with missign properites.
Note: If any member in the structure did not have a section property assigned
to it, this command would have highlighted those members in the Main
Window.

Property
Additional Commands
In addition to assigning steel sections to the members in the model, the

Properties dialog can be used to perform the following commands:
Edit: Opens a dialog for the table section class of the selected section. Here,
the section can be changed to a different entry in the same table selection
class.
Values: Opens the Section Properties table, which is used to vew section
property information.
Thickness: Opens the Plate Element/Surface Property dialog, which is used to
provide plate element properties (thickness) with or without the material
specification.
Materials: Opens the Materials Table, which is used to view material constant
values of pre-defined materials such as Steel, Concrete, and Aluminum. New
materials may also be added using this table.
User Table: Opens the User Property Table dialog, which is used to add and
assign previously created user table sections to the structure. The user
defined sections added here will appear in the Properties dialog.
Define: Opens the Property dialog, which is used to define general prismatic
sections, including the following section shapes:
Circle
Rectangle
Tee
Trapezoidal
General - Used to define section properties of an irregular-shaped
section. The following prismatic properties are required for analysis:
AX = Cross sectional area, IX = Torsional constant, IY = Moment of
inertia about y-axis, IZ = Moment of inertia about z-axis.
Tapered I - Used to define I-sections whose dimensions vary from one
end of the member to the other.
Tapered Tube - Used to define tube sections whose dimensions vary
from one end of the member to the other.
Assign Profile - Used to implicitly assign a steel section property to a
member by selecting a profile category.
Note: The Material checkbox and associated list can be used to assign a
material to a Property if desired.

Property
Modify Section Database
To complete the discussion on Properties and Sections, it is important to know

that STAAD.Pro offers the ability to edit the section databases that are included
with the program. We will not make any edits to the databases at this time, but
note that Tools > Modify Section Database opens the Section Database Manager,
which allows access to the section database tables, and provides tools to modify
them if necessary.
Two examples of potential reasons to modify a table:

The steel tables provided with STAAD.Pro are based on the most current
tables available. Some older steel sections may not be listed, so the Section
Database Manager is a way to introduce an older section in order to analyze
an existing structure.
Some of the sections in the table may be undesirable for various reasons such
as limited availability. Editing a steel table with the Section Database Manager
is a way to delete sections that are undesirable.
Note: The file containing the American steel table is named AISCSections.mdb, and it
is typically located in the \SProV8i\STAAD\Sections\ directory.
Hint: Before making any edits to a standard section table, consider saving a backup
copy of that table.

Property
Warning: If a standard section table is edited, and if the STAAD.Pro model is later sent
to another STAAD.Pro user, the modified section database file will also
need to be provided to run the model correctly.

Property
Beta Angles
In STAAD.Pro, the Beta Angle describes a members orientation about its
longitudinal axis with respect to a default, or Beta Equals Zero, condition.
The sign convention for Beta Angles can be visualized by using a right-hand rule.
When the thumb of the right hand is pointed in the positive local x direction of a
member, the natural curl of the right fingers indicates the direction of rotation
that will occur as a result of a positive Beta Angle.
Note: Before we discuss how to manually define the orientation for members and
plates, we will first explore the default orientation and local coordinate system
used in STAAD.Pro.
Identifying the Starting/Ending Beam Ends
Members in STAAD.Pro are defined as spanning from a starting node to an ending

node. The starting node and ending node are based on the order in which the
nodes were clicked if the beam was added graphically, or based on the order of
the member incidences if the beam was added directly in the Beams table or
STAAD Input File. STAAD.Pro provides some graphical methods of identifying the
starting and ending nodes of members.
Exercise: Identifying Starting and Ending Ends of Beams

2 In the Structure toolbar, click on the Symbols and Labels icon.
3 In the Diagrams dialog, ensure the Labels tab is selected and then modify
the following parameter:
Beam Ends (E): (checked)

Property
Note: Note that two color swatches are displayed. These represent the colors
that will be used to identify the respective ends of beams. The color
swatches act as links to open a color palette, so beam end colors can be
configured as desired.
5 On your keyboard, press Shift + E to toggle off beam end colors.

6 In the Main Window, hover the Beams Cursor over any beam to view the
beam end colors for a single member at a time.

Property
Local Coordinate System
Now that we have observed the directionality of a beam, we can introduce the
concept of the member local coordinate system. Each member has its own local
coordinate system consisting of local x, local y, and local z axes. The origin of the
local axis system for any member occurs at the starting node for that member.
The local x axis starts at the (local) origin and points toward the ending node.
Hint: Refer to Technical Reference section 1.5.2 for more on coordinate systems.
All three local axes are mutually perpendicular, and their relationships to each
other are defined by the right-hand rule (close the x axis into the y axis with the
fingers of the right hand and the right thumb will indicate the positive sense of
the z axis).
Benefits of the Local Coordinate System
The member local coordinate system offers some significant benefits during
modeling and design. For instance, having a member local coordinate system
makes it possible to specify unique member orientations, such as columns with
their webs oriented radially as shown in the figure below.

Property
Without a member local coordinate system, there would be no way to describe

this orientation of the columns, and STAAD.Pro would have no choice but to
assume they are all oriented in the same direction as suggested in the figure
below.
As another example, consider modeling wind load on the roof of the structure in
the diagram below.
In the absence of a member local coordinate system, wind load perpendicular to

the inclined roof surface would have to be resolved into X, Y and Z components in
the global axis directions. In this case, having a member local coordinate system
provides a simple and convenient way of specifying these loads as acting
perpendicular to the roof members.
As a final example, having local y and local z axes provides a convenient way to
obtain results such as major axis bending moment and shear force in the strong
direction, etc., regardless of the orientation of the member.

Property
Default Orientation of the Member Local Coordinate System
The member local coordinate system exists as soon as a member is added to a

model and STAAD.Pro has a convention for establishing the default orientation of
a member local coordinate system. The convention can be described by the
following rule based on vector cross-product concepts: The member local x axis
crossed with the global Y axis produces the positive local z axis.
Note: It is not possible to take the vector cross-product of two parallel vectors. So in
the case of vertically oriented members, STAAD.Pro simply adopts the
convention that the positive local z axis will be oriented parallel to, and in the
same positive direction as, the global Z axis.
These rules provide a unique definition for the default orientation of any member
in three-dimensional space. In summary:
The local x axis is defined by the starting and ending nodes.
The local z axis is oriented based on the conventions described above.
The local y axis can be determined by using the vector cross-product rule: z
cross x = y.
This default orientation is adopted when members are first introduced into a
model. In an upcoming section we will explain how member orientation can be
modified as necessary on a member-by-member basis through the application of
a Beta Angle.
In the same way that STAAD.Pro provides graphical tools for visualizing the
starting and ending nodes of members, it also provides tools for visualizing the
orientation of local coordinate systems.

Property
Exercise: Observing Member Orientation

the following parameters:
Beam Category, Beam Orientation (O): (checked)
General Category, Show Axes at Org (I): (checked)
Note: The option to show Beam Orientation produces color-coded local

coordinate axis triads on all of the individual members.
Note: The option to Show Axes At Origin produces a color-coded coordinate

axis triad at the origin of the global coordinate system. Its purpose is to
provide the key to the color coding of the local coordinate axis triads.
Therefore blue represents local x, red represents local y, and green
represents local z.
5 On your keyboard, use the hotkey Shift + O to toggle off Beam Orientation,
and Shift + I to toggle off Show Axes At Origin.

Property
Visualizing the Member Local Coordinate System
In STAAD.Pro, it is also important to understand the relationship between the

different types of steel sections and the local coordinate system. The following
figure identifies how the local coordinate system is interpreted by STAAD.Pro for
various steel sections when the Y-axis is vertical:

Property
Exercise: Review the Rendered Model

2 In the menu bar, click View > 3D Rendering or click on the 3D Rendered
View icon on the View toolbar.
Hint: The rendered view can be a useful tool to quickly review the orientation
of each steel member to ensure it is oriented correctly.
3 Close the Rendered View.

Property
Default Orientation of the Plate Local Coordinate System
Plates in STAAD.Pro are defined by three or four corner nodes. Consider the plates
with nodes at the corners labeled A, B, C and D as shown in the figure below.
The orientation of the local coordinate system for plates is determined as follows:
The local x-axis is defined to be parallel to the vector pointing from node A to
node B.
The cross-product of vectors AB and AC defines a vector parallel to the local z-
axis of the plate, i.e., z = AB x AC. The local z-axis is always normal to the plate
surface.
The cross-product of vectors z and x defines a vector parallel to the local y-
axis, i.e., y = z cross x. (Both the x and y axes always lie in the plane of the
plate.)
The origin of the plate local axis system occurs at the mathematical average of
the plate's nodal coordinates.
This local coordinate system makes it possible to discuss the stresses on an

individual element without having to resolve those stresses with respect to the
global coordinate system.
The locations of nodes A, B, C and D are dependent solely upon the order in which
they are selected (or typed in the editor) when defining the plate element.
Therefore, the orientation of the local axis system is also solely dependent on the
order in which the plate corners are selected. The side of the plate from which the
z-axis points in the positive direction is considered to be the top of the plate. In
an upcoming section we will explain how plate orientation can be modified as
necessary on a plate-by-plate basis through the assignment of a plate reference
point.

Property
Exercise: Observing Plate Orientation

the following parameters:
Nodes Category, Node Numbers: (checked)
Plates Category, Plate Orientation: (checked)
Click OK.
4 In the Page Control area, click the Geometry tab and then the Plate sub-
tab.
Hint: The orientation of the plate local axis system can be confirmed using the
rules above and the node number order as provided in the Plates table.
Note: STAAD.Pro also provides the option to display plates with a color coding,
where user configurable colors are used to distinguish the top and
bottom of plates.
5 In the menu bar, click File > Close to exit this model.

Property
Modifying Member Orientation
In STAAD.Pro, you can re-orient members using one of the following tools:
Redefine Incidences: Allows you to switch the order of the starting and ending
nodes for selected members.
Modify the Beta Angle: Allows you to define the beta angle (rotation of the
member about its local x-axis) and assign them to members.
Exercise: Redefine Incidences

2 In the Page Control area, click on the Geometry tab and then the Beam
sub-tab.
3 In the Data Area, the Beams Table indicates the Beta Angle currently
assigned to each member in the model.
Note: Currently, each member is assigned a beta angle of zero. This represents
the default condition; the way beams automatically occur when they
are first modeled and no Beta Angle modifications have been made.
This is referred to as the Beta = 0 condition.
4 Click back in the Main Window to put the focus on the Structure Diagram,
and then use the hotkey Shift + O to turn on Member Orientation.
Note: As a point of interest, the bottom chord members point in opposite

directions in this model, because the model was generated by mirroring
one half of the structure about a vertical plane.
Note: Two items worth noting in the rendered view:

The bottom chord section orientations change at midspan, relating
back to the use of the Mirror command.
The angle sections of the web members take on an orientation that is
based on the principal axes rather than the geometric axes.

Property
7 In the Main Window, use the Beams Cursor to select the four bottom
chord members to the left of midspan.
8 In the menu bar, click Tools > Redefine Incidence.

9 In the Redefine Incidence dialog, select the Switch Incidence of Selected
Beams radio button and then click OK.
Note: The selected bottom chord members will be redrawn so that the blue
local x axis points to the right and the flange tips of the channel point in
the positive global Z direction to match the other bottom chord
members.
Note: In this example, another option to reorient the bottom chord members
would be to apply a 180 degree Beta Angle to the four bottom chord
members to the left of midspan. While this WOULD have the effect of
coordinating the orientation of the channel flange tips, it would NOT
alter the fact that half of the bottom chord members have a local x axis
that points to the left and half have a local x axis that points to the right.
In addition, this option would create a situation where half of the
bottom chord members had a local y axis that points up, while the other
half of the members would have a local y axis that points down. This
could create some confusion when interpreting the results, so adjusting
the beta angle would not be advisable for this particular situation.

Property
Exercise: Apply an Explicit Beta Angle

Note: For this exercise, we will assume that the goal is to rotate member
number 1 (selected in the figure below) such that its flange tips point
downward.
2 In the Page Control area, click on the General tab and then the Property
sub-tab.
3 In the Properties dialog, click the Beta Angle tab and then click the Create
Beta Angle button.
Note: There are three options for specifying a Beta Angle. First, we will use the
default method, which is to explicitly define a rotation angle.
4 In the Beta Angle dialog, select the Angle in Degrees radio button and
then enter the following parameter:
Angle in Degrees: 90 degrees
Click OK.
5 In the Properties dialog, highlight the Beta 90 item and then enter the
following parameter:
Assignment Method: Use Cursor to Assign
Click the Assign button.
6 In the Main Window, use your cursor to click on member 1.
7 In the Properties dialog, click on the Assigning button to toggle the
assignment mode off.

Property
Steel Angle Orientations
Steel angle sections have geometric and principal axes, and by default, STAAD.Pro
coordinates the principal axes of a steel angle section with the local axes of the
member. In the current model, this results in steel angle member orientations
that do not place either angle leg in the plane of the truss, and may not be
conducive to making connections. The angle between the geometric and the
principal axes of every steel angle section is called (alpha), and it is a property
that is available in the steel angle section database. STAAD.Pro provides two
convenient tools that can quickly look up that characteristic angle , and use it to
calculate a Beta Angle that will bring one of the angle legs into a convenient
alignment in a model:
The Angle option rotates a section (90 - ) degrees.
The RAngle option rotates a section (180 - ) degrees.

Property
Exercise: Apply an Implicit Beta Angle

2 In the Properties dialog, click the Create Beta Angle button.
3 In the Beta Angle dialog, select the Angle radio button and then click OK.
4 In the Properties dialog, highlight the Beta Angle item.
6 In the Select Groups dialog, hightlight the G4:_WEB group and then click
Close.
7 In the Properties dialog, enter the following parameter:
Click the Assign button.
8 In the STAAD.Pro dialog, click Yes to confirm the assignment.
Note: This assignment instructs STAAD.Pro to do the following for each

selected member:
Look up the characteristic angle .
Calculate Beta = 90 - . (Always 45 degrees for equal leg angles.)
Populate the Beta Angle tab with an item corresponding to the
calculated value of Beta.
Assign the calculated value of Beta to the appropriate member.

Property
Note: Note that all web members now show a label to indicate that Beta 45
has been applied, and the Beta 45 item now appears in the list on the
Beta Angle tab. This makes that specification available to quickly assign
to other members in the model if necessary. Some items to note:
In this exercise, all of the web members were assigned the same steel
angle section size. So they all had the same characteristic angle , and
all received the same Beta angle of 45 degrees.
If this specification had been assigned to unequal leg angles of a
variety of sizes, then the list would have displayed all of the unique
Beta Angles that were calculated and assigned.
While this tool is convenient for quickly calculating the appropriate
Beta Angle for a variety of angle sections, the result is saved in the
STAAD Input File in the form of numerical values. These numerical
values are NOT automatically updated in the event that any of the
angle section sizes change during the design process. To ensure that
Beta Angles are coordinated, repeat the steps above after section sizes
are modified.
Note: Rotate and zoom in on the rendered view of the steel angle members to
see that they have been rotated into an orientation that places one leg
in the plane of the truss.
Some final notes on Beta Angle:

Remember that the Beta Angle of any member can always be confirmed by
viewing the Beta column in the Beams table. The Beams table is accessible
from the Geometry tab, Beam sub-tab.
The Beta Angle can also be reviewed and revised through the Member Query
function. Member Query can be launched by double-clicking on any member
of interest.
An alternate method of assigning a Beta Angle is accessible from the Menu
Bar in the form of Commands > Geometric Constants > Beta Angle.

Property
Modifying Member Orientation
In STAAD.Pro, you can re-orient members and plates using the Commands >
Geometry Constants > Plate Reference Point command. This command can be
used to specify options for determining the general direction of the local Z axis of
elements.
Exercise: Modifying Plate Orientation

2 On your kepboard, press the hotkey Shift + T to view Plate Orientation.
Note: Some of the plates are oriented so that their local z-axes point upward,
and some point downward. (Recall that STAAD.Pro identifies the
positive local z-face as the top of a plate.) Since this could lead to
confusion when interpreting output results, it would be desirable to
coordinate the plates so that they are all oriented the same way. Also
note that plate number 31 is currently oriented such that its local z-axis
points downward.
3 On your keyboard, press Shift + P to display Plate Numbers and Shift + N
to display Node Numbers.
4 Using the Plates Cursor, double-click plate number 31 shown highlighted in
the figure below to launch the Plate Query function.

Property
The Plate Query data indicates that the mesh has been created in the Y=0
plane. The nodes are listed in the order 1 - 41 - 32 - 33. The plate and its
nodes are shown for reference in the figure below.
5 Close the Query dialog box.

6 In the menu bar, click Commands > Geometric Constants > Plate
Reference Point...
7 In the Plate Reference Point dialog, enter the following parameters:
Y: (enter any positive value)
Local Z Axis: Towards the Reference Point
Assign: To View
Click OK.
Note: Note that all plates (including plate number 31) are now oriented such
that their local z axes point upward (in the positive global Y direction).
Note: Compare the node numbers for plate number 31 on the Structure
Diagram with those shown in the figure above. They remain in the same
relative locations after the Plate Reference Point command is issued.
The Plate Reference Point command does not move any nodes.
8 Use the Plates Cursor to recall the Plate Query function by double-clicking
plate number 31. Observe that the nodes are now listed in the order 33 -
32 - 41 - 1, the opposite order compared to what was observed above.
Note: When STAAD.Pro reorients a plate, it simply reorders the nodes used to
define that plate.
9 Close the Query dialog box.

Specifications
Specifications
The Specifications dialog is used to define and assign Specifications for Nodes,
Beams, and Plates, each of which has some effect on the behavior of the entities
to which it is assigned.
Node Specifications
The Node button on the Specifications dialog is used to assign a Master/Slave
specification to nodes. The general purpose for a Master/Slave specification is to
define a constraint of some sort that requires slaved nodes to translate and/or
rotate the same amount as some master node.
Note: For each Master/Slave specification, a Master Node is identified in the list.
The behavior of each Master/Slave specification is controlled by the checkboxes in

the Slaved Directions category as follows:
Rigid: Slaved nodes translate and rotate the same amount as the master in all
six degrees of freedom. (Note that this is NOT the intent when defining what
structural engineers typically refer to as a rigid diaphragm in a building.)
XY: Slaved nodes translate consistently with the master in the global X and Y
directions, and rotate the same amount as the master about the Z axis.
YZ: Slaved nodes translate consistently with the master in the global Y and Z
directions, and rotate the same amount as the master about the X axis.
ZX: Slaved nodes translate consistently with the master in the global Z and X
directions, and rotate the same amount as the master about the Y axis. (Note
that this IS the intent when defining what structural engineers typically refer
to as a rigid diaphragm in a building.)
Any other combination of the six available degrees of freedom can be slaved to a
master node by using the individual checkboxes at the right side of the Slaved
Directions category.
No Node Specifications will be assigned to the current model.

Specifications
Beam Specifications
The Beam button on the Specifications dialog is used to define member
conditions such as:
Released or partially-released degrees of freedom at either end of a member
Member offsets
Reduced section properties due to cracking in concrete members.
Truss member, cable member, tension-only member or compression-only
member
Inactive member
Fire proofing and imperfections
Releases
There are six degrees of freedom in a structural connection or support:

Three translational degrees of freedom - (x, y and z)
Three rotational degrees of freedom - (x, y, and z)
Member releases are specified with respect to the member's local axis system.
FX corresponds to force along the local x-axis (axial force)
FY corresponds to shear force along the local y-axis
FZ corresponds to shear force along the local z-axis
MX corresponds to moment about the local x-axis (torsion)
MY corresponds to moment about the local y-axis (the weak axis of a wide
flange beam)
MZ corresponds to moment about the local z-axis (the strong axis of a wide
flange beam)

Specifications
By default, all six degrees of freedom are fixed, so initially all connections are
considered to be moment-resisting connections. If one or more of those forces or
moments cannot be transferred by a connection, the force or moment can be
released at the appropriate end of the member in the model. Any of the six
degrees of freedom at either end of a beam can be fully or partially-released using
the Release tab.
The first step in setting a release is to select either Partial Moment Release or
Release in the Release Type category. Based on the setting in the Release Type
category, the options become active in either the Partial Moment Release
category or the Release category, and the options in the other category are grayed
out.
To specify a full release, set the Release Type category to Release, and toggle
the checkboxes labeled FX, FY, FZ, MX, MY and MZ in the Release category.
To specify a spring release, set the Release Type category to Release, toggle
the appropriate checkboxes labeled KFX, KFY, KFZ, KMX, KMY and KMZ in the
Release category, and enter the spring constant(s) for the selected degree(s)
of freedom.
To specify a Partial Moment Release, set the Release Type category to Partial
Moment Release. Then specify the fraction of the full moment capacity of the
connection that is to be released for the indicated rotation degrees of
freedom. The value should be entered as a decimal value between 0.0 and 1.0
in the MPX, MPY, and/or MPZ fields.
To specify a partial release for all the 3 moment degrees of freedom, MX, MY,
and MZ, use the MP option and a single factor is applied to all 3.
Note: A Partial Moment Release specifies the percentage to be released, not the
percentage to be resisted. For example, a value of zero means no release, i.e.
full moment restraint. A value of 1.0 means a full release, i.e. no moment
restraint.
Hint: A note to this extent has been placed on the Release tab as a reminder.
Note: At any end of a member, for any particular degree of freedom, STAAD.Pro only
allows one of the following: full release, partial release, or spring release. It is
not permitted to apply more than one simultaneously for a given degree of
freedom at a given member end.

Specifications
Offsets
Offset conditions at the ends of members are specified on the Offset tab in the
Member Specification dialog. In the mathematical model, assumptions are made
that do not necessarily reflect the actual conditions on the physical structure. One
of these assumptions relates to the actual START and END locations of members.
Beams and columns, modeled as lines, are assumed to meet at a point in space
defined by the intersection of their centerlines. By comparison, in the physical
structure, a beam might be attached to a column at the outer surface of the
column flange. In the figure below, a beam is shown framing into a column. If both
are wide flange members, the beam stops at the column flange. This may create a
rigid zone at the connection where very little relative deflection will occur
between the beam and the column within this zone.
Therefore in the physical structure, the beam may behave more nearly as though
it connects to the column face as opposed to the column centerline. However, in
the mathematical model the length of the beam is treated as though it spans to
the centerline of the column.
If the size of the rigid zone is significant with respect to the span length of the
beam, then you may want to incorporate these effects into the mathematical
model. The Member Offset specification provides a convenient way to account for
these effects by declaring that the beam Start and/or End faces are a certain
distance away from the column centerline.
The length of a Member Offset (and therefore the size of the rigid zone) can be
assigned based on engineering judgment.

Specifications
Member offsets may be modeled in any direction relative to either the local or
the global coordinate system.
Another example of an offset connection is a situation where the centerlines of

the connected members do not intersect at a common working point as shown in
the figure below.
The member offset dimensions shown in the figure above could be represented in
the input file by the following commands:
MEMBER OFFSET
1 START 7.0 0.0 0.0
1 END -6.0 0.0 0.0
2 END -6.0 -9.0 0.0
Another example that could be modeled using a Member Offset specification is a

beam supporting a slab as shown in the figure below.
This arrangement might be modeled as plates and beams that connect at

common nodes, but with Member Offsets applied to the beam to accurately
model the true geometry.

Specifications
Hint: Additional information on the Member Offset specification may be found in

Section 5.25 of the STAAD.Pro Technical Reference manual and in Example 7 in
the STAAD.Pro Examples manual.
Property Reduction Factors
Property Reduction Factors provide a method to specify reduced effective section

properties. They are intended to represent the loss of stiffness due to cracking in
concrete sections. The approach follows recommendations in ACI 318, which
suggests the use of reduction factors dependent upon the nature of stresses to
which a member is subjected.
Cable, Truss, Tension-Only and Compression-Only
The Cable specification is used to declare that a member has no ability to resist
shear, bending, or torsional forces. This specification requires the user to input
either an Initial TENSION or an unstressed LENGTH.
Warning: The Cable specification does not imply tension-only. If members are to be
considered tension-only, they must be explicitly defined as such.
The Truss specification also has the effect of declaring that a member has no
ability to resist shear, bending, or torsional forces, but it does not provide the
ability to incorporate an initial tension as in the Cable specification.
The Tension-only or Compression-only specification can be used to create

tension-only and compression-only members, respectively.
A Compression-only specification has the effect of making a member inactive
under conditions where it would tend to experience tensile forces.
A Tension-only specification makes a member inactive under conditions
where it would tend to experience compressive forces.
Note: A member declared as a TENSION only or COMPRESSION only member will cary
axial forces only. It will not carry moments for shear forces. In other words, it is
a truss member. The Tension-only or Compression-only specifications can be
used to overcome code restrictions related to KL/r slenderness limits.

Specifications
Inactive
The Inactive specification provides a way to inactivate selected members. One

potential application is for modeling stages of construction of a structure. The full
structure is first defined, and then members may be selectively inactivated to
account for their absence at particular stages of construction.
Hint: Example 4 in the Application Examples manual illustrates the use of this
specification.
Fire Proofing
The Fire Proofing specification provides a method to automatically consider the

weight of fireproofing material applied to structural steel. Two types of
fireproofing configurations are currently supported - Block Fire Proofing and
Contour Fire Proofing. If a Fire Proofing specification is assigned, the weight of the
fireproofing material is automatically included as part of the self-weight when the
self-weight load is assigned.
Note: We will introduce the self-weight command in an upcoming section.
Imperfection
The Imperfection specification provides a method to apply a camber or drift value

to a member to be considered for secondary effects. It is used to compute an
additional loading on the selected imperfect members that are in compression,
and it works in conjunction with a specific type of analysis available in STAAD.Pro
called an Imperfection Analysis. Member imperfection specifications only have an
effect on members that are in compression.

Specifications
Plate Specifications
The Plate button on the Specifications dialog is used to define plate conditions
such as:
Release: Releases can be applied to one or more of the 6 degrees of freedom
at any node. Plate releases are specified with respect to the plate local axis
system.
Ignore Inplane Rotation: Ignore inplane rotation is used to specify that the
program is to ignore in-plane stiffness associated with the Mz degree of
freedom at the nodes of plates.
Rigid Inplane Rotation: Rigid inplane rotation is used to specify that all nodes
in a plate have an infinite rotational stiffness about the Mz degree of
freedom.
Note: This specification is not available through the GUI. It is only accessible by
manually entering the command into the input file.
Plane Stress: Plane Stress is used to specify that a plate is only capable of
resisting in-plane loads such as axial load and in-plane shear, but is incapable
of resisting out-of-plane shears or moments that create out-of-plane bending.
Warning: Using the Plane Stress specification on a structure like a floor slab
can lead to loss of loads such as self-weight, because, for Plane
Stress elements, the out-of-plane shear action and the bending
degrees of freedom are switched off.
Ignore Stiffness: Ignore Stiffness is used to specify that the stiffness of a plate
element is to be completely ignored in the assembly of the stiffness matrix.
This specification allows plate elements to be modeled for the purpose of
applying loads to a structure without allowing those elements to contribute
resistance in any way.
No Plate Specifications will be assigned to the current model.
To demonstrate the process of assigning Member Specifications in the next

exercise, assume that the goals are to:
Specify a full moment release of all three bending degrees of freedom at the
left end of the bottom chord of the truss, where it joins the column (left end
of beam number 22), and
Specify all truss web members as being incapable of resisting shear, bending,
or torsional forces.

Specifications
Exercise: Assigning Member Specifications

1 Open the dataset file named Properties 7.std in STAAD.Pro. In the Page
Control Area, select the General tab, Spec sub-tab.
2 Determine that the node attached to the column is the starting node of
beam 22. Refer to the suggestions below for four ways to do this:
Hover the Beams Cursor over member 22 and observe green for
starting node at left (at column) and blue for ending node at right end
of beam, or
Click View > Structure Diagrams > Labels, select Beam Ends in the
Beams category, and click Apply, or
Right-click in the Main Window, click Labels in the pop-up menu,
select Beam Orientation in the Beams category, and click Apply, or
Click on member number 22 with the Beams Cursor to select it. Click
the Geometry tab. The line for member number 22 is highlighted in
the Beams spreadsheet. Note that Node A (the starting node) is
indicated as node 15 and Node B (the ending node) is node 14.
Compare the X coordinates of nodes 14 and 15 in the Nodes
spreadsheet to see that member number 22 starts on the left and ends
on the right.
3 One way to access the Release tab would be to open the Member
Specification dialog by clicking the Beam button in the Specifications
dialog. However, to illustrate an alternate method, double-click member
number 22 with the Beams Cursor to activate the Member Query
function.
4 Click Change Releases At Start.
The Member Specification dialog opens to the Release tab, and the
Location is automatically set to Start.
5 Make sure that the Release radio button is selected under the Release
Type category.
6 Click the MX, MY and MZ checkboxes under the Release category, and
then click the Assign button.
The Releases category of the Member Query dialog now indicates MX, MY
and MZ next to the Start label.
7 Click Close to dismiss the Member Query dialog.
Hint: If you changed to the Geometry tab to check the beam and node
numbers, return to the Spec tab by clicking on the General tab in the
Page Control, then click on the Spec sub-tab.

Specifications
8 Click in the Main Window to deselect all members. A small circle now
appears at the left end of member number 22. This symbol is a visual cue
to indicate that there is a release of some type defined there.
To view the release graphic, you can click the Magnifying Glass icon and
then press and hold the left mouse button to see an enlarged view of an
area on the Main Window. Click the Magnifying Glass icon again to turn it
off.
9 Click Select > By Group Name.

10 Click the _WEB group to select all web members, and then click the Close
button.
11 Click the Beam button on the Specifications dialog.
12 Click the Truss tab.
Note: Note that the Assign button is active, because the webs were already
selected.
13 Click the Assign button.
The truss specification is assigned to all web members, and MEMBER
TRUSS now appears in the Specification dialog. This makes the truss
specification available to assign to any other members in the model if
necessary.

Specifications
Toggle Specification and Highlight Assigned Geometry

The Toggle Specification checkbox appears in the Specifications dialog. Its
operation can be described as follows:
When the Toggle Specification checkbox is activated, the Assignment Method
works as a toggle to alternately apply and remove the assignment of the
selected specification by repeatedly clicking on an entity.
When Toggle Specification is deselected, a specification can be assigned by
clicking on an entity, but clicking on the same entity again has no effect.
Hint: It is recommended to generally work with the Toggle Specification option

turned off, and to only turn it on when the function is required. This helps to
avoid making unintended specification changes if a member is clicked for some
other purpose while the Toggle Specification option is still active.
The Highlight Assigned Geometry option provides a convenient way to visually

verify which members have been assigned a particular Specification. When the
Highlight Assigned Geometry checkbox is activated, all members that have
received the currently selected Specification will be highlighted graphically on the
screen.
Click File > Close to return to the Start Page. It is not necessary to save the current
file.

Supports
Supports
Open the dataset file named Properties 8.std, and move to the General tab,
Supports sub-tab.
The Supports dialog is used to define support or boundary conditions for a

structure.
Click the Create button to open the Create Supports dialog and view the available
types of supports.
Note: On the individual support tabs, the checkboxes labeled FX, FY, and FZ stand for
force and correspond to restraints against translation in the respective
directions. The checkboxes labeled MX, MY, and MZ stand for moment and
correspond to restraints against rotation about the respective axes.
Fixed and Pinned

At a fixed support, all degrees of freedom are restrained to prevent any
translation or any rotation.
At a pinned support, the three translational degrees of freedom are restrained,

but the three rotational degrees of freedom are unrestrained.
On the Fixed and Pinned tabs of the Create Support dialog, the controls for the six
degrees of freedom are grayed out, making them unavailable to edit.
Fixed But
A Fixed But support provides checkboxes to individually control the fixity or
release of the three translational and three rotational degrees of freedom. The
Fixed But support also provides the ability to assign a spring constant to any of the
six degrees of freedom in lieu of full fixity or full release.
Note: If a degree of freedom is fully released by toggling the checkbox on, the
associated Define Spring field becomes inactive, or grayed out.
Any combination of fully or partially released translational and/or rotational

degrees of freedom is permitted.

Supports
Enforced and Enforced But

An Enforced or an Enforced But support perform the same basic functions as the
Fixed and Fixed But supports. They are different from Fixed and Fixed But in the
following ways:
First, the Fixed and Fixed But supports cannot handle Support Displacement
loading if plates and/or solids are present in the model. The Enforced and
Enforced But supports were introduced to handle these conditions.
Second, the Fixed and Fixed But supports restrain certain degrees of freedom
when the global stiffness matrix is assembled. By contrast, the Enforced and
Enforced But supports actually maintain all degrees of freedom as active in
the global stiffness matrix, but they assign springs with extremely high
stiffness to the supports that are supposed to be restrained in certain
directions.
If a model does not include any support displacement loads for plates or solids, a
Fixed or Fixed But support offers faster calculation speed than Enforced or
Enforced But supports, because the program needs to include only those degrees
of freedom that are unrestrained (restrained degrees of freedom are known to
have zero displacement, and hence need not be considered). Thus, the stiffness
matrix will be smaller with Fixed or Fixed But supports as compared to Enforced
or Enforced But supports. If the model is large, using Fixed or Fixed But supports
where possible may result in a significant reduction in analysis time as compared
to using Enforced or Enforced But supports.

Supports
Multilinear Springs
Multilinear Springs provide the ability to model situations where the support
spring constant varies, depending on the magnitude of the deflection. As an
example, consider a cantilever beam that can deflect only a limited distance
before it encounters an obstruction, such as another structure.
As load is applied to the end of the cantilever in the negative Y direction, it

deflects downward. For a deflection between 0 and , the magnitude of the
displacement is equal to the applied force divided by some spring stiffness
constant K1, where K1 represents the amount of force required to displace the
spring a given unit of length. Once the deflection reaches , additional
displacements are dictated by some new spring constant K2, where K2 represents
the higher stiffness of the supporting material. In other words, once the
displacement reaches , it takes a much larger force to achieve an additional unit
of deflection of the beam.
Another example of a situation that can be modeled effectively with the

Multilinear Spring option is a pile, where the resistance varies in a manner that is
not linear with displacement.
Implementing multilinear spring supports is a four-step process:

1 A FIXED BUT support is created to define the initial stiffness value and the
direction(s) in which the spring(s) is/are active.
2 The FIXED BUT support is assigned to the appropriate nodes.
3 The Multilinear Spring is created by defining values of displacement versus
spring constant on the Multilinear Spring tab of the Create Support dialog.
(Up to 10 values of vs. K can be entered.)
4 The Multilinear Spring is assigned to the appropriate nodes.

Supports
Foundations
A Foundation type of support is available to model the effect of soil acting as a
linear elastic spring. A discrete spread footing or a mat foundation can be
modeled using this support specification. Foundation supports incorporate the
Modulus of Subgrade Reaction, a quantity that specifies the amount of force
required to displace a unit area of soil by a unit distance.
Note: Modulus of Subgrade Reaction has units of (Force/Area)/Displacement, e.g.

kip/ft2/ft {kN/m2/m}.
In a model, the spring constant for the soil at a particular node can be determined
by multiplying the subgrade modulus by the area of a spread footing or by the
influence area of the node in a mat foundation.
For irregularly-shaped or large mat foundations with many nodes, computing the
influence area by hand for each node can become quite tedious and time-
consuming, as shown in the figure below.
STAAD.Pro offers two Mat foundation options that can calculate all of the
tributary areas and derive the spring constants for each node automatically. These
are referred to as PLATE MAT and ELASTIC MAT, and they differ in the algorithm
used to determine the influence areas.
Hint: Refer to section 5.27.3 of the Technical Reference manual for additional
information.
When Mat foundations are used, there is an option to have them behave as
compression-only springs, so they will not resist any uplift forces if they tend to
develop. Also, there is an option to include in the output file the area that has
been used in the calculation of the spring stiffness of each joint used when
defining a Mat foundation.
Hint: See examples 23 and 27 in the STAAD.Pro Examples Manual.

Supports
Inclined
The Inclined Support resists displacements along user-defined directions that are
not constrained to be parallel to the global axes. Inclined supports are defined by
establishing a reference point, and orienting the support axes at a joint as follows:
The Y and Z axes of the inclined support axis system have the same orientation as
the local Y and Z axes of an imaginary member whose Beta Angle is zero and
whose incidences are defined from the inclined support joint to the reference
point.
One example of an application of an Inclined Support would be the cooling tower

shown below. When the cooling tower experiences expansion and contraction
due to temperature loads, the force at the supports is directed radially and
circumferentially, rather than along a particular global axis direction. The inclined
support could be used for this situation by specifying a reference point at the
center of the cooling tower.
Another example of an application of an Inclined Support would be the support at

the base of the sloping leg of the frame shown below.

Supports
An Inclined support at this location might be useful for at least two reasons:
First, it would resolve the reactions at the base of the sloping leg into
meaningful components acting parallel and perpendicular to the sloping leg.
Second, it would make it possible to define unique support conditions such as
a roller that would resist translation parallel to the sloping leg but would
permit translation in the direction perpendicular to the sloping leg.
In all other respects, the inclined support is the same as any other support.
Tension / Compression Only Springs

The Tension-only and Compression-only spring specifications are technically not
supports, but are actually modifiers to an existing spring type support. Therefore,
creating a support that behaves as a tension-only or compression-only support is
a two-step process, beginning with the assignment of a spring support followed
by the assignment of the appropriate tension-only or compression-only modifier.
As the name suggests, the assignment of this modifier permits only one type of
reaction force to develop, either tension or compression, in the selected
direction(s).
The assignment of Tension/Compression Only Springs triggers an iterative

solution if, after any of the cycles of analysis, the direction of the force in the
spring is in the wrong direction. If this is detected, then the support is removed
from that direction and a new analysis is performed.
The method of assigning supports to a structure is very similar to the method

used to assign member properties and specifications. The process will be
demonstrated in the following exercise.
Exercise: Assign Supports

1 The dataset file named Properties 8.std should currently be open. The
Support sub-tab of the General tab should be active, and the Create
Support dialog should still be open.
For this example, we will assume that the base of the column on the left
side of the model is to receive a Fixed support, and the base of the column
on the right is to receive a Pinned support.

Supports
2 Click on the Fixed tab, and click the Add button.

The Fixed support now appears as Support 2 in the list of supports at the
top of the Supports dialog.
3 Click the Create button.
4 Click on the Pinned tab, and click the Add button.
The Pinned support now appears as Support 3 in the list of supports at
the top of the Supports dialog.
5 Click the Support 2 (S2) (the Fixed Support) in the Supports dialog.
6 Click the Use Cursor to Assign radio button under the Assignment Method
category.
7 Click the Assign button, and then click on the bottom of the left column.
The fixed support symbol appears at the bottom of the left column.
8 Click the Support 3 (S3) (the Pinned Support) in the Supports dialog.
9 Click the bottom of the right column in the model.
The pinned support symbol appears at the bottom of the right column.
10 Click the Assigning button to turn off the assign mode.
Hint: It is good practice to turn off assign modes like this as soon as possible to
avoid assigning properties to the model unintentionally.
Note: In addition to the Fixed and Pinned supports, there is another item
called No support in the Supports dialog. This option is used to remove
a support that has already been assigned. Unlike the Toggle
Specification option discussed earlier, or the Toggle Load option coming
up in the next section, there is no Toggle Support option. To remove a
support from the model, the No support option is assigned to a
particular node by any of the available Assignment Methods.
11 Click File > Close to return to the Start Page. It is not necessary to save the
current file.

Loads and Load Definitions

Open the dataset file named Properties 9.std, and move to the General tab, Load
& Definition sub-tab.
The Load & Definition dialog is used to define, assign, and combine loads.
Click the New button to open a dialog named Create New Definitions / Load
Cases / Load Items. Note the four tabs across the top of the dialog: Definitions,
Load Case, Load Items, and Load Envelopes.
Definitions
The Definitions tab contains the options used to generate the DEFINE block of
data in the input file. If any Code-specified load cases such as wind, seismic, and
snow are used in a model, the DEFINE block is used to store the values for all of
the parameters required to define the load according to the specified Code. It is
also used to generate moving load cases, time history load cases, and pushover
loads.
Hint: The command syntax for these cases is explained in section 5.31 of the
STAAD.Pro Technical Reference manual.
Load Cases
The Load Case tab contains the dialog used to initiate a new load case (primary
load, moving load, or load combination) and assign it a case number.
When creating a Primary Load Case, the Loading Type list can be used to associate
the load case with one of the Building Code definitions of Dead, Live, Wind, and
so forth. This association is only required in two situations:
If load combinations will be generated automatically using STAAD.Pro's Auto
Load Combination Generator, and/or
If STAAD.Pro's Live Load Reduction feature will be used.

Live Load Reduction
When the Loading Type is set to Live, an option becomes available to specify that
the Live Load is to be considered reducible. STAAD.Pro has the ability to
automatically account for live load reduction, with some limitations. Some things
to remember about live load reduction in STAAD.Pro:
Only the rules for live load reduction on Floors have been implemented, not
the rules for Roofs.
Only the rules for live load reduction on Beams have been implemented, not
the rules for Columns.
Some codes prevent live load reduction for buildings designated as having
public assembly occupancies. In STAAD.Pro, there is no direct method for
specifying the occupancy type, so it cannot automatically account for this
provision. It is the user's responsibility to decide when it is or is not
appropriate to use the live load reduction feature based on this code
provision.
Some codes place limits on the amount of reduction that may be applied to
structures of certain other use groups such as garages. Again, in STAAD.Pro,
there is no direct method for specifying the occupancy type, so it cannot
automatically account for this provision. The user must decide when it is or is
not appropriate to use the live load reduction feature based on this code
provision.
Live Load Reduction is only applied to two specific types of loads that are
available in STAAD.Pro, namely the FLOOR LOAD and ONEWAY LOAD types. In
other words, Live Load Reduction will not be applied to some of the other
available load types that we will discuss next, such as nodal loads for example.
Load Combinations
When creating Load Combinations, STAAD.Pro offers the option to either Define
Combinations manually, or create them using the Auto Load Combination
Generator.
The Auto Load Combination Generator applies user-configurable rules to generate

combinations of loads based on their Loading Type. This is a very powerful
function, and it is covered thoroughly in another module.

The manual method of creating combinations is called Define Combinations. It

provides a variety of methods to factor and combine the results of selected load
cases:
Normal: Multiplies the results of selected load cases by the specified factor
and sums the factored results algebraically.
SRSS: Combines the results of selected load cases by calculating the Square
Root of the Sum of Squares of the results from the selected load cases.
Note: STAAD.Pro also provides the ability to combine loads in a mixed

algebraic and SRSS combination. The mixed combination could be
created by selecting the SRSS combination type, and then activating and
deactivating the checkbox labeled SRSS Component as necessary. When
the SRSS Component checkbox is activated, the selected load cases are
added to the load combination in the Square Root of the Sum of
Squares method. When the SRSS Component checkbox is deactivated,
the selected load cases are added to the load combination in the basic
algebraic format.
Absolute Value: Combines the results of selected load cases by calculating the
absolute values of the results of individual load cases, multiplying them by a
factor, and then summing them algebraically.
These options make it possible to create load combinations such as:

2 2
LC1 + LC2 LC3 + LC4
LC1 + LC2 + LC3 + LC4
Hint: More information on combining load case analysis results is provided in Section
5.35 of the Technical Reference manual.
Warning: The Load Combination methods mentioned here provide combinations of

the results from the individually analyzed constituent load cases. These
should be thought of as results combinations, since they do not actually
instruct STAAD.Pro to analyze the constituent load cases concurrently. As
such, they should only be used when the theories of superposition and
linear elasticity are valid. For all other situations, STAAD.Pro offers another
option called REPEAT LOAD, which serves as an instruction to analyze
combinations of load cases concurrently.

Load Items
The Load Items tab contains the dialogs used to add load data to Load Cases.
Some examples of Load Items are Nodal Loads, Member Loads, and Plate Loads.
The process of creating and assigning Load Items will be demonstrated in some
upcoming exercises.
Load Envelopes
The Load Envelope tab can be used to create Load Envelopes, which are groups of
Load Cases and/or Load Combinations created for convenience. The use of Load
Envelopes is optional, but an example of their use might be as follows:
An Envelope number 1 might contain all of the Load Combinations that are
appropriate for the LRFD design of steel members, and
An Envelope number 2 might contain all of the Load Combinations that are
appropriate for the design of concrete members, and
An Envelope number 3 might contain all of the Load Cases that are
appropriate for evaluating the seismic drift of the structure.
When Load Envelopes are created, they become a fast and convenient way to
select a particular set of loads to work with in the Post Processing mode.
Before you begin the exercises, please close the Create New Definitions / Load
Cases / Load Items dialog.
The following series of exercises will illustrate the process of creating Load Cases,
populating the Load Cases with Load Items, assigning the Load Items to the
model, and creating a Load Combination.
For the first exercise, we will create three primary load cases to represent a dead
load case, a live load case, and a wind load case.

Exercise: Creating Load Cases

1 The dataset file named Properties 9.std should currently be open. The
Load & Definition sub-tab of the General tab should be active.
2 In the Load & Definition dialog, click on the Load Cases Details line as
shown below:
3 Click the Add button.

The Add New: Load Cases dialog will appear, and the Primary item will be
selected by default.
4 Leave the Number field set to 1.
5 Select Dead from the Loading Type list.
Note: Setting the Loading Type is optional throughout this exercise, because
neither Live Load Reduction nor the automatic load combination
generator will be used.
6 Enter Dead Load in the Title field.
The Dead Load case now appears in the Load Cases Details category of the
Load & Definition dialog as shown below:
It also now appears in the list at the right end of the View toolbar at the
top of the screen as shown below. Until now, this field has been empty.

In the Add New: Load Cases dialog, note that the Number field has
automatically incremented to 2.
8 Select Live from the Loading Type list, and ensure that the Reducible per
UBC/IBC checkbox is deselected.
9 Enter Live Load in the Title field.
11 In the Add New : Load Cases dialog, select Wind from the Loading Type
list.
12 Enter Wind Load in the Title field.
14 Click the Close button to dismiss the Add New : Load Cases dialog.
This completes the process of creating the three primary Load Cases.
For the next exercise, we will assign the following loads to the model:
Dead Load: The self-weight of the structure only.
Live Load: A uniformly distributed load of 2 kip/ft {30 kN/m} in the downward
direction along the full length of the bottom chord of the truss.
Wind Load: Nodal loads of 1.2 kips {5 kN} in the X direction applied to each of
the top chord nodes on the left half of the truss.
Exercise: Populating the Load Cases with Load Items and Assigning them to
the Model
1 In the Load & Definition dialog, click on the Dead Load case in the list of
Load Cases Details as shown below:

The Add New : Load Items dialog contains all of the available load types
that can be defined.

Currently, the Selfweight Load item is selected. The default Direction

parameter is Y and the default Factor is -1. These parameters indicate an
unfactored load acting in the negative global Y (downward) direction.
3 Click the Add button, and then close the Add New: Load Items dialog.
The reference to the self-weight load will appear under the Dead Load
case as shown below:
The small graphic in front of the SELFWEIGHT Y -1 expression includes a

question mark. This is an indication that STAAD.Pro is expecting this load
to be assigned to specific members.
4 Click on the expression SELFWEIGHT Y -1.
5 Click the Assign To View option in the Assignment Method category of the
Load & Definition dialog, and then click the Assign button.
6 Click Yes in the pop-up dialog confirming the assignment.
The small graphic in front of the SELFWEIGHT Y -1 expression no longer
includes a question mark. This indicates that the load has been applied to
at least one member.
7 Click the cursor anywhere in the Main Window to deselect all of the
members.
8 Click on the Live Load case in the list of Load Cases Details as shown
below:
9 Click the Add... button.

10 Click the Member Load item in the Add New: Load Items dialog, and then
select the Uniform Force option.
A diagram is provided within the dialog to graphically describe the
meanings of the parameters available to define a Uniform Force.
The W1 parameter is the load intensity.
The parameters d1 and d2 allow the load to be applied to a specified
portion of the beam length (d1 and d2 are both distances measured
from the starting end of the member).
Note: If parameters d1 and d2 are left at their default value of zero, the load
will be applied along the full length of the member.
The parameter d3 can be used to specify a load that is offset from the
shear center.
The Direction category is used to specify the direction of the load.
X, Y, Z indicate directions relative to the local coordinate system axes.
GX, GY, GZ indicate directions relative to the global axes.
PX, PY, PZ indicate that a load acts in a particular global axis direction,
but the magnitude of the load is to be based on the projected length of
the member rather than the actual length measured along a slope.
Note: When loads are indicated to be along the projected length of the
member, the parameters d1, d2 and d3 are still measured along the
length of the member, not along the projected length.
Hint: Additional information is available in Section 5.32.2 of the STAAD.Pro

Technical Reference manual.
11 Enter -2 kip/ft {-30 kN/m} in the W1 field. The value is negative because
the load should act downward, that is, in the negative global Y direction.
12 Leave the parameters d1, d2 and d3 set to their default values of 0 so the
load will act at the shear center along the entire length of the beam.
13 Click the GY radio button in the Direction category.
14 Click the Add button followed by the Close button.

The reference to the uniform load appears under the Live Load case as
shown below:
Again, the graphic with the question mark indicates that STAAD.Pro is
expecting this load to be assigned to specific members.
15 Click on the expression UNI GY -2 kip/ft {UNI GY -30 kN/m} in the Load &
Definition dialog.
16 Click Select > By Group Name in the Menu Bar.
17 Click _BOTC, and then click Close.
18 Click the Assign to Selected Beams option in the Assignment Method
category of the Load & Definition dialog, and then click the Assign button.
19 Click Yes in the pop-up dialog confirming the assignment.
20 Click the Loads icon on the Structure toolbar to view the uniformly
distributed load on the bottom chord.
21 Click the cursor anywhere in the Main Window to deselect all of the
members.
22 Click on the Wind Load case in the list of Load Cases Details as shown
below:
23 Click the Add... button.

24 Click the Nodal Load item in the Add New: Load Items dialog. The Node
option will be selected by default.
25 Enter 1.2 kips {5 kN} in the Fx field, then click Add followed by the Close
button.
The reference to the nodal load will appear under the Wind Load case as
shown below:
26 Click on the expression FX 1.2 kip {FX 5 kN} in the Load & Definition dialog.
27 Click Use Cursor to Assign in the Assignment Method.
28 Click the Assign button. The text in the button changes to Assigning as
before, and the cursor graphic changes to the special assign nodal loads
cursor.
29 Click on each of the six nodes circled in the figure below:
30 Click the Assigning button to toggle the Assign mode off when finished.

Some final notes on populating the Load Cases with Load Items and assigning
them to the model:
This exercise demonstrated the use of explicitly defined and assigned Nodal
loads to represent wind load on the model. Be aware that STAAD.Pro also has
the ability to calculate code-specified wind pressures, determine influence
areas, and resolve pressures into Nodal loads. This method of generating wind
loads on a structure would be useful in a situation where there are influence
areas such as glass panels receiving wind pressure and transferring it to the
building frame. (See Example 15 in the STAAD.Pro Examples manual.)
The Load & Definition dialog has a Toggle Load checkbox located just above
the Assignment Method area. Its function is analogous to the Toggle
Specification checkbox described previously.
The Edit button provides the ability to edit the parameters used to define
whichever Load Item is currently selected in the Load & Definition dialog.
Within the Edit dialog there is a column headed with the check symbol. It
provides a checkbox for every node in the model that has been assigned the
selected load. All of these checkboxes are checked by default. Removing the
check from one of these checkboxes will remove the selected load from the
corresponding node. There is another column headed with the light bulb
symbol. It also provides a checkbox for every node in the model that has been
assigned the selected load. All of these checkboxes are unchecked by default.
Placing a check in any of the light bulb checkboxes will highlight the
corresponding node in the Main Window. This helps to establish which node is
which without having to relate to node numbers.
The Delete button can be used to delete a selected Load Item.
When the Load & Definition sub-tab of the General tab is active, STAAD.Pro
displays the graphic icons representing the Load Items assigned to the model.
Navigating to any other sub-tab will remove the display of the load icons.
There may be some times where modeling work needs to be done from a
different tab, but it would be helpful to be able to concurrently view the load
icons. The following exercise demonstrates how this can be done.

Exercise: Viewing Load Icons on Tabs other than the Load & Definition sub-
tab
Hint: Load icons should be visible on the screen because the Load & Definition
sub-tab of the General tab is currently active.
1 Click the Support sub-tab, and note that the load icons disappear.
2 Right-click the mouse inside the Main Window and select the Labels
command from the pop-up menu.
3 Click the Loads and Results tab in the Diagrams dialog.
4 Click OK to acknowledge the warning box that Force results are not
available.
5 Click the Loads checkbox, and ensure that the Show Load Arrow checkbox
is also selected in the Loads category, and then click Apply.
The load arrows for each of the nodal loads should now be displayed. Now,
to see the load values:
6 Click the Labels tab of the Diagrams dialog.
7 Click the Load Values checkbox in the Loading Display Options category,
and then click OK.
The load values are displayed on the structure.
The final exercise demonstrates the creation of a Load Combination that

combines the analysis results for the dead, live and wind loads.
Exercise: Creating a Load Combination

1 Click the Load & Definition sub-tab.
2 Click the Load Cases Details item in the Load & Definition dialog as shown
below:

4 In the Add New : Load Cases dialog, click the Define Combinations item.
The Load Number is automatically incremented to 4, and the Normal type
of combination is selected by default.

5 Enter LC1 + LC2 + LC3 in the Name field.

The Default factor is currently set to 1, which will be acceptable for the
purposes of this exercise.
All three of the existing load cases are currently listed in the Available Load
Cases box.
6 Click the double-right arrow button.
All three load cases are moved from the Available Load Cases box to the
Load Combination Definition box, with factors of 1.
To apply different factors for different Load Cases, either add the Load
Cases one at a time and edit the value in the Default factor field each time,
or add all Load Cases with a single factor and then edit the factors
individually in the Load Combination Definition box.
7 Click the Add button, and then click Close to dismiss the Create New
Definitions dialog.
The load combination now appears in the Load & Definition dialog with
the reference number 4. It has a blue graphic with the letter C for
combination to differentiate it from the load cases, which have a graphic
with the letter L in a box in the Load Case Details list.
8 Keep the current file open for use in the next section.

Materials
Materials
The Materials dialog is used to define and assign materials to entities in a model.
Let's review the Material sub-tab. If the model is not currently active, open the
dataset file named Properties 10.std. To access the Material sub-tab, click the
General tab, Material sub-tab.
The Isotropic tab of the Material dialog lists the four materials that are available
by default: steel, stainless steel, aluminum, and concrete. STAAD.Pro also allows
custom materials to be defined to represent plastic, fiberglass, etc Isotropic
materials consist of four material properties: Modulus of Elasticity, Poisson's
Ratio, Density, and Coefficient of Thermal Expansion and Contraction.
Note: Yield strength is NOT one of the four material properties associated with a
Material specification. Material strengths are specified in a different location of
the program having to do with design.
Hint: For models that will incorporate custom materials, it may be more efficient to
create the materials prior to assigning Properties. This way, the custom
materials are available to incorporate into the model when section properties
are assigned.
The Orthotropic tab can be used to create custom materials for plates that have a
different Modulus of Elasticity and Coefficient of Thermal Expansion and
Contraction in different directions.
The process of using this tab to assign materials to entities in a model is analogous
to the assignment methods we have already reviewed. In this particular model
there is no need to assign materials from this tab, because we associated the steel
material with all of our members when we defined Properties on the Property
sub-tab.
Click File > Close to return to the Start Page. It is not necessary to save the current
file.

Module Assessment
Module Assessment
the assessment to see what you have gained from completing this modele.
http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/543323/STAADProPropAssign

Module Assessment

Loads and Load Generators
Module Overview
This module discusses a variety of topics relating to the definition, generation,
and application of loads in STAAD.Pro. Through the use of exercises, this module
demonstrates: Dead Loads, Live Loads, Vehicle (Moving) Loads, Wind Loads, Snow
Loads, Seismic Loads (Equivalent Lateral Force Procedure), Reference Loads, and
Direct Analysis Notional Loads. It also includes discussion on: Load Definitions,
Load Cases, Load Items, Load Combinations, and Load Envelopes.
This module does NOT cover Time History Loads or Response Spectra Loads, as
they are covered in another module specifically oriented toward dynamics and
seismic analysis. Also, this module does not cover Pushover Definitions, as they
work hand in hand with a special type of analysis called a pushover analysis,
which is beyond the scope of this course.
Ability to create structure geometry using STAAD.Pro
Ability to assign member and material properties, supports, and loads in
STAAD.Pro
Ability to issue analysis commands and perform an analysis in STAAD.Pro
Jan-12 193 Loads and Load Generators

Module Objectives
Module Objectives
Understand and define primary load cases in STAAD.Pro
Understand and define load definitions and load items including: Vehicle
(moving) Loads, Wind Loads, Snow Loads, Reference Loads, Seismic Loads,
Direct Analysis Loads
Understand and define load items including: Self-Weight, Nodal Loads,
Member Loads, Physical Member Loads, Floor Loads, Temperature Load, Plate
Loads, Surface Loads, Solid Loads
Define and generate load combinations in STAAD.Pro
Create load envelopes in STAAD.Pro
Loads and Load Generators 194 Jan-12

Introduction
Introduction
The general progression of this module will be to create Load Cases and add Load
Items so that all of the pertinent topics are covered by exercises. Throughout the
training, we will issue commands through the Graphical User Interface (GUI) and
then view the resulting commands in the Loads & Definitions dialog or in the
STAAD.Pro input file. In order to demonstrate each of the different topics, the
model may eventually contain many different loads, but bear in mind that it is not
meant to represent a realistic loading condition. The metric values that are
provided in this module are not generally intended to be equivalent to the English
units.
The Load & Definition Dialog

Exercise: Explore the Load & Definitions Dialog
1 Open the dataset file named Loads 1.std.
2 Click the General tab, Load & Definition sub-tab. The Load & Definition
dialog opens on the right-hand side of the screen automatically.
This is the dialog from which all loads and related functions are accessed.
It contains the following:
Definitions
Load Cases Details, and
Load Envelopes
3 Click the + in front of the item named Definitions in the Load &
Definition dialog and notice the available sub-items:
Vehicle Definitions
Time History Definitions
Wind Definitions
Snow Definition
Reference Load Definitions
Seismic Definitions
Pushover Definitions, and
Direct Analysis Definition.

These all pertain to load types that require supplemental information in

the form of a definition before they can be applied to a model.
Each Definition item contains the options used to define code-specified
loading parameters such as the type of vehicle to use in a moving load
generation or the thermal factor to use in the creation of a code snow
load.
4 Click the item named Load Cases Details. The Load Cases Details item
provides a means to create load cases and to populate them with loads,
referred to as Load Items in STAAD.Pro. Presently no load cases have been
created in this model.
5 Click the Add button. The Add New: Load Cases dialog opens, and the box
on the left side of the Add New: Load Cases dialog defaults to Primary,
indicating that STAAD.Pro is prepared to create a new primary load case.
The other options will be covered in subsequent sections of this module.
Examples of typical Primary Load Cases include things like Dead Load, Live
Load, Wind Load to the East, or Seismic Load in the +Y with positive
eccentricity.
6 Leave the value in the Number field at its default value of 1.
7 Set the Loading Type to Dead.
Note: Selecting a Loading Type is only required if the automatic load

combination generator is to be used, or if the Live Load Reduction
feature is to be used. If neither is going to be used, the Loading Type can
either be left at the default of None, or it can be set to the
appropriate type, but it has no effect either way.
8 Leave the Title at its default of LOAD CASE 1.
9 Click the Add button, followed by Close.
The newly created Load Case is indicated in the Load & Definition dialog in
the form of a new line: L 1: LOAD CASE 1, under the Load Cases Details
item.
Note: It starts with the icon of the capital letter L indicating that it is a Load
Case. 1: LOAD CASE 1 simply echoes the number and title assigned to
this load case.
Hint: The corresponding line in the STAAD input file takes the form of:
LOAD 1 LOADTYPE Dead TITLE LOAD CASE 1

10 Click LOAD CASE 1 and then click Add. The Add New: Load Items dialog
opens and lists the available load items that could be added to the Load
Case, such as:
Self Weight Nodal Load Member Load

Physical Member Load Floor Load Plate Loads
Surface Loads Temperature Loads Seismic Loads
Time History Wind Loads Snow Load
Response Spectra Repeat Load Frequency
Note: This module does not cover Time History Loads or Response Spectra
Loads, as they are covered in another module specifically oriented
toward dynamics and seismic analysis.
11 Click Close to dismiss the Add New: Load Items dialog.
Note the item named Load Envelopes.
This item provides a way to define groups of loads called Load Envelopes
by selecting the constituent loads that comprise the envelope. For
instance, an envelope named Seismic Drift could be defined to contain
only those load combinations that contain the seismic terms that are
appropriate for evaluating building drift. In this way, Envelopes can be an
easy way to manage which load results are displayed in the Post Processor.
The use of Definitions, Load Cases Details, Load Items, and Load Envelopes
will be demonstrated in subsequent exercises.
12 The Load & Definition dialog has New, Add, Edit, and Delete buttons near
the bottom, followed by Assignment Method options that are common
throughout STAAD.Pro.
The New button will consistently open a dialog titled Create New
Definitions / Load Cases / Load Items. This dialog provides tabs titled
Definitions, Load Cases, Load Items, and Load Envelopes to access the
input forms for each of the respective items.
The Add button provides a way to access specific input forms. The Add
button opens a dialog that is specific to whichever item was selected
when the Add button was clicked.
13 Click the item named Definitions in the Load & Definition dialog, and then
click the Add button. The Add New: Definitions dialog opens providing
quick access to any of the items that require definitions such as Seismic,
Time History, Moving, Wind, Snow, and Pushover.

14 Close the Add New: Definitions dialog.
Note: The list of available Definitions should still be expanded from a previous
step, but if it is not visible, click the + in front of Definitions to expand
it.
15 Click the item named Vehicle Definitions. Now click the Add button, and
notice that this time, the Add New: Vehicle Definitions dialog opens.
Note: So to summarize, the Add button opens a dialog that is specific to

whichever item was selected when the Add button was clicked.
16 Close the Add New: Definitions dialog.
At this point, a Load Case number 1 titled LOAD CASE 1 has been created, but no
load items have been assigned to it, so it would have no effect on the model. In
order for it to have any effect, some Load Items must be added to the load case. It
would be the user's option to either populate LOAD CASE 1 with Load Items at
this time, or to create the rest of the Load Cases that would be required in the
model, and then populate the individual Load Cases. For the purposes of this
training, some Load Items will be added to LOAD CASE 1 next.

Self Weight
Self Weight
We will now begin to look at most of the individual load items that are available in
STAAD.Pro. One of the most commonly used load items is self weight. STAAD.Pro
has the ability to automatically incorporate the effects of member self weight by
using the section properties and the material properties. The following exercise
demonstrates how to use this feature.
Exercise: Apply Self-Weight

1 Continue working in the dataset file named Loads 1.std.
2 Remain on the General tab, Load & Definition sub-tab.
3 Click the line corresponding to 1: LOAD CASE 1 under Load Cases Details in
the Load & Definition dialog, and then click Add.
Note: If 1: LOAD CASE 1is not currently visible, click the + in front of Load
Cases Details.
4 The Add New: Load Items dialog opens with the Selfweight Load Item
selected by default.
Note: The current model has a default coordinate system orientation where
the global Y-axis is oriented vertically, so self-weight load should act in
the negative Y direction.
5 Ensure that the Y radio button is selected in the Direction category, and
that the Factor is -1. Click Add, followed by Close.
A new line appears in the Load & Definition dialog beneath the line
corresponding to 1: LOAD CASE 1. It starts with an icon that contains a
graphic of a question mark, and is then followed by: SELFWEIGHT Y -1
Note: The SELFWEIGHT Y -1 echoes the type of load item, the assigned
Direction, and the Factor. The graphic of a question mark is the
reminder that this is a type of Load Item that must be Assigned to
specific members in order for the load to have any effect.
Note: At this point, it is the users option to either Assign the Selfweight Load
Item to the appropriate members, or to continue to add more Load
Items to this Load Case, and then make all of the assignments later. We
will assign the Selfweight load to all members in the model now.

Self Weight
6 Click the SELFWEIGHT Y -1 line in the Load & Definition dialog. In the
Assignment Method category, choose the option to Assign To View and
click the Assign button. Confirm by clicking Yes in the pop-up dialog. All
members become highlighted in the Main Window indicating that the Self
weight command has been assigned to all members in the model.
Note: The graphic of a question mark is replaced with a new icon to indicate
that the load has been assigned to some members.
Hint: The corresponding data in the STAAD input file appears within the data
for Load 1 as follows:
SELFWEIGHT Y -1 LIST 1 TO 49
Hint: Be aware that if subsequent modeling steps add new members or plates
to the current model, the program does not automatically update the
list of members for which Selfweight should automatically be
considered. There is no way for the program to determine which
members should or should not be included in the list, so the user must
update the list either by editing it manually, or by reassigning the
Selfweight command to all members in the model.

Nodal Loads
Nodal Loads
Nodal loads can be applied in the form of forces/moments at joints or prescribed
linear/rotational displacements at joints. The following exercises will illustrate
both options.
Exercise: Add a Nodal Load

4 Click Nodal Load in the list of available Load Items in the Add New: Load
Items dialog.
The Node option is selected by default, and the input form allows for the
creation of forces and/or moments.
5 Enter a value of -0.2 kips {-0.2 kN} in the Fy field.
Note: The minus sign is required to indicate that the load acts in the
downward global Y direction.
6 Click Add, followed by Close. A new line appears in the Load & Definition
dialog in the form of: FY -0.2 kip,ft {FY -0.2 kN,m}.
Note: Again, it appears with the graphic of the question mark to indicate that it
must be Assigned in order to have any effect.

Nodal Loads
7 Click the new line that represents the nodal load, choose the option to
Use Cursor to Assign, click the Assign button, and click node number 17 as
shown in the figure below.
Node 17
8 Click the Assigning button to turn off the Assigning mode.
Note: The graphic of a question mark is replaced with a new icon to indicate
that the load has been assigned to some nodes.
JOINT LOAD
17 FY -0.2

Nodal Loads
Exercise: Apply Support Displacements

4 Click Nodal Load in the list of available Load Items, and then click the
Support Displacement option.
Note: The input form uses F buttons to represent linear displacements in each
of the three global axis directions, and M buttons to represent
rotational displacements about each of the three global axes.
Note: When any of the F buttons are selected, the input field is labeled
Displacement, and it requests input in linear units.
Note: When any of the M buttons are selected, the input field is labeled
Rotation, and it requests input in angular units.
Warning: Pay careful attention to the units associated with all of the input
fields. They default to the current input units, which may not
necessarily be the most logical unit system to use for any particular
input value. The current input units can be changed on the fly, and
the setting can be found in Tools > Set Current Input Unit.
5 Select the Fy radio button, and enter a Displacement of -0.0625 ft

{-0.0625 m}.
6 Click Add, followed by Close. A new line of data appears in the Load &
Definition dialog in the form of: FY -0.0625 ft { FY -0.0625 m}.

Nodal Loads
7 Click the new line that represents the support displacement load, choose
the option to Use Cursor to Assign, click the Assign button, and click the
node at the bottom of the column in the left rear of the isometric view
(joint #21), as indicated in the figure below:
Node 21
8 Click the Assigning button to turn the Assigning mode off.

9 Use the hotkey SHIFT + S to toggle off the graphic display of Supports. A
small graphic is visible at node #21 to indicate that a support settlement
assignment has been made there as shown below:

Nodal Loads
SUPPORT DISPLACEMENT LOAD
21 FY -0.0625
Note: This completes the list of available Load Items within the Nodal Load
category.

Member Loads
Member Loads
STAAD.Pro offers a variety of methods to apply loads to members. The following
exercises will demonstrate many of the available options.
Uniform Force
Exercise: Apply a Uniform Force
4 Click Member Load in the list of available Load Items in the Add New: Load
Items dialog.
The Uniform Force item is the first load option available under Member
Loads and should be selected by default.
The input for this item requires the specification of a magnitude and a
direction. If the intent is to specify a load acting downward, the GY
direction could be used and the magnitude should be specified as a
negative value. The parameters d1, d2 and d3 are used to specify the
extent and location of the load as follows:
d1 = distance from the starting node of the member (Node A) to the
start of the load.
d2 = distance from the starting node of the member (Node A) to the
end of the load.
d3 = Perpendicular distance from the member's shear center to the
plane of loading.
Note: If d1 and d2 are set to zero, then the load is applied over the entire
length of the member.
Note: Verify the actual application of loading when nonzero values of d3 are
used in conjunction with beta angles.

Member Loads
5 Set the parameters as follows:

W1: -1 kip/ft {-1 kN/m}
d1: 0 ft {0 m}
d2: 0 ft {0 m}
d3: 0 ft {0 m}
Direction: GY
Definition dialog in the form of: UNI GY -1 kip/ft { UNI GY -1 kN/m}.
Note: The graphic of the question mark reminds us that this load has not yet
been Assigned to any members. In order to have any effect, the load
must be Assigned to specific members.
7 Click the new line, and then choose the option to Use Cursor to Assign.
8 Click the Assign button, and then click member 13 as shown below.
9 Click the Assigning button to toggle off the Assigning mode.
MEMBER LOAD
13 UNI GY -1

Member Loads
Uniform Moment
The input parameters for a uniform moment are almost identical to those for a
uniform force. The only difference is that the magnitude is specified in units of
moment per length as opposed to force per length. A uniform moment will not be
added to this model.
Concentrated Force
Exercise: Apply a Concentrated Force
Items dialog.
5 Click the Concentrated Force option.
This option provides a way to specify a concentrated force by entering the
magnitude (P), the distance (d1) from the starting end of a beam to the
location of the force, and a lateral offset (d2) from the shear center to the
point of application.
P: -2 kip {-2 kN}
d1: 2 ft {2 m}
d2: 0 ft {0 m}
Direction: GY
Definition dialog in the form of: CON GY -2 2 0 kip,ft {CON GY -2 2 0 kN,m}.
Note: Again, the graphic of the question mark indicates that this is the type of
load that must be Assigned to specific members to have any effect.

Member Loads
8 Click the new line, choose the option to Use Cursor to Assign, click the
Assign button, and click member 14 as shown below:
Hint: The corresponding data in the STAAD input file appears under the
MEMBER LOAD command within the data for Load 1 as follows:
14 CON GY -2 2 0
Concentrated Moment
The input parameters for a concentrated moment are almost identical to those
for a concentrated force. The only difference is that the magnitude is specified in
units of moment as opposed to force. A concentrated moment will not be added
to this model.

Member Loads
Linear Varying
Exercise: Apply a Linear Varying Load
Items dialog.
5 Click the Linear Varying option.
There are two options for defining Linear Varying loads:
Specify the magnitude (W1) of the load at the starting node and (W2)
at the ending node, or
Specify a single load magnitude (W3) assumed to occur at the mid-
length of a beam to produce a triangular load that tapers to zero at
each end.
Regardless of which method is chosen, the direction of the load is
specified with respect to the member's local axis system using the radio
buttons in the Direction category.
W3: -1.5 kip/ft {-1.5 kN/m}
Direction: Y (Local)
Definition dialog in the form of: LIN Y 0 0 -1.5 kip/ft {LIN Y 0 0 -1.5 kN/m}.

Member Loads
Assign button, and click member 15 as shown below:
15 LIN Y 0 0 -1.5
Trapezoidal
The input parameters for a Trapezoidal load are very similar to those for a Linear
Varying load. A Trapezoidal load is defined by two magnitudes, but the
magnitudes are specified with respect to specific locations along the length of the
beam.
A Trapezoidal load does not necessarily have to run the full length of the beam.
The Trapezoidal load input form does not offer the ability to automatically create
a triangular load distribution like the Linear Varying load type does, but it does
offer the ability to define the load to act in any of the three local axis directions,
any of the three global axis directions, or in any of the three global axis directions
but to be distributed along the projected length of a member (PX, PY, PZ).

Member Loads
Hint: The projected versions of these loads can be useful for applying
Trapezoidal loads that represent snow drift, which is typically defined to
act on the horizontal projection of a sloping roof surface.
A Trapezoidal load will not be added to this model.
Hydrostatic
Exercise: Apply a Hydrostatic Load
Items dialog.
5 Click the Hydrostatic option.
The input parameters required to define a Hydrostatic loading are as
follows:
Interpolated along Global Axis: Since a Hydrostatic load is typically
used to represent a load that varies linearly along a certain direction, it
may be easiest to discuss the input parameters for a Hydrostatic load
by first describing the parameter titled Interpolated along Global
Axis. This category provides a choice of three Global Axes, and will be
used to identify the axis along which the Hydrostatic load will vary
linearly. For example, in a model with the Global Y axis oriented
upward, and subjected to a Hydrostatic load due to water behind a
dam, the appropriate choice for this parameter would be the Y axis.
Force: W1 and W2 are used to represent the magnitude of the force at
two different locations within the model. W1 represents the
magnitude of the force at the location within the current selection set
that has the minimum global coordinate measured along the axis
specified by the Interpolated along Global Axis parameter. W2
represents the magnitude of the force at the location within the
current selection set that has the maximum global coordinate
measured along that axis.

Member Loads
Direction: Options for specifying the direction of the loading include all
three local axis directions (X Local, Y Local, or Z Local), all three global
axis directions (GX, GY, or GZ), and an option to orient the force in a
global axis direction but to distribute it along the projected length of
the member (PX, PY, or PZ).
The text above the graphic that says, This option generates trapezoidal
loads on all selected beams. This load type is different than most others
in that it requires members to be selected before the load can be added.
The text below the graphic says, This option is currently disabled because
no beams are selected. Notice that there is a Select Member button on
the right hand side of the dialog. This is provided as a convenience so
members can be selected without having to close the dialog.
6 Click anywhere in the Whole Structure window to de-select any members
that might currently be selected.
7 Click the Select Member button, select member 32 as shown below, and
then click the Done button in the Selected Items dialog.
The focus returns to the Hydrostatic Loading dialog, and the input fields for the
remaining parameters become activated now that at least one member has been
selected.

Member Loads

W1: 1.5 kip/ft {1.5 kN/m}
W2: 0 kip/ft
Direction: Y (Local)
Interpolated along Global Axis: Y
Definition dialog in the form of: TRAP Y 0 1.5 kip/ft { TRAP Y 0 1.5 kN/m}.
Note: The Hydrostatic Loading dialog actually produces Trapezoidal loads.
Note: The graphic in front of the new line is not the same as the graphic used
to indicate a load item that must be Assigned to individual members.
This is because the Hydrostatic load requires the prior selection of the
members to which the load applies.
32 TRAP Y 0 1.5
Pre/Post Stress
Exercise: Apply Pre/Post Stress Loads
Items dialog.
5 Click the Pre/Post Stress option.

Member Loads
The Pre/Post Stress option provides a way to model prestressing and

posttensioning forces applied to individual beams. The input fields require
a Force magnitude. A positive value indicates precompression (along the
local x-axis), and a negative value indicates pretension. There are also
input fields available to indicate Eccentricity Distances between the
centroid of the member and the location of the prestressing force. Positive
values indicate offsets in the direction of the local Y axis, and negative
values indicate offsets in the negative local Y direction. There is an input
field for an eccentricity at the Start, the Middle, and the End of a member.
This loading is available in two Types:
Prestress - considers the effect of the prestressing force during its
application. In other words, the transverse shear generated at the ends
of members subject to prestress force is transferred to adjacent
members/supports. This can be thought of as being analogous to post-
tensioning a concrete beam after it has been cast monolithically with
its supports, such that the effects of the post-tensioning are
transferred into the adjacent monolithic members/supports.
Poststress - ignores the effect of the prestressing force during its
application and only considers the effects of the force after it has been
applied. Thus, the transverse shear at the ends of the members subject
to the poststress force is not transferred to adjacent members/
supports. This can be thought of as being analogous to prestressing a
plant-cast concrete beam, and then erecting it in a structure, so that
the effects of the prestressing forces are self-contained within the
beam and have no effect on the adjacent members/supports.
Note: The following steps illustrate how to apply prestressing forces to one of
the girders in the current model. It will require three sets of prestressing
force data to model the effects of prestressing strands that follow a
draped pattern along the length of the girder.
6 Enter the first set of parameters as follows:
Type: Prestress
Force: 10 kip {10 kN}
Start Eccentricity: 1 ft {0.25 m}
Middle Eccentricity: 0 ft {0 m}
End Eccentricity: -1 ft {-0.25 m}
7 Click Add.

Member Loads
8 Enter a second set of parameters as follows:

Type: Prestress
Start Eccentricity: -1 ft {-0.25 m}
Middle Eccentricity: -1 ft {-0.25 m}
End Eccentricity: -1 ft {-0.25 m}
9 Click Add.
10 Enter a third set of parameters as follows:
Type: Prestress
Start Eccentricity: -1 ft {-0.25 m}
Middle Eccentricity: 0 ft {0 m}
End Eccentricity: 1 ft {0.25 m}
11 Click Add, followed by Close. Three new lines of data appear in the Load &
Definition dialog in the form of:
PRESTRESS FORCE 10 ES 1 EE -1
{PRESTRESS FORCE 10 ES 0.25 EE -0.25}
PRESTRESS FORCE 10 ES -1 EM -1 EE -1
{PRESTRESS FORCE 10 ES -0.25 EM -0.25 EE -0.25}
PRESTRESS FORCE 10 ES -1 EE 1
{PRESTRESS FORCE 10 ES -0.25 EE 0.25}

Member Loads
12 Click the first line, PRESTRESS FORCE 10 ES 1 EE -1 {PRESTRESS FORCE 10

ES 0.25 EE -0.25}, and Assign it to the girder segment on the left end of the
structure (beam 1) as shown below:
13 Click the second line, PRESTRESS FORCE 10 ES -1 EM -1 EE -1 {PRESTRESS

FORCE 10 ES -0.25 EM -0.25 EE -0.25}, and Assign it to the girder segment
in the center of the structure (beam 2) as shown below:

Member Loads
14 Click the third line, PRESTRESS FORCE 10 ES -1 EE 1 {PRESTRESS FORCE 10

ES -0.25 EE 0.25}, and Assign it to the girder segment at the right end of
the structure (beam 3) as shown below:
Note: The effects of the Prestress forces at their assigned locations with
respect to the member centroid will now be properly incorporated into
the analysis.
for Load 1 as follows (files using metric units appear similar):
MEMBER PRESTRESS LOAD
1 FORCE 10 ES 1 EE -1
2 FORCE 10 ES -1 EM -1 EE -1
3 FORCE 10 ES -1 EE 1

Member Loads
Fixed End Load

Exercise: Apply a Fixed End Load
Assume that something is applying a 5 foot kip {5 kN m} torsional force to
the top of the column at the left front corner of the model (member #40),
and that it is to be applied in a counter-clockwise direction when viewed
from the top of the structure.
Items dialog.
5 Click the Fixed End option.
The Fixed End loading option provides a way to introduce axial forces,
shear forces, torsional moments, and/or bending moments to the start
node and/or the end node of a member.
Note: The values are entered with respect to the local coordinate system of
the member, and positive values produce force in the direction of the
positive local axis. Torsions and moments follow the right hand rule, so
a positive torsion or moment will have a vector that points in the
positive direction of the associated local axis.
6 Hover the Beams Cursor over the member and observe the Beam Ends
colors to establish the orientation of the column. The top end is green and
the bottom end is blue (using default Beam Ends colors), so the column
member starts at the top and runs to the bottom.
7 Consider the sign convention and direction of an applied torsion. A
positive torsion would have a vector that points from the top (start) to the
bottom (end) of the column. The right hand rule dictates that this would
produce a clockwise torsion (when viewed from the top), therefore to
produce the intended counter-clockwise torsion, the magnitude should be
entered as a negative value.
8 Enter a value of -5 kip ft {-5 kN m} in the Mx input field in the Start Node
category, and then click Add, followed by Close.
A new line of data appears in the Load & Definition dialog in the form of:
FXLOAD 0 0 0 -5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (kip ft)
{FXLOAD 0 0 0 -5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (kN m)}.

Member Loads
9 Click the new line, and use the cursor to assign the load to the corner
column (member #40) as shown below:
Hint: Even though Fixed End loads apply to member ends, the input form
requests force magnitudes at the Starting and Ending ends of a
member, implying that Fixed End forces get assigned to members, not
to nodes. If you click too close to a member end when assigning a Fixed
End force, it could inadvertently assign the force to an adjacent member
that happens to be connected to the same node. Therefore good
practice is to assign this type of force by clicking somewhere near the
middle of the member, to avoid an ambiguous assignment.
FIXED END LOAD
40 FXLOAD 0 0 0 -5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Member Loads
Physical Member Load

Exercise: Apply a Physical Member Load
4 Click Physical Member Load in the list of available Load Items in the Add
New: Load Items dialog.
Note: The available Load Items in the Physical Member Load category will all
appear familiar because they are a subset of the Load Items in the
Member Load category. The difference between Physical Member
Loads and regular Member Loads is that Physical Member Loads can
only be applied to physical members.
Note: Since Physical Member Loads are so similar to regular Member Loads,
we will just apply one type of Physical Member Load to demonstrate
the process.
Note: A single physical member already exists in this model. It consists of the
transverse beams at the left end of the long girders (members 16, 20,
24, and 28) as shown below:
16
20
24
28

Member Loads
5 The Uniform Force item is the first load option available under Physical
Member Loads and should be selected by default.
W1: -1.0 kip/ft {-1.0 kN/m}
d1: 0 ft {0 m}
d2: 0 ft {0 m}
d3: 0 ft {0 m}
Direction: GY
Definition dialog in the form of: UNI GY -1 kip/ft (Physical) {UNI GY -1 kN/m
(Physical)}.
Note: The new Load Item is specifically labeled as pertaining to Physical

members as a reminder.
8 Click the new line, choose the option to Use Cursor to Assign, and then
click physical member as shown below:

Member Loads
PMEMBER LOAD
1 UNI GY -1
10 Click File > Close to return to the Start Page. Click No when asked if you
want to save.

Floor Load
Floor Load
Floor Load is used to apply a pressure to a zone surrounded by beams that form a
closed loop. It offers the following functionality:
Floor Load offers options of: either one-way or two-way distribution.
While Floor Loads ultimately get distributed to members, they are assigned to
those members by defining coordinate ranges or Floor groups, rather than
being assigned directly to the members.
Floor Loads offer the ability to create patch loads within a floor. They are not
required to be assigned to an entire floor in order to be distributed correctly.
Floor Loads can be applied to sloping members; i.e. members in a plane that is
not parallel to one of the three global planes.
The input parameters for a Floor Load consist of the set of members to be loaded;
the magnitude of the Pressure; the Direction in which the pressure is to act; and
the Distribution option.
The set of members to be loaded can be specified in two ways:

It can be specified by defining a three-dimensional zone that completely
envelopes the members to be loaded, or
It can be defined by specifying a Floor group.
Note: If the Floor Load is going to be applied to ramps, pitched floors/roofs, or

members in any other sloping surface, the set of members to be loaded must
be specified by using a Floor group.
If the three-dimensional zone method is to be used, the first step is to identify the
global plane that is parallel (or nearly parallel) to the plane in which the members
lie. For example, if members lie in a plane parallel to the X-Z plane (like a typical
floor), the appropriate choice is the YRANGE option in order to specify minimum
and maximum Y coordinate values that envelope the members to be loaded.
Note: If the YRANGE is specified large enough, a given Floor Load can be applied to
the members of multiple floors at one time.
The next step in defining the set of members to be loaded by this method is to
provide the minimum and maximum coordinate values to define the envelope in
the other directions.

Floor Load
Note: For this exercise, we will use the Floor Group option, to demonstrate the
procedure that could be used to apply a Floor Load to either a level or a sloping
surface.
Exercise: Apply a Floor Load

Note: The previously added load items have been removed from this dataset
for clarity.
2 Click the General tab, Load & Definition sub-tab.
Assume that the intent is to assign a Floor Load to the region where the
members are shown highlighted in the figure below.
Note: For convenience, the dataset file already has a Floor group defined. It is
named _FLOORBEAMS, and it consists of the members shown
highlighted in the figure above.
3 Click the + in front of the Load Case Details in the Load & Definition
dialog.
5 Click Floor Load in the list of available Load Items in the Add New: Load
Items dialog.
The Floor item is selected by default.

Floor Load

Select the Group radio button. (The Member Group list opens,
showing the _FLOORBEAMS group selected by default.)
Pressure: -0.2 kip/ft2 {-0.2 kN/m2}
Direction: Global Y
Note: Floor Loads can be applied in all three Global directions. This could be
useful for applying in-plane friction loads.
Select the One Way Distribution checkbox, and leave the Towards list
box set to its default value of Longer Direction.
Definition dialog in the form of: _FLOORBEAMS ONE -0.2 GY.
8 Click the new line to see a graphic depiction of the resulting load
distribution.
The graphic indicates a One Way Distribution of load.
Note: It may be necessary to adjust the scale for distributed forces on the
Scales tab of the Diagrams dialog to view the graphic clearly.
The distribution direction is controlled by the setting in the Towards list in
the Floor Load dialog.
Note: We left it set to its default setting of distributing towards the Longer
Direction. So in our model with orthogonal framing, this results in
uniformly distributed line loads on the long beams, with no load being
attributed to the shorter beams.
9 Use the keyboard hotkey SHIFT + V to toggle on the display of Load Values
on the structure diagram. Notice that the load on the middle beam is
labeled as 2 times the magnitude of the other beams, as a convenient way
to verify that the load was distributed correctly.
10 Click the line that says _FLOORBEAMS ONE -0.2 GY in the Load &
Definition dialog, and then click the Edit button.
11 Deselect the option for One Way Distribution, and then click Change,
followed by Close. Notice that the corresponding line in the Load &
Definition dialog now appears as: _FLOORBEAMS FLOAD -0.2 GY.
Note: The graphical representation of the load in the Main Window changes to
indicate a two way distribution as shown in the figure below (similar for
metric units). This option uses rules (described below) to distribute load
in a manner that represents two-way action. In this example, it results

Floor Load
in trapezoidal loads on the long beams and triangular loads on the short
beams. Again, the middle beam is labeled as 2 times the magnitude of
the other beams.
12 Use the keyboard hotkey SHIFT + V again to toggle off the display of Load
Values.
FLOOR LOAD
_FLOORBEAMS FLOAD -0.2 GY

Floor Load
Some additional notes pertaining to Floor Load:

In a case where a Floor Load has been created using XRANGE, YRANGE, or
ZRANGE, the load would normally be applied perpendicular to the Y-Z, X-Z, or
X-Y planes respectively, and the Direction parameter is actually optional in the
input file.
However, by using the Direction parameter to redirect a Floor Load created in
this way, the Floor Load can be made to act as an in-plane load in a specified
direction. The total load magnitude would be calculated as the product of the
specified pressure times the actual area of the loaded plane, even if the
loaded plane is inclined.
In a case where a Floor Load has been created using the Group option to
specify the loaded members, the Direction parameter is not optional. The
user must specify a Direction in this case. The total load to be applied will be
based on the specified pressure acting on the actual area of the loaded plane.
Note: Previous versions used to calculate the total load magnitude as the
product of the specified pressure times the projected area of the loaded
plane.
The effect of the default (two-way) distribution is illustrated below in a
graphic taken from the Technical Reference manual:
6 units
4 units
6 units 4 units

Floor Load
For irregular conditions such as the one shown below, the procedure for
determining a two-way distribution of load is to first locate the CG of the
panel. Then each corner is connected to the CG to form triangles. For each
triangle, a line is constructed through the CG and perpendicular to the
opposite side. If the point of intersection of the perpendicular line and the
opposite side falls outside the triangle, the area of that triangle is calculated
and an equivalent uniformly distributed load (UDL) is applied on that side.
Otherwise a triangular load is applied on the side as shown below:
Triangular
Triangular
CG
Triangular
Triangular
Triangular
If the One Way Distribution option is used, a list box becomes active to allow
options to specify the direction of load distribution. The default option is to
distribute the load to the longer beams in a bay.
In addition to the default direction for One Way Distribution, it is also possible
to identify the distribution direction by selecting a beam number from the list
box labeled Towards. The list will automatically include all of the members
that fall within the XRANGE, YRANGE, ZRANGE, or Floor group, depending
upon which command was used. Load will then be distributed perpendicular
to the selected beam.
Warning: If the One Way Distribution option is used in a model with bays that
are square, the Floor Load command will not apply load to either
side of the square bays.

Snow Load
Snow Load
In order for a Snow Load to have an effect on the structure, it must be defined and
then Assigned to the structure. By default, Snow Loads must be Assigned to Floor
groups. So in anticipation of this, another Floor group has been created in the
current model. It is named _SNOWBEAMS, and it consists of all members in the
horizontal plane as shown below.
Exercise: Apply a Snow Load

Note: Snow Load is the first example we have encountered of a load that
requires a Definition.
3 Click the + in front of the Definitions line in the Load & Definition dialog
to expand the list of available Definitions that can be created.
4 Click Snow Definition, and then click Add.
When applying a Snow Load, a Definition is used to provide STAAD.Pro
with values for the parameters necessary to calculate the flat roof snow
load, pf, based on (Eq. 7-1) in ASCE 7-02, such as Ground Snow Load,
Exposure, Thermal Factor, and Importance Factor.

Snow Load
Note: Multiple Snow Definitions can be provided within a single model if

necessary to address various combinations of Exposure, Thermal Factor,
and Importance Factor that could potentially be encountered within a
single structure.
Note: If multiple Snow Definitions are provided, they are distinguished by a

unique Type Number that gets assigned to each.
5 Create one Snow Definition by entering the parameters as follows:
Type No: 1 (accept the default)
Ground Snow Load: 0.030 kip/ft2 {0.030 kN/m2}
Exposure Factor: 0.9
Thermal Factor: 1.1
Importance Factor: 1.0
Definition dialog in the form of: TYPE 1 PG 0.03 CE 0.9 CT 1.1 I 1.
Hint: The corresponding data in the STAAD input file appears as follows:
DEFINE SNOW LOAD
TYPE 1 PG 0.03 CE 0.9 CT 1.1 I 1
8 Click Snow Load in the list of available Load Items in the Add New: Load
Items dialog.
The Snow Load Item is selected by default, and it offers lists to set the
following parameters:
Floor Group: The Floor Group list identifies the individual Floor Group
to which the current snow load item will be applied.
Condition: The condition provides a toggle between Balanced and
Unbalanced. This determines whether the magnitude of this particular
Snow Load Item is to be calculated assuming that it represents a
balanced condition, or if it is to be calculated based on the rules for
unbalanced Snow Loads.
Defined Snow Type: The Defined Snow Type specifies which Snow
Definition is to be used to calculate the magnitudes of the Snow Loads
created by this particular Snow Load Item.

Snow Load
Roof Type: The Roof Type list is used to select Mono, Hipped, or Gable.
STAAD.Pro uses this to determine the minimum values of pf for Low-
Slope roofs per section 7.3.4 of ASCE 7-02 and to apply the
requirements of section 7.6.1 for unbalanced snow loads for hip and
gable roofs.
Note: Choosing Default for the Roof Type is the same as choosing Mono.
Roof Obstruction: The Roof Obstruction list is used to indicate whether
the roof is Obstructed or Unobstructed.
Note: Choosing Default for the Roof Type is the same as choosing
Unobstructed.
Roof Slope Factor: The Roof Slope Factor checkbox provides control
over the way STAAD.Pro determines the Roof Slope Factor, Cs. If the
checkbox is selected, the adjacent field becomes available to enter the
desired value for the Cs factor manually. If the checkbox is deselected,
STAAD.Pro determines the slope factor automatically based on roof
slope, Thermal Factor, and obstruction setting.
Note: Roof slope is calculated for the Floor Group on which load is applied.
Therefore, in structures with roof planes of different slopes, each slope
should be formed as a unique Floor Group.
Floor Group: _SNOWBEAMS
Condition: Balanced
Defined Snow Type: 1
Roof Type: Mono
Roof Obstruction:UNOBSTRUCTED
Roof Slope Factor: Leave Deselected
Definition dialog in the form of: _SNOWBEAMS BALANCED TYPE 1 MONO
UNOBSTRUCTED. Since it is already assigned to the Floor Group named
_SNOWBEAMS as a result of the selection in the Floor Group list, no
explicit assignment step is required.
Note: No graphical depiction of the Snow Load is shown on the structure

diagram at this time.

Snow Load
SNOW LOAD
_SNOWBEAMS BALANCED TYPE 1 MONO UNOBSTRUCTED

Temperature Load
Temperature Load
The Temperature command can be used to apply temperature differentials to
members, plates, and solids.
Exercise: Apply a Temperature Load

Assume the goal is to simulate a temperature differential causing axial
effects of a 70 degree temperature increase, and bending effects due to a
40 degree temperature differential across the depth of the girder shown
highlighted below, where the tops of the girders are hotter than the
bottoms.
4 Click Temperature Loads in the list of available Load Items in the Add New:
Load Items dialog.
The Temperature option will be selected by default.
Note: For this exercise, the Strain command will not be used.
The Temperature command provides a way to assign three different
temperature change values:

Temperature Load
Temperature Change for Axial Elongation causes axial elongation in

members or uniform volume expansion in plates and solids. No
bending stresses are induced directly as a result of this type of
temperature load.
Temperature Differential from Top to Bottom can be used to represent
a temperature gradient across the depth of a member or across the
thickness of a plate, but is not applicable to solids. If a value is provided
for this parameter, then bending stresses will be induced directly as a
result of bending. In a beam, this will be bending about the local z axis,
i.e. strong-axis bending for a wide flange beam.
Note: The top of a member corresponds to the flange on the positive side
of the member's local y axis. The top of a plate corresponds to the
surface on the positive side of the plates local z axis.
Temperature Differential from Side to Side can be used to represent a
temperature gradient across the width of a member, but is not
applicable to plates or solids. If a value is provided for this parameter, it
will be considered to represent a temperature gradient in the direction
of the local z axis of a member and will induce bending about the local
y axis, i.e. weak-axis bending for a wide flange beam.
Note: The temperature unit is based on the unit chosen for the coefficient of
thermal expansion, ALPHA, under the CONSTANT command, or through
the association of a member, plate, or solid with a particular material
listed in the Materials table.
Temperature Change for Axial Elongation: 70 {70}
Temperature Differential from Top to Bottom: -40 {-40}
Temperature Differential from Side to Side (Local Z): 0 {0}
Definition dialog in the form of: TEMP 70 -40.
Note: The leading graphic icon with the question mark indicates that this is the
type of load that must be assigned to specific members in order for it to
have any effect on the structure.
Assign button, and click members 13, 14, and 15 as shown in the figure
above.

Temperature Load
The structure diagram now displays small graphic arrows on all members
that have been assigned a Temperature Load.
TEMPERATURE LOAD
13 TO 15 TEMP 70 -40
Some additional notes pertaining to the Strain option:

In the Strain command it is possible to enter an actual strain value for the axial
dimension of a member. Positive values represent elongation and negative
values represent shrinkage. In this field, Strain is entered in the current length
units, not as a percentage. Therefore this value must be entered as a value
representing L, not as a decimal or fraction representing L/L.
STAAD.Pro also recognizes an additional command called STRAINRATE. It is not
currently accessible through the Graphical User Interface, so it would have to
be entered directly in the input file. It allows the strain to be entered in the
form of a change in length per unit length. This command might be a more
convenient way to apply a uniform strain value to a set of members of various
lengths.
Note: The two options for assigning Strain loads are only applicable to members.
These commands cannot be assigned to plates or solids.

Plate Loads
Plate Loads
Pressure on Full Plate

Exercise: Apply a Pressure on Full Plate Load
4 Click Plate Loads in the list of available Load Items in the Add New: Load
Items dialog.
The Pressure on Full Plate item is the first load option available under
Plate Loads and should be selected by default.
The Pressure on Full Plate load item under the Plate Load category
provides an input for a Load magnitude, W1, in units of force per area, and
the load Direction, where the options include the three global axis
directions and the three local axis directions for a plate.
Note: Local z is always perpendicular to a plate's surface, and SHIFT+T is the

hotkey to toggle the display of plate orientation in the structure
diagram.
Load W1: 0.5 kip/ft2 {0.5 kN/m2}
Direction: Local Z
Definition dialog in the form of: PR 0.5 kip/ft2 {PR 0.5 kN/m2}.
Note: No direction is indicated in this data, because the Local Z option that we
chose is the default for this command. However, if the Direction had
been set to any option other than Local Z, the command would have
included a two-letter indicator of that direction.
type of load that must be assigned to specific plates in order for it to

Plate Loads
7 Click the new line in the Load & Definition dialog, select the option to
Assign to Edit List, enter 42 in the list, and click Assign. Plate 42 becomes
outlined in blue to signify that the load has been applied or Assigned.
8 In the Load & Definition dialog, click to a Load Item in a different Load Case
temporarily, and then click back on the line for this Pressure Load. This
forces the screen to redraw and show the graphic representation of the
loading as seen in the figure below (similar for metric units):
ELEMENT LOAD
42 PR 0.5

Plate Loads
Concentrated Load
Exercise: Apply a Concentrated Load on a plate
Assume that the goal is to apply a 5 kip {5 kN} concentrated load at the
centroid of plate 43 and in the Global X direction.
Items dialog.
5 Click the Concentrated Load item.
The Concentrated Load item provides fields for the Force magnitude and
the location in terms of the local X and local Y coordinates of the plate. In
other words, the location of a Concentrated plate load is defined with
respect to the centroid of the plate to which it is assigned
Hint: Remember that the hotkey SHIFT+T toggles the display of local axes for
plates in the structure diagram for reference.
The Direction category offers options of Local Z, Global X, Global Y, or
Global Z directions.
Force: 5 kip {5 kN}
X: 0 ft {0 m}
Y: 0 ft {0 m}
Direction: Global X
Definition dialog in the form of: PR GX 5 0 0 kip {PR GX 5 0 0 kN}.
Hint: The PR command for a Concentrated Plate Load appears the same as
the PR command for the Pressure on Full Plate Load. Don't be
deceived by the similarity. PR does not necessarily represent
Pressure.
type of load that must be Assigned to specific plates in order for it to

Plate Loads
Assign to Edit List, enter 43 in the list, and click Assign. The structure
diagram displays the new load as a single arrow at the centroid of plate 43
as shown in the figure below:
43 PR GX 5 0 0

Plate Loads
Partial Plate Pressure Load

The Partial Plate Pressure Load Item contains input parameters that are analogous
to the parameters in the Concentrated Load Item. The schematic diagram in the
Add New: Load Items dialog shows the application for this load item, which is to
apply a uniform pressure over a rectangular portion of a plate. The Load category
provides inputs for:
W1: the load magnitude in units of force per area
X1, Y1: the coordinates of one corner of the load rectangle
X2, Y2: the coordinates of the opposite corner of the load rectangle
Direction: The Direction category offers options of Local Z, Global X, Global Y,
or Global Z directions.
Exercise: Apply a Partial Plate Pressure Load

Assume the goal is to apply a pressure of 0.6 kip/ft2 {0.6 kN/m2} in the
Global X direction to a 4-foot by 4-foot {4 m by 4 m} area centered on the
centroid of plate 44.
Items dialog.
5 Click the Partial Plate Pressure Load item.
W1: 0.6 kip/ft2 {0.6 kN/m2}
X1: -2 ft {-2 m}
Y1: -2 ft {-2 m}
X2: 2 ft {2 m}
Y2: 2 ft {2 m}
Direction: GX
Definition dialog in the form of: PR GX 0.6 -2 -2 2 2 kip/ft2 {PR GX 0.6 -2 -2
2 2 kN/m2}.

Plate Loads
Note: Partial Plate Pressure loads are described using coordinates relative to
the local coordinate system of the plate.
type of load that must be Assigned to specific plates in order for it to
diagram displays the new load as a patch load in the specified area on
plate 44 as shown in the figure below (similar for metric units):
44 PR GX 0.6 -2 -2 2 2
9 Toggle between Load Items in Load Case 1 to observe that whichever Load
Item is currently selected in the Load & Definition dialog is displayed in
blue on the structure diagram, and all others are displayed in green.

Plate Loads
Trapezoidal
The Trapezoidal item provides a way to assign a pressure load to an entire plate,
while offering the option to vary the pressure in a linear way. The variation of
pressure magnitude can be described three different ways:
Variation along the local X direction: by entering the pressure intensity at the
corner with the lowest local X coordinate and the pressure intensity at the
corner with the highest local X coordinate, as shown below:
Variation along the local Y direction: by entering the pressure intensity at the
corner with the lowest local Y coordinate and the pressure intensity at the
corner with the highest local Y coordinate, as shown below:

Plate Loads
Intensity at each Corner: by entering the pressure intensity at each joint

defining the corners of the plate, as shown below:
Note: When using the Joint option to define a Trapezoidal load on a 4-noded plate,
STAAD.Pro will accept a warped load plane. The four magnitudes used to
describe the load are not required to fall on a common plane.
Exercise: Apply a Trapezoidal Load on a plate

Assume the goal is to apply a Trapezoidal Load to plate 45.
Items dialog.
5 Click the Trapezoidal item, then set the parameters as follows:
Direction of Pressure: GX
Variation along element: X
Start (f1): 0.5 kip/ft2 {0.5 kN/m2}
End (f2): 0.1 kip/ft2 {0.1 kN/m2}
Definition dialog in the form of: TRAP GX X 0.5 0.1 kip/ft2 {TRAP GX X 0.5
0.1 kN/m2}.

Plate Loads
type of load that must be assigned to specific plates in order for it to
diagram displays the new load on plate 45 as shown in the figure below:
45 TRAP GX X 0.5 0.1
want to save.

Plate Loads
Hydrostatic
The Hydrostatic item provides a way to assign a linear varying pressure load to a
selection set of plates. The procedure and parameters for specifying a Hydrostatic
load on plates are analogous to those for Hydrostatic loads on members.
The input parameters required to define a Hydrostatic load are as follows:

Interpolate along Global Axis: Since a Hydrostatic load is typically used to
represent a load that varies linearly along a certain direction, it may be easiest
to discuss the input parameters by first describing the parameter titled
Interpolate along Global Axis. This category provides a choice of three
Global Axes, and is used to identify the axis along which the Hydrostatic load
varies linearly. For example, in a model with the Global Y axis oriented
upward, and subjected to a Hydrostatic load due to water behind a dam, the
appropriate choice for this parameter would be the Y axis.
Force: W1 and W2 are used to represent the magnitude of the pressure at two
different locations within the model. W1 represents the magnitude of the
pressure at the location within the current selection set that has the minimum
global coordinate measured along the axis specified by the Interpolate along
Global Axis parameter. W2 represents the magnitude of the pressure at the
location within the current selection set that has the maximum global
coordinate measured along that axis.
Direction of Pressure: Options for specifying the direction of the loading
include Local Z, and all three global axis directions (GX, GY, or GZ).
Exercise: Apply Hydrostatic Load to plates

file for clarity, and the plate in the foreground has been meshed for
illustration purposes.
3 Click the + in front of Load Cases Details in the Load & Definition dialog.
Items dialog.
6 Click the Hydrostatic item.

Plate Loads
Note: The Hydrostatic load type is different than most others in that it requires
members to be selected before the load can be added. The note below
the graphic says, This option is currently disabled because no plates
are selected. Notice that there is a Select Plate(s) button on the right
hand side of the dialog. This is provided as a convenience so plates can
be selected without having to close the dialog.
7 Click the Select Plate(s) button. The Selected Items dialog opens and
allows individual plates to be selected using the Plates Cursor.
To facilitate the selection of a specific set of plates, a plate type group has
been created in the current model. It is named _HYDROPLATES, and it
consists of all of the plates shown highlighted in the figure below:
8 Click Select > By Group Name.

Plate Loads
9 Click _HYDROPLATES (the word, not the associated check box) in the
Select Groups dialog as shown in the figure below:
Note: The Selected Items dialog becomes populated with the numbers of the
selected plates.
10 Click the Close button in the Select Groups dialog.
11 Click the Done button in the Selected Items dialog. The focus returns to
the Hydrostatic dialog, and the input fields for the remaining parameters
become activated now that at least one plate has been selected.
W1: 1.5 kip/ft2 {1.5 kN/m2}
W2: 0 kip/ft2
Interpolated along Global Axis: Y
Direction: GX
13 Click Add, followed by Close. Many new lines of data appear in the Load &
Definition dialog. The first new line is in the form of: TRAP GX JT 1.5 0 0 1.5
kip {TRAP GX JT 1.5 0 0 1.5 kN}.

Plate Loads
Note: Notice that this load, which was created as a Hydrostatic load, is actually
converted into a Trapezoidal load in the format that specifies pressures
at the four corners of a quadrilateral plate. The new line represents a
Trapezoidal load in the Global X direction. It describes the pressure
variation as follows:
Corner A pressure = 1.5 kip/ft2 {1.5 kN/m2}
Corner B pressure = 0 kip/ft2 {0 kN/m2}
Corner C pressure = 0 kip/ft2 {0 kN/m2}
Corner D pressure = 1.5 kip/ft2 {1.5 kN/m2}
Hint: Remember that double-clicking any plate with the Plates Cursor invokes
the Plate Query function. This may be the fastest way to relate plate
corners to node numbers, because the Plate Query dialog lists the node
numbers for plate corners in order A, B, C, and D for quadrilateral
plates.
Note: The graphic in front of the new lines is not the usual graphic that
indicates that a load item must be assigned to individual members. This
is because the Hydrostatic load requires the prior selection of the plates
to which the load applies.
14 Click any of the new lines of data in the Load & Definition dialog. The
graphic representation of the Hydrostatic (Trapezoidal) load should be
displayed on the structure diagram.
Note: If the graphic display is not immediately visible, click to a different tab in
the Page Control, and then back to the Load & Definition tab to force
the display to redraw and rescale.
15 Click Select > By List > Plates...
16 Click plate number 60 in the Select Plates list, and then click Close.
17 Click View > View Selected Objects Only.

Plate Loads
18 Press the keyboard hotkey SHIFT + V to toggle on the display of Load

Values. Observe how the Hydrostatic load command results in a
distribution of pressure as expected on plate 60. This plate is at the
bottom of a 5-element high mesh, and the pressures vary from the
maximum of 1.5 kip/ft2 {1.5 kN/m2} to a minimum of (4/5) x 1.5 kip/ft2 =
1.2 kip/ft2 {(4/5) x 1.5 kN/m2 = 1.2 kN/m2}.
ELEMENT LOAD
50 TRAP GX JT 1.5 1.2 1.2 1.5
. . .
42 TRAP GX JT 1.5 0 0 1.5
19 Press the keyboard hotkey SHIFT + V again to toggle off the display of Load
Values.
20 Click View > View Selected Objects Only to restore the view of the full
model.

Plate Loads
Element Joint Load

The Element Joint Load Item provides a way to assign a varying pressure load to a
portion of a model. The loaded location is defined by indicating the numbers of
the three or four nodes that identify the corners of the loaded area. The total load
will be calculated and then distributed to the corner nodes only, in the form of
nodal loads. No other nodes within the loaded area will receive a contribution of
the load.
Even though this Load Item is in the Plate Loads category, it does not actually get
assigned to plates. In fact, it has nothing to do with plates, and is applicable to any
model, because it applies to nodes.
Exercise: Apply an Element Joint Load

Items dialog.
5 Click the Element Joint Load Item.
Choose Three Noded Facet
Node No: 20 Pressure: -1.5 kip/ft2 {-1.5 kN/m2}
Node No: 4 Pressure: -2 kip/ft2 {-2 kN/m2}
Node No: 1 Pressure: -0.1 kip/ft2 {-0.1 kN/m2}
Direction: Local Z
Note: This load is about to be applied to a particular portion of the model. This
particular portion does not correspond to a single plate in the model. In
fact, there are no plates located in this portion of the model. We are
specifically adding the load in this location to demonstrate the fact that
this Load Item results in joint loads, and has nothing to do with plates.
In this application, Local Z option in the Direction category refers to an
implied local Z axis, as if the coordinates of the loaded region actually
defined a physical plate in the model.

Plate Loads
Definition dialog in the form of: 20 4 1 FACETS 1 PRESSURE -1.5 -2 -0.1 kip/
ft2 {20 4 1 FACETS 1 PRESSURE -1.5 -2 -0.1 kN/m2}
Note: This command indicates that nodes 20, 4, and 1 define a facet. The next
numeral 1 indicates that the command will generate just this one
loaded facet. The values -1.5, -2, and -0.1 indicate the respective
pressure magnitudes to be applied at the three corners of the loaded
area.
8 Click the new line of data in the Load & Definition dialog.
The structure diagram shows a 3D shaded solid region as a graphic
representation of the Element Joint Load. Based on the order that the
corner nodes of the loaded region were defined 20 - 4 - 1, the right-hand
rule dictates that the loaded region would have a normal vector that
points upward, in the same direction as the Global Y axis. Therefore the
Local Z direction for this loaded region would be upward. For this
reason, the negative pressure magnitudes produce a load prism that is
drawn on the top side of the loaded area, with arrows pointing down at
the corners, to confirm that the load acts downward.
Warning: Remember that Element Joint Loads only result in point loads at the
corners of the facets. None of the intermediate nodes under the
load prism receive load from an Element Joint Load.
Hint: The Technical Reference manual describes the syntax for using this
command to automatically generate multiple loaded facets by providing
the values by which each of the corner node numbers are to be
incremented, and the number of facets to be generated.
ELEMENT LOAD JOINT
20 4 1 FACETS 1 PRESSURE -1.5 -2 -0.1
want to save.

Surface Loads
Surface Loads
Concentrated Load
Exercise: Apply a Concentrated Load on a Surface
file for clarity, and two surfaces have been added to the model.
Assume that the goal is to apply a 2 kip {2 kN} load at the center of surface
1 that acts in the negative Global Z direction.
5 Click Surface Loads in the list of available Load Items in the Add New: Load
Items dialog.
The Concentrated Load option is selected by default.
The input parameters in the Concentrated Load dialog consist of:
Load: The Load category is where the Force magnitude and location
can be specified.
Note: The location of a Concentrated Load is specified with respect to the local
axes of the surface.
Direction: In the Direction category, you can choose from Local Z,
Global X, Global Y, or Global Z axis.
6 Click on the Structure Diagram to put the focus on that window.
7 Press the keyboard hotkey CONTROL (CTRL) + SHIFT + T to toggle on the
display of Surface Orientations.
8 Press the keyboard hotkey CONTROL (CTRL) + SHIFT + P to toggle on the
display of Surface Numbers. The local axis system for surface 1 is located
so that its origin is at the lower left corner of the surface, and is oriented
such that all of the local axes are parallel to the corresponding Global axes.

Surface Loads
9 Set the parameters in the Add New: Load Items dialog as follows:
Force: -2 kip {-2 kN}
X: 60 ft {18 m}
Y: 12.5 ft {3.75 m}
Direction: GZ
Definition dialog in the form of: PR GZ -2 60 12.5 kip {PR GZ -2 18 3.75 kN}.
Hint: The PR command for a Concentrated Surface Load appears the same as
the PR commands for Pressures on surfaces. Dont be deceived by the
PR. It does not necessarily represent PRessure.
type of load that must be assigned to specific surfaces in order for it to
11 Click the new line in the Load & Definition dialog; select the option to Use
Cursor to Assign, click Assign, click surface 1, and then click Assigning to
turn off the Assigning mode. The structure diagram displays the new load
on surface 1 as shown in the figure below:

Surface Loads
SURFACE LOAD
1 PR GZ -2 60 12.5
{1 PR GZ -2 18 3.75}
Pressure on Full Surface

Exercise: Apply a Pressure on a Full Surface
Assume that the goal is to apply a uniform pressure to surface 2, with a
magnitude of 0.25 kip/ft2 {0.25 kN/m2} acting in the positive Global Z
direction.
Items dialog.
5 Click the Pressure on Full Surface item and set the parameters as follows:
W1: 0.25 kip/ft2 {0.25 kN/m2}
Direction: GZ
Note: Because of the orientation of surface 2, this loading direction could

either be achieved by specifying a positive load magnitude and
choosing the Global Z direction, or by specifying a negative load
magnitude and choosing the Local Z direction.
Definition dialog in the form of: PR GZ 0.25 kip/ft2 {PR GZ 0.25 kN/m2}.
type of load that must be Assigned to specific surfaces in order for it to

Surface Loads
7 Click the new line in the Load & Definition dialog; select the option to Use
turn off the Assigning mode. The Structure Diagram displays the new load
on surface 2 as shown in the figure below:
2 PR GZ 0.25

Surface Loads
Partial Surface Pressure Load

The Partial Surface Pressure Load Item can be used to specify a uniform pressure
load on a rectangular area within a surface. The dialog provides inputs for:
W1: the load magnitude in units of force per area
X1, Y1: the coordinates of one corner of the load rectangle
X2, Y2: the coordinates of the opposite corner of the load rectangle
The Direction category offers options of Local Z, Global X, Global Y, or Global Z
directions.
Note: The coordinates of the load corners are specified with respect to the local axes
of the surface.
Hint: For reference in specifying the input parameters for a Partial Surface Pressure
Load, remember that the hotkey to toggle Surface Orientation is CONTROL
(CTRL) + SHIFT + T.
Exercise: Apply a Partial Surface Pressure Load

Assume the goal is to apply a pressure of 0.6 kip/ft2 {0.6 kN/m2} in the
negative Global Z direction to a 5-foot by 5-foot {5 m by 5 m} area in the
lower left corner of surface 1 (near the origin of the surface).
Items dialog.
5 Click the Partial Surface Pressure Load item and set the parameters as
follows:
W1: -0.6 kip/ft2 {-0.6 kN/m2}
X1: 0 ft {0 m}
Y1: 0 ft {0 m}
X2: 5 ft {5 m}
Y2: 5 ft {5 m}
Direction: GZ

Surface Loads
Definition dialog in the form of: PR GZ -0.6 0 0 5 5 kip/ft2 {PR GZ -0.6 0 0 5
5 kN/m2}.
type of load that must be assigned to specific surfaces in order for it to
7 Click the new line in the Load & Definition dialog, select the option to Use
turn off the Assigning mode. The structure diagram displays the new load
on surface 1 as shown in the figure below (similar for metric units):
1 PR GZ -0.6 0 0 5 5
want to save.

Solid Loads
Solid Loads
Solid Pressure Load

The Solid Pressure Load Item provides a way to specify pressure loads, in units of
force per area, to selected faces of a solid.
Exercise: Apply a Solid Pressure Load

Note: This model consists of a single, large solid element. All previously added
load items have been removed from this dataset file for clarity.
Assume that the goal is to produce a pressure distribution on the face of
the solid as shown in the figure below, where the pressure varies from 1.0
kip/ft2 {1.0 kN/m2} at the bottom to 0.4 kip/ft2 {0.4 kN/m2} at the top:
Hint: The first step is to identify which face of the solid this represents.
2 Open the Diagrams dialog, move to the Structure tab, and activate the Fill
Face checkbox in the Solid category.
3 Use the list box and the Apply button to selectively fill (shade) faces until it
is determined that the face of interest is the Left face, then deactivate
the Fill Face option and click OK to close the Diagrams dialog.

Solid Loads
4 Press the keyboard hotkey SHIFT + N to turn on Node numbers.

5 Note that the node numbers of interest are 17 - 29 - 21 - 1 as shown in the
figure below:
6 Click the Geometry tab, Solid sub-tab to display the Solids table.
The following mapping table is adapted from Section 5.32.3.2 of the
Technical Reference manual. When used in conjunction with the Solids
table, this mapping table provides the key to relating nodes to their
position in a given face of a solid.
Face Face Nodes (Refer to Solids Table)

Node 1 Node 2 Node 3 Node 4
1 front A D C B
2 bottom A B F E
3 left A E H D
4 top D H G C
5 right B C G F
6 back E F G H

Solid Loads
7 Refer to the mapping table above and note that for the left face, the
nodes map as follows:

3 left A E H D
8 Refer to the Solids table and note that the node numbers map as follows:

3 left A E H D
Node # 17 29 21 1
9 Now use the loading diagram shown above, along with the node numbers,
to determine the following load magnitudes at nodes:

3 left A E H D
Node # 17 29 21 1
Load 0.4 1 1 0.4

13 Click Solid Loads in the list of available Load Items in the Add New: Load
Items dialog. The Solid Pressure Load item is selected by default. The input
parameters of the Solid Pressure Load item include:
Face Number: a list to select the face of interest.
Node 1 through Node 4: provides fields to enter pressure magnitudes
corresponding to nodes in the selected face.
Direction: offers options of Local Z, Global X, Global Y, or Global Z
directions.

Solid Loads

Face number: 3 Left
Node 1: 0.4 kip/ft2 {0.4 kN/m2}
Node 2: 1.0 kip/ft2 {1.0 kN/m2}
Node 3: 1.0 kip/ft2 {1.0 kN/m2}
Node 4: 0.4 kip/ft2 {0.4 kN/m2}
Direction: GX
Definition dialog in the form of: FACE 3 PRESSURE GX 0.4 1 1 0.4.
16 Click the new line in the Load & Definition dialog, choose Assign to View
in the Assignment Method category, then click Assign and confirm by
clicking Yes.
The structure diagram displays the new load on the Left face as shown in
the figure below:
ELEMENT LOAD SOLID
50 FACE 3 PRESSURE GX 0.4 1 1 0.4
want to save.

Vehicle (Moving) Load

Exercise: Apply Vehicle (Moving) Loads
Note: This model represents a bridge with longitudinal steel girders and
concrete abutment walls.
Assume that the goal is to start the vehicle as shown in the figure below,
and increment it all the way across the structure from left to right.

A Vehicle Load is an example of a load that requires a Definition, so it is a
two-stage process. First, it must be defined using Definitions, and then it
must be applied (generated, in this case) using Load Cases.
3 Click the + in front of the Definitions line in the Load & Definition dialog.
4 Click Vehicle Definitions, and then click Add. The Add New: Vehicle
Definitions dialog opens, and provides a few different ways to enter
vehicle data.
The Define Load option provides a way to define a custom
arrangement of point loads within the current STAAD.Pro file. Up to
100 different vehicle types can be defined and distinguished by
assigning distinct numbers for each vehicle type in the Vehicle Type Ref
field. These numbers would then be used in a subsequent step where

the various vehicle types are assigned a particular starting position and
movement path in the model.
The AASHTO Spec option provides a way to define a moving load with a
built-in vehicle definition that represents standard AASHTO loading.
The File Input option provides a way to call on predefined Vehicle
Definition Files. These external files provide a different way to define a
custom arrangement of point loads that can easily be used repetitively
in many STAAD.Pro models.
Note: External Vehicle Definition File names currently have a limit of a

maximum of 24 characters.
5 Click the AASHTO Spec option to demonstrate the generation of moving
loads with a built-in vehicle definition that represents AASHTO HS20
loading.
Vehicle Type Ref: 1
AASHTO Specification: HS20
Factor: 1.05 (optional multiplying factor, default = 1)
Variable Spacing: 0 (optional variable spacing as defined by AASHTO,
for HS series trucks, default = 14 ft.)
Definition dialog in the form of: D TYPE 1 HS20 1.05. This line starts with
the icon of the capital letter D indicating that it is a Definition, as
opposed to a Load Case or Load Item. The rest of the data is an echo of the
Definition parameters.
DEFINE MOVING LOAD
TYPE 1 HS20 1.05
Now that the Definition has been created, the next step is to generate
multiple load positions that incorporate the Definition.
8 Click Load Cases Details in the Load & Definition dialog, and then click
Add.

9 In the Add New: Load Cases dialog, click the Load Generation option.
This dialog provides input parameters that control the generation of the
multiple load steps.
No. of Loads to be generated specifies the total number of load
positions that will be considered.
Predefined Load to be Added provides a way to select a predefined
Load Case to be added to ALL generated Load Cases if desired.
Hint: The option to add a predefined Load Case to all generated Load Cases
could be useful if the goal is to apply a uniform traffic load to an entire
bridge deck, in addition to vehicle point loads that move across the
structure. To accomplish this, a Load Case could be created and
populated with Uniform Member Loads on the longitudinal girders to
represent effects of the uniform load. Then this Load Case could be
selected as the Predefined Load to be Added automatically to each of
the generated load steps.
No. of Loads to be generated: 149
Note: The No. of Loads to be generated is set to 149 because the steps will be
set to 1 ft {0.3 m} long, the bridge is 120 ft {36 m} long and the vehicle is
28 ft {8.53 m} long. 120 + 28 + 1 for the initial position = 149. {36 m +
8.53 m = 44.53 m. 44.53 m / 0.3 m + 1 for the initial position 149.}
Predefined Load to be Added: NONE
Note: The Predefined Load to be Added option could be a convenient way to

specify that a Load Case containing a lane load is to be combined with
each and every Load Case that is about to be generated.
11 Click Add, followed by Close. A new line of data appears under Load Cases
Details in the Load & Definition dialog in the form of: G 1 - 149: GENERATE
LOAD.
Note: This line starts with the icon of the capital letter G indicating that it
represents a series of generated load cases. This prepares STAAD.Pro to
generate the requested number of load steps.
Note: Even though this line appears in the Load & Definition dialog, at this
point the STAAD input file does not contain any Vehicle Load generation
commands. In order to complete the generation command, we now
have to specify the generation parameters.

12 Click the new line in the Load & Definition dialog, and then click Add. The
Add New: Load Cases dialog opens to the special Load Generation Type
dialog.
This dialog provides the following input parameters:
Type: Allows selection of predefined moving load definition by Type
number.
Initial Position of Load: Provides a way to define the starting point for
the generation of the multiple load steps. (See additional information
below under section titled Reference Load.)
Load Increment: Provides fields to enter the shift in the position of the
load system at each successive generated step.
Range: Provides a way to specify a vertical range within which
members must fall in order to be loaded by the generated load steps.
This can be helpful in applying moving loads to sloping members such
as ramps.
13 Determine the location of the reference load.
An important concept with regard to Moving Loads is the reference point.
While generating primary load cases to represent Moving Loads, the initial
position of the load system and the direction of movement are defined
with respect to the reference point. When a Moving Load system is
specified with a positive value for the Width, the following two diagrams
from the Technical Reference manual illustrate the locations of the
individual point loads in the system with respect to the reference point.
Reference
X Point
X
Reference
Point w d1
d1 d2 d2
Z
Z w
Movement Parallel to Movement Parallel to

Global X Axis Global Z Axis

Remembering that the goal is to start the vehicle on the left and
increment it all the way across the structure from left to right, the diagram
above labeled Movement parallel to Global X axis corresponds exactly to
the condition we are about to create, so the reference point (load) on our
vehicle is the right rear wheel. Another way to look at it is to say that the
reference point corresponds to the rear wheel on the positive Z side of the
vehicle.
Type: 1
Initial Position of Load
x coordinate: -28 ft {-8.5344 m}
y coordinate: 0 ft {0 m}
z coordinate: 15 {4.5 m}
Load Increment
x increment: 1 ft {0.3 m}
y increment: 0 ft {0 m}
z increment: 0 ft {0 m}
Range
Y Range: 2 ft {2 m}
Definition dialog in the form of: TYPE 1 -28 0 15 XINC 1 YRANGE 2 {TYPE 1 -
8.5344 0 4.5 XINC 0.3 YRANGE 2} and the structure diagram displays a
graphic representation of the Vehicle Load in its initial position as shown in
the figure above.
16 Interpret the figure as follows:
The individual wheel loads are represented by the small squares.
The arrow at the centerline of the load indicates the direction of
movement as defined by the increment direction and algebraic sign.
The square representing the reference load is identified with a box
drawn around it.
The z coordinate in the Initial Position of Load is calculated to place the
vehicle so that one wheel track coordinates exactly with the first
interior longitudinal girder, and the other wheel track falls somewhere
between the exterior girder and the first interior girder.

The x coordinate in the Initial Position of Load is calculated to place the

vehicle so that the front wheels are located directly over the left end of
the structure.
The use of 149 in the No. of Loads to be generated field ensures that
enough 1-foot {0.3 m} load increments are created to move the vehicle
from its starting position, all the way across the structure, until the
rear wheels are located at or very near the right end of the structure.
LOAD GENERATION 149
TYPE 1 -28 0 15 XINC 1 YRANGE 2
{TYPE 1 -8.5344 0 4.5 XINC 0.3 YRANGE 2}
It is not possible to see the vehicle load pattern step across the structure
until an analysis is performed.
17 Click Analyze > Run Analysis, and then choose the option to Go to Post
Processing Mode. Click Done.
18 Click OK in the Results Setup dialog to accept all Load Cases.
19 Click the Loads icon on the Structure toolbar to toggle on the display of
loads.
20 Select Load #1 in the Active Load list on the View toolbar.
21 Step through the load cases (with a wheel mouse, if available) for a very
clear display of the load pattern moving across the structure.
want to save.

Some additional notes pertaining to Vehicle (Moving) Load:

Notice that the loads from the left wheel track get distributed to the adjacent
beams except at the load steps where the wheels fall directly on a transverse
beam.
The nature of this load distribution is to assume that there is a simply
supported deck that spans between supporting beams and distributes the
moving point loads accordingly.
Moving Loads can be generated for beam members only. They will not be
generated for plates or solids.
The Vehicle (Moving) Load facility works best when the roadway and the
vehicle path are parallel to one of the global horizontal directions. For bridge
decks that are skewed with respect to the global axes, the load generation
may not yield the most satisfactory results. In such cases, the STAAD.beava
program is recommended. It is an add-on module to STAAD.Pro that uses the
influence line/influence surface method, and is considerably superior to the
moving load generator described in this section. It also has the advantage of
being able to calculate the critical load positions on decks modeled using plate
elements, something that the moving load generator cannot do at present.

Wind Load
Wind Load
STAAD.Pro has the ability to generate wind loads based on a number of different
codes and reference standards, and to apply these to a variety of structure types.
Pressure distributions are calculated and converted into forces, which are then
applied to structures in the form of nodal loads.
Wind Definitions
Wind Definitions will be used to define the values for all of the parameters
required to generate wind loads according to the selected code or design
standard. This includes parameters such as Exposure Category, Topographic
Factor, Width-to-Length ratio, Natural Frequency, Enclosure Classification,
Pressure Coefficients, and so forth.
As wind loads are developed for a structure, it is not uncommon to find that the
values for these parameters vary depending on the particular wind direction
being considered. This points out that a certain amount of prior planning can be
helpful when establishing Wind Definitions (Types).
For example, the following table illustrates how twelve different wind Types could
be created to address the variation in parameters for winds from different
directions. These Types could then be incorporated into four different Load Cases
to model wind loads from all cardinal directions.
Type No. Wind Direction Pressures for: Load Case

1 Positive Global X Windward Wall 1
2 Positive Global X Leeward Wall 1
3 Positive Global X Side Walls 1
4 Negative Global X Windward Wall 2
5 Negative Global X Leeward Wall 2
6 Negative Global X Side Walls 2
7 Positive Global Z Windward Wall 3
8 Positive Global Z Leeward Wall 3
9 Positive Global Z Side Walls 3
10 Negative Global Z Windward Wall 4

Wind Load
11 Negative Global Z Leeward Wall 4

12 Negative Global Z Side Walls 4
This exercise will illustrate the development of three Wind Definitions and then
show how they map into a single Load Case.
Exercise: Create Wind Definitions

Note: The model that will be used to illustrate the application of Wind Load is
similar to the other models we have used so far, except that the framing
layout has been modified to illustrate STAAD.Pros ability to generate
wind loads on multiple surfaces.
Note: Some additional Load Cases have been created in anticipation of the
development of Wind Loads being applied in orthogonal directions.
Note: Wind Load is another example of a load that requires a Definition.

4 Click Wind Definitions, and then click Add.
The Add New: Wind Definitions dialog opens, and provides a way to create
and save multiple Wind Definitions, each identified by a unique Type
number. It also provides a location to enter comments to help identify the
intent of the particular Type.
5 Enter the parameters as follows in the Add New: Wind Definitions dialog:
Type No.: 1
Comment: POS X FOR WINDWARD
6 Click Add.
7 Enter the following parameters for the second Wind Definition:
Type No.: 2
Comment: POS X FOR LEEWARD
8 Click Add.
9 Enter the following parameters for the third Wind Definition:
Type No.: 3
Comment: POS X FOR SIDEWALLS

Wind Load
10 Click Add, followed by Close.

11 Click TYPE 1 in the Load & Definition dialog, and then click Add. The Add
New: Wind Definitions dialog opens with the Intensity item active by
default.
Note: The spreadsheet-like table on the right side of the dialog allows the user
to provide a series of data pairs representing the wind intensity as a
function of height. This can be a useful way to enter the wind pressure
data if it is already known.
Note: For the purpose of this exercise, we will explore the option to use
STAAD.Pro's ability to calculate the wind pressures according to ASCE 7.
12 Ensure that the Select Type dropdown list box is set to Custom.
13 Click the Calculate as per ASCE-7 button. The ASCE-7: Wind Load dialog
opens, and the Common tab is active by default.

Wind Load
14 Set the parameters on the Common tab as follows:

ASCE-7: 2002
Building Classification Category: Category II
Basic Wind Speed: 85 mph {138 kmph}
Exposure Category: Exposure C
Structure Type: Building Structures
Note: STAAD.Pro has the ability to generate wind pressures for a variety of
other Structure Types.
Consider Wind Speed-up over Hills or Escarpment? No
15 Click Apply.
16 Click the Main Building Data tab on the left side of the ASCE-7: Wind Load
dialog.
17 Set the parameters on the Main Building Data tab as follows:
Building Height: 25 ft {7.5 m}
Building Length along the direction of Wind (L): 120 ft {36 m}
Building Length Normal to the direction of Wind (B): 90 ft {27 m}
Building Natural Frequency: 2 Hz
Note: STAAD.Pro has the ability to calculate the natural frequency of a

structure by two different methods. In the next section we will see
where to access these commands and briefly discuss some items to take
into consideration if these methods are used to get a refined estimate
of the Building Natural Frequency for use in the calculation of Wind
Loads.
Building Damping Ratio: 0.01
Enclosure Classification: Partially Enclosed
Note: This tab offers the option to apply the Directionality Factor, Kd.
18 Watch the graph of qz as a function of height, and click Apply. There
should be a noticeable change to the graph, indicating that the
parameters we just entered had a significant effect on the pressure values.
19 Click the Building Design Pressure tab on the left side of the ASCE-7: Wind
Load dialog.

Wind Load
20 Set the parameters on the Building Design Pressure tab as follows:

Building Wall to generate Wind Load on: Windward
Note: In the white box, STAAD displays the expression being used to calculate
p (pressure) based on the current set of parameters. The calculated/
looked-up values for the variables are shown grayed out below the
white box. Any of these values may be overridden by selecting the
checkbox associated with a value and entering a user-specified value if
desired.
21 Note that the program defaults to a negative value for GCpi, implying the
condition where the building/structure is under negative internal
pressure. For our exercise, we will assume that we want to investigate the
structure for the positive internal pressure condition.
To communicate this to the program, click the checkbox associated with
the GCpi value to activate the associated edit box. Enter 0.55, and then
click Apply, followed by OK. The view returns to the Add New: Wind
Definitions dialog where the Intensity vs. Height table is now populated
with values based on the data just entered. The windward wall pressure
intensities are relatively low, because we have specified the positive
internal pressure condition, so the internal pressure is counteracting the
external pressure.
22 Click Add. A new line appears in the Load & Definition dialog as under the
TYPE 1 Definition in the form of: INTENSITY which indicates that the
pressure intensity table for this wind Type has been populated.
At the same time, the Add New: Wind Definitions dialog changes to display
the Exposures input form. Exposures are a way to account for surfaces,
such as perforated mesh, that are less than 100% solid with regard to the
way the collect wind. These kinds of surfaces can be accounted for by
entering an Exposure Factor between 0 and 1.0 to represent the fraction
of the surface that is solid and collects wind load.
Entering Exposure factors is optional. If no Exposure factors are applied to
the model, then by default, the wind forces will be determined based on
the full tributary area associated with all joints to which wind forces are
assigned. If no Exposure factors were required, the current dialog could
simply be closed at this time, and wind loads based on this Type definition
would not be modified by any Exposure factors.
23 For demonstration purposes, enter a value of 0.75 in the Exposure Factor
field, and then click Add, followed by Close.

Wind Load
24 Observe that the resulting data appears in the Load & Definition dialog as
a new line under the INTENSITY line in the TYPE 1 Definition in the form of:
Exposure 0.750000. The leading graphic icon with the question mark
indicates that this is the type of item that must be assigned to specific
nodes in order for it to have any effect on the structure. If it was actually
going to be incorporated into this model, it could now be assigned to the
appropriate nodes by the normal Assignment options at the bottom of the
Load & Definition dialog. In addition, if multiple Exposure factors had been
created for this wind Type, they would all appear in this list, and they
could all be assigned to the appropriate nodes now.
25 In the case of the current model, assume that the structure walls are 100%
solid, so that no Exposure factors are required for any of the wind Types.
26 Click the line with the Exposure factor data and then click Delete. The
Exposure factor data line is deleted, but the INTENSITY line remains for
this wind Type.
27 Click TYPE 2 in the Load & Definition dialog, and then click Add. Next we
will create the second Definition, which still corresponds to wind in the
positive Global X direction, but will be used to generate the correct
pressures for the leeward building wall.
28 Click the Calculate as per ASCE-7 button.
ASCE-7: 2002
30 Click Apply.
dialog.

Wind Load

33 Click Apply.
Load dialog.
Building Wall to generate Wind Load on: Leeward
36 Click Apply. The populated Intensity vs. Height table is displayed. Note
that the GCpi value now indicates a positive internal pressure condition.
This is already in keeping with our assumption for the current Load Case,
so there is no need to edit this value.
37 Click OK, then click Add, followed by Close. A new line appears in the Load
& Definition dialog in the form of: INTENSITY under the TYPE 2 Definition
line.
38 Click TYPE 3 in the Load & Definition dialog, and then click Add. We will
now create the third Definition, which still corresponds to wind in the
positive Global X direction, but will be used to generate the correct
pressures for the building sidewalls.
39 Click the Calculate as per ASCE-7 button.
ASCE-7: 2002
41 Click Apply.
dialog.

Wind Load

44 Click Apply.
Load dialog.
Building Wall to generate Wind Load on: Side Wall
47 Click OK, and then click Apply. The populated Intensity vs. Height table is
displayed. Note that the GCpi value indicates a positive internal pressure
condition. Again, this is already in keeping with our assumption for the
current Load Case, so there is no need to edit this value.
48 Click Add, followed by Close. A new line appears in the Load & Definition
dialog in the form of: INTENSITY under the TYPE 3 Definition line.
Hint: The corresponding data in the STAAD input file appears as follows
(similar for metric units):
DEFINE WIND LOAD
TYPE 1 POS X FOR WINDWARD
<! STAAD PRO GENERATED DATA DO NOT MODIFY !!!
ASCE-7-2002:PARAMS 85.000 MPH 0 2 1 0 0.000 FT 0.000 FT 0.000 FT 1 -
1 25.000 ft 120.000 ft 90.000 ft 2.000 0.010 0 -
0 0 0 0 0.945 1.000 1.000 0.850 0 -
0 0 1 0.862 0.800 0.550
!> END GENERATED DATA BLOCK
INT0.001026790.001026790.001124160.001217860.001308180.00139538
0.0014797 -
0.00156135 0.0016405 0.00171733 0.00179199 0.0018646 0.0019353
0.00200419 -

Wind Load
0.00207138 HEIG 0 15 15.7692 16.5385 17.3077 18.0769 18.8461

19.6154 -
20.3846 21.1539 21.9231 22.6923 23.4615 24.2308 25
...
TYPE 3 POS X FOR SIDEWALLS
<! STAAD PRO GENERATED DATA DO NOT MODIFY !!!
ASCE-7-2002:PARAMS 85.000 MPH 0 2 1 0 0.000 FT 0.000 FT 0.000 FT 1 -
1 25.000 FT 120.000 FT 90.000 FT 2.000 0.010 2 -
0 0 0 0 0.945 1.000 1.000 0.850 0 -
0 0 1 0.862 -0.700 0.550
!> END GENERATED DATA BLOCK
INT -0.0171379 -0.0171379 HEIG 0 25
Note: Additional Wind Definitions could be created if necessary, but to save

time, we will stop at three Wind Definitions for this exercise.
Wind Load Items

The next step in creating Wind Loads is to create the Wind Load Items in the
appropriate Load Cases. This is where we will refer back to the Definitions created
in the previous exercise.
Exercise: Create and Apply Wind Loads

2 Click the + in front of the Load Cases Details line in the Load & Definition
dialog to expand the list of Load Cases.
This dataset file has already been populated with the following Load Cases
to be used for the development of Wind Loads:
1: WIND POS X
2: WIND NEG X
3: WIND POS Z
4: WIND NEG Z

Wind Load
Note: For the purposes of this exercise, we will populate only the first Load
Case.
3 Click the line corresponding to 1: WIND POS X, and then click Add.
Note: Load Case 1 is meant to represent Wind Load in the positive Global X
direction. It will require four Load Items:
One for the effects on the Windward surfaces.
One for the effects on the Leeward surfaces.
One for the effects on the Side Walls facing in the positive Global Z
direction.
One for the effects on the Side Walls facing in the negative Global Z
direction.
4 Click the Wind Load Item from the list on the left side of the Add New:
Load Items dialog.
The input parameters in the Wind Load dialog consist of the following:
Select Type: This list displays all of the wind Type Definitions that exist
in the model. This is the way to indicate which wind Type Definition to
use to generate the pressures for a specific Wind Load Item.
Exposed Surface and Direction: This category offers options to select
the direction of application of the Wind Load (X or Z), and to control
the surface to which the loads will be applied. This setting works in
conjunction with Factor.
Factor: This value acts as a linear multiplier on the applied loads, so it
could be used to scale the load values created by this Load Item. But
more importantly, Factor can be used in the form of positive or
negative values to work in conjunction with the Exposed Surface and
Direction setting to influence which surfaces of a structure receive
Wind Load.

Wind Load
Note: The effects of the combination of Exposed Surface and Direction and
Factor are illustrated in the diagram below. The diagram has been taken
from the Technical Reference manual and is accessible by clicking and
holding the Loading Convention >> button:
Y Y
X or Z X or Z
(X or Z) + f (-X or -Z) + f
Y Y
X or Z X or Z
(X or Z) - f (-X or -Z) - f

Wind Load
This interaction can also be described in tabular form as shown below:
If And the Then Load will And Load will be This can be thought of as:
Direction Factor f be directed applied to exposed
is: is: toward: surfaces facing:
X or Z Positive Positive X or Z Negative X or Z Windward load for wind in
the positive X or Z direction
Negative Negative X or Z Positive X or Z Windward load for wind in
the negative X or Z direction
-X or -Z Positive Positive X or Z Positive X or Z Leeward load for wind in the
positive X or Z direction
Negative Negative X or Z Negative X or Z Leeward load for wind in the
negative X or Z direction
Ranges: The range fields provide a way to enter coordinates to define a

three-dimensional zone. All members that have both end coordinates
within the specified range are assumed to be candidates for defining a
surface that may be loaded if that surface is exposed to wind. The
loading will be in the form of joint loads (not member loads).
Open Structure: By default, STAAD.Pro assumes that structures are
enclosed. It seeks out closed loops formed by framing members (the
ground may form an edge of a closed loop, too), and then uses these
loops to generate panels or closed surfaces based on the members in
the ranges specified and their end joints. The area within each closed
surface is determined and the proportion of this area (tributary area)
for each node in the list is then calculated. The Open Structure option
provides a way to indicate to the program that the structure is not
actually enclosed to catch wind. If this option is selected, wind
pressures will still be calculated, and loads will still be applied, but the
loads will be based on the projected area of the individual framing
members in the model, and they will be applied in the form of line
loads on the members instead of nodal loads on the joints.

Wind Load
5 Set the parameters as follows to model the effects on the Windward

surfaces:
Select Type: 1
Direction: X (Windward Face)
Factor: 1.0
Y Y
X or Z X or Z
(X or Z) + f (-X or -Z) + f
All ranges (Minimum and Maximum X, Y, Z): leave at default of 0

Open Structure: Leave unselected
Note: By leaving all range fields set to the default of zero, all of the members in
the model will become candidates for Wind Load distribution. There are
some situations where it may be advantageous to specify the ranges, in
order to expedite the process of determining tributary areas. But in this
small model, there is no significant benefit to defining the range values.
6 Click Add, and note that a new line of data appears in the Load &
Definition dialog in the form of: WIND LOAD X 1 TYPE 1 {WIND LOAD X 1
TYPE 1} under Load Case 1.
Note: The leading graphic icon indicates that this is the type of Load Item that
does not need to be assigned to the structure in an explicit step. It has
already been assigned implicitly by the use of the default Range values
that were accepted when the Load Item was created.
Continuing in the current Load Case, the next step is to add the Load Item
that will produce the effects on Leeward surfaces.

Wind Load
7 Set the parameters as follows to model the effects on the Leeward

surfaces:
Select Type: 2
Direction: -X (Leeward/Sidewall Face)
Factor: 1.0
Y Y
X or Z X or Z
(X or Z) + f (-X or -Z) + f

Note: Again, the intent is to use the default Ranges so that all members in the
model will be included. We will see momentarily that this allows
STAAD.Pro to find all surfaces in the model that should receive this
particular pressure.
Definition dialog in the form of: WIND LOAD -X 1 TYPE 2 {WIND LOAD -X 1
Note: The final step for the current Load Case is to add the Load Items that will
produce the effects on the Side Wall surfaces. This will require two Load
Items: one for the surfaces that face in the positive Global Z direction
and one for the surfaces that face in the negative Global Z direction.

Wind Load
9 Set the parameters as follows to model the effects on the Side Wall
surfaces that face in the positive Global Z direction:
Select Type: 3
Direction: -Z (Leeward/Sidewall Face)
Factor: 1.0
Y Y
X or Z X or Z
(X or Z) + f (-X or -Z) + f

Definition dialog in the form of: WIND LOAD -Z 1 TYPE 3 {WIND LOAD -Z 1

Wind Load
11 Set the parameters as follows to model the effects on the Side Wall
surfaces that face in the negative Global Z direction:
Select Type: 3
Direction: -Z (Leeward/Sidewall Face)
Factor: -1.0
Y Y
X or Z X or Z
(X or Z) - f (-X or -Z) - f

12 Click Add, followed by Close, and note that a new line of data appears in
the Load & Definition dialog in the form of: WIND LOAD -Z -1 TYPE 3
{WIND LOAD -Z -1 TYPE 3} under Load Case 1.
13 Click the Scales icon on the Structure toolbar.
14 In the Load Scales category, set the Point Force scale to 0.04 kip per ft
{0.4 kN per m}, and then click OK.
15 Click the first of the four Load Items (representing Windward Wall forces),
and make note of the blue colored load arrows. They are all located on
surfaces that would receive Windward pressures for winds in the positive
Global X direction, as expected.
16 Click the Scales icon on the Structure toolbar.
17 In the Load Scales category, reset the Point Forces scale to 0.4 kip per ft
{4 kN per m} and then click OK.

Wind Load
18 Click the second Load Item (representing Leeward Wall forces). Note that
the blue colored load arrows are now located on surfaces that would
receive Leeward pressures (suctions) for winds in the positive Global X
direction.
19 Click the third and fourth Load Items (representing Side Wall forces), and
note that the blue colored load arrows are now located on surfaces that
would receive Side Wall pressures (suctions) for winds in the positive
Global X direction.
Note: This completes the application of Wind Load Items to model wind in the
positive Global X direction.
want to save.
Some additional notes pertaining to Wind Load:

The remaining Load Cases representing wind from other directions could be
populated using the same method.
If all of the parameters such as Exposure Category, Topographic Factor, and
Enclosure Classification, are identical for wind in both the positive Global X
and negative Global X directions, then there is no need to create a separate
Wind Definition for wind in the negative Global X direction. The three existing
definitions could be used. Conversely, if any of those parameters takes on a
different value when the wind reverses to the negative Global X direction,
then it would be necessary to create additional definitions.
The previous example used an estimate of the structure frequency in the
calculation of Wind Loads. However, STAAD.Pro has the ability to calculate the
natural frequency of a structure, and this feature could be used to get a
refined estimate of the Building Natural Frequency for the calculation of Wind
Loads if desired.
The commands to calculate Frequency are accessible within a Load Item
named Frequency in the Add New: Load Items dialog. There are two options
available:
Rayleigh Frequency
Modal Calculation

Wind Load
These are two different commands that can be added to a STAAD input file to
request a calculation to determine the frequencies of a structure. Here are
some items to keep in mind when using these commands:
The Rayleigh Frequency command (CALCULATE RAYLEIGH FREQUENCY)
initiates the Rayleigh method of determining the structure frequency.
The Modal Calculation command (MODAL CALCULATION REQUESTED)
initiates the Eigenvalue Extraction method of determining the
structure frequency.
The Rayleigh method is not as robust as the Eigenvalue Extraction
method. The Rayleigh method calculates the approximate frequency of
the structure for vibration corresponding to the general direction of
deflection generated by the loads in the Load Case that includes the
command. The magnitude of the loads accompanying the CALCULATE
RAYLEIGH FREQUENCY command should represent the mass of the
structure that is capable of vibrating in that particular direction. In
order to obtain frequencies in two directions by the Rayleigh method,
two commands are required, and each must be accompanied by loads
that cause the structure to deflect in a general direction.
The Eigenvalue Extraction method extracts modes of vibration for a
structure. The loads that accompany the MODAL CALCULATION
REQUESTED command are internally converted to mass by dividing the
specified loads by the acceleration due to gravity for the current unit
system. Specifying a load (mass) to act in a particular direction
indicates that it is active (capable of vibrating) in that particular
direction. Since the Eigenvalue Extraction method is solved
dynamically as well as statically, the results it produces can be affected
by things like the selection of a Master node when a Master/Slave
specification is used to model a rigid diaphragm and the use of
ENFORCED supports.
Both methods are heavily influenced by the presence or absence of a rigid
diaphragm.
Finally, both methods are covered thoroughly in another module that is
dedicated to dynamics and seismic analysis.

Seismic Load
Seismic Load
STAAD.Pro has the ability to generate loads to perform a Seismic Equivalent
Lateral Force Analysis according to a number of different codes and reference
standards. Similar to Wind Loads, the process of generating Seismic Loads begins
with creating a Definition.
Exercise: Add a Seismic Load Definition

file for clarity, and a Master/Slave command has been used to create a
rigid diaphragm in the horizontal plane.
4 Click Seismic Definitions, and then click Add.
The Add New: Seismic Definitions dialog provides a way to:
Select the appropriate code or reference standard.
Enter the parameters to define the seismic load according to the
selected code or standard.
Enter loads that represent seismically active mass.
5 Set the parameters as follows while the Seismic Parameters tab is selected
in the list on the left side of the dialog:
Type: IBC 2006
Include Accidental Load: Select the checkbox
Note: This prepares STAAD.Pro to calculate and apply torsional loads to

account for code-specified accidental eccentricity.
Zip Code: 92887
Note: STAAD.Pro is able to look up the Latitude and Longitude, and determine
the values for Ss and S1, the Mapped Spectral Response Accelerations
for Short Periods and the Mapped Spectral Response Accelerations for
1-Second Period, respectively.
TL: 8 seconds
Importance Factor: 1.0
Response Modification Factor X: 3

Seismic Load
Response Modification Factor Z: 3

Site Class: 3
Note: Site Class is specified with a number from 1 through 6, which relates
directly to Site Class definitions A through F. A value of 3 indicates Site
Class C, and so on.
Fa: Leave at default of zero (actual value will be looked up)
Fv: Leave at default of zero (actual value will be looked up)
CT: 0.028 (used to calculate approximate fundamental period)
Period in X Direction: Leave blank
Period in Z Direction: Leave blank
Note: STAAD.Pro has a default procedure for determining the structure period
as described in more detail below. These fields provide a way to specify
the period explicitly if desired.
x: 0.8 (used to calculate approximate fundamental period)
6 Click Add and notice that a new line of data appears in the Load &
Definition dialog in the form of: ZIP 92887 I 1 RX 3 RZ 3 SCLASS 3 CT 0.028
TL 8 K 0.8 under Seismic Definitions.
Note: The Seismic Parameters tab has now been removed from the list in the
pane on the left side of the Add New: Seismic Definitions dialog,
because STAAD.Pro only allows one Seismic Definition in a model. The
next item in the list, Self Weight, is now active. The Self Weight tab
provides a way to request that the self weight of the structure is to be
considered as part of the total weight that contributes to the seismic
base shear.
7 Set the Self Weight Factor to 1.0 and click Add. A new line of data appears
in the Load & Definition dialog in the form of: SELFWEIGHT 1 within
Seismic Definitions.
Note: The Self Weight factor is entered as a positive value, because it

represents a directionless magnitude of dynamically active weight.
Hint: It is good practice to enter all seismic weights as positive values.

8 Click the Joint Weights item in the Add New: Seismic Definitions dialog.
This option provides a way to specify weights at specific joints to be
included in the determination of the total seismic weight.

Seismic Load
9 Enter a value of 0.2 kip {0.2 kN} in the Joint Weight field, to represent an
additional weight of connection material at every node at the floor
level.
10 Click Add. A new line of data appears in the Load & Definition dialog in the
form of: WEIGHT 0.2 kip {WEIGHT 0.2 kN}, and the leading graphic icon
indicates that this is the type of load item that needs to be assigned to
specific nodes in order to have any effect. We will assign that load
momentarily.
Note: The remaining items on the left side of the Add New: Seismic Definitions
dialog provide ways to assign seismic weight in the form of Member
Weights, Element Weights, and Floor Weights. We won't step through
each of these other options individually, since they are analogous to
Concentrated/Uniform Force Member Load, Pressure on Full Plate
Load, and Floor Load respectively, which we have already covered in
detail.
11 Click Close to dismiss the Add New: Seismic Definitions dialog.
12 Click the line in the Load & Definition dialog in the form of: WEIGHT 0.2 kip
{WEIGHT 0.2 kN}.
13 Click the View From +Z icon on the Rotate toolbar.
14 Click the Nodes Cursor, and stretch a fence to select the nodes at the
floor level of the model.
15 Click the Isometric View icon on the Rotate toolbar.
16 Set the Assignment Method to Assign to Selected Nodes, then click the
Assign button and confirm by clicking Yes.
Note: This completes all of the steps required to create a Seismic Definition.

Seismic Load
Exercise: Create and Populate Seismic Load Cases

3 Click the + in front of Load Cases Details in the Load & Definition dialog
to see that six Load Cases that have been created to receive seismic Load
Items.
Note: It is a program requirement that if any Seismic Load Cases exist in a

STAAD.Pro model, they MUST be positioned so they are the first load
cases in the list.
Hint: These Load Cases were actually created in the STAAD Editor to take
advantage of copy-paste-edit techniques due to repetition. Creating
new Load Cases in the STAAD Editor is also a convenient way to insert
new Load Cases at the top of a list, if other Load Cases already exist in a
model.
Note: It is NOT essential that the Load Cases in a model occur in numerical
order. It is perfectly acceptable to introduce Load Cases out of
numerical order. STAAD.Pro processes loads in the order they are listed
in the input file (the same order as they are shown in the Load &
Definition dialog), NOT in numerical order. This will become significant
shortly, when we discuss the analysis and combination of loads.
4 Click the line for Load 1000. This Load Case is intended to represent
seismic load in the X direction with no eccentricity.
5 Click the Edit button, and notice that the Loading Type has been set to
None (in lieu of using Loading Type Seismic) for this Load Case. The same is
true for all of the Load Cases in the 1000-series.
Note: This was done for a specific reason that will become evident in a
subsequent section when we discuss automatic Load Combination
generation.
6 Click Close to dismiss the Edit: Primary Load dialog.
The development of Seismic Load Cases warrants a certain amount of
planning in order to properly consider orthogonal effects. The six
previously created Load Cases will serve as the basic seismic Load Cases
with which we can create all of the necessary permutations of load
directions and perpendicular components. The next step is to populate
the basic seismic Load Cases with Load Items, starting with Load Case
1000.

Seismic Load
7 Ensure that Load 1000 is still the selected Load Case, and then click the
Add button in the Load & Definition dialog.
8 Click Seismic Loads in the Add New: Load Items dialog.
Direction: X Direction (Establishes the direction for the seismic load.)
Factor: 1.0 (Acts as a linear multiplier on the load.)
Multiplying factor for Accidental Torsion Moment: Select the checkbox
(Provides a way to modify the default multiplying factor of 1.0.)
Note: Accidental torsion loads will be generated if the option to Include

Accidental Load is selected in the Seismic Definition.
Factor: 0.001 (Acts as a linear multiplier on the moment arm producing
the eccentricity.)
Note: If the Multiplying factor for Accidental Torsion Moment checkbox is

deselected, the program treats it the same as if the checkbox is selected
and given a factor of 1.0. In other words, deselecting this checkbox is
NOT an effective way of producing a seismic load case without
eccentricity. In addition, selecting the checkbox and providing a factor
of 0 indicates the default condition, which produces the same result
as if a factor of 1.0 is used. Finally, it is not permissible to create a
second seismic definition that excludes accidental eccentricity. So, the
most effective way to create a seismic load case with no eccentricity is
to select the checkbox and provide a factor with a very small value, so
the eccentricity is negligible.
Definition dialog in the form of: IBC LOAD X 1 ACC 0.001.
Note: It is not possible to observe this load graphically until after the analysis
has been run.
Note: The remaining basic seismic Load Cases could be populated in the same
way. In order to save time, this work has already been completed in the
next dataset file.
want to save.

Seismic Load
Some additional notes pertaining to seismic eccentricity:

With regard to the calculation of the eccentric moment arm, STAAD.Pro
determines the dimension of the structure, measured perpendicular to the
selected seismic load, for each set of nodes with a common Y coordinate
value. By default, the eccentricity is then calculated as 5% of that dimension,
and a corresponding torsional moment is calculated and applied to each node.
The magnitude of each torsional moment is calculated as the product of the
moment arm multiplied by the seismic load tributary to each node.
When the Factor is set to 1.0, the default eccentricity of 5% is used to
determine the moment arm. A Factor of 1.3 would represent an eccentricity
of 6.5%, and so on.
When the value for Eccentricity Factor is positive, the seismic load is shifted in
the direction of the positive perpendicular Global axis. Negative Factors shift
the load in the direction of the negative perpendicular Global axis.
Exercise: Prepare the Model to Analyze Seismic Load Cases

4 Click the + in front of any of the Load Cases to see that all six of the basic
seismic Load Cases have been populated with seismic Load Items.
The next steps will prepare the model to analyze the basic Load Cases and
store the base shear results for each Load Case.
5 Click Commands > Miscellaneous > SET NL in the Menu Bar.
The purpose of the SET NL command (Set Number of Load Cases) is to set
the maximum number of primary load cases that will be used in the
model. It is typically used in a multiple analysis run, where more primary
load cases are introduced after an analysis has been performed. (Primary
load cases are all load cases except Reference load cases and those
beginning with the expression LOAD COMBINATION n.)
By issuing this command, STAAD.Pro is able to allocate the appropriate
total amount of memory space.
Hint: The value set by the SET NL command MUST be at least as large as the
total number of load cases that will be created in the model, but good
practice dictates trying to be reasonably realistic in order to conserve
memory.

Seismic Load
6 Enter 500 in the Maximum Number of Loads field, and click OK.
Hint: The command appears near the top of the STAAD input file, in the form
of:
SET NL 500
There is one final step that is required to initiate the basic seismic load
generation. Since the seismic Load Cases are going to be referred to later
in REPEAT LOAD cases, it is necessary to issue PERFORM ANALYSIS and
CHANGE commands after each of the individual IBC seismic Load Cases
(the 1000-series Load Cases in our model).
7 Click the Analysis/Print tab. The Analysis sub-tab is active by default.
8 Click Close to dismiss the Analysis/Print Commands dialog.
9 Review the commands in the Analysis - Whole Structure dialog, and
observe that PERFORM ANALYSIS and CHANGE commands have already
been inserted after each of the 1000-series Load Cases to save time.
Note: These commands were placed in the input file using the STAAD Editor,
but they could also be inserted in the appropriate locations from the
Analysis sub-tab by using the After Current checkbox.
The result of the PERFORM ANALYSIS command after each seismic Load
Case is that STAAD.Pro will now analyze the structure for each of the
seismic Load Cases individually.
The result of the CHANGE command after each seismic Load Case is that
STAAD.Pro will reset the stiffness matrix to its original form after each of
the seismic Load Cases has been analyzed.
Note: By resetting the stiffness matrix, the model reintroduces the stiffness of
any members that may have been removed in the previous analysis as a
result of a force in the wrong sense for a tension-only member, and
reintroduces the restraint provided by a support that may have been
removed in the previous analysis as a result of a reaction in the wrong
sense for a compression-only spring support, etc.
Issuing the combination of PERFORM ANALYSIS and CHANGE commands
after each seismic Load Case also instructs STAAD.Pro to retain the results
of the analyses properly, so the results can be correctly incorporated into
the REPEAT LOAD commands that we are about to enter.

Seismic Load
Now that the model is prepared to analyze the basic seismic Load Cases and store
the results correctly, we can create all of the different permutations of primary
seismic load, orthogonal seismic load, and eccentricity as necessary to meet the
intent of reference standards like ASCE 7. The orthogonal effects permutations
map out as follows:
Primary Direction Load Orthogonal Direction Load

Factor Load Eccentricity Factor Load Eccentricity
1.0 Seismic +X 0 - - -
1.0 Seismic -X 0 - - -
1.0 Seismic +Z 0 - - -
1.0 Seismic -Z 0 - - -
1.0 Seismic +X +E - - -
1.0 Seismic +X -E - - -
1.0 Seismic -X +E - - -
1.0 Seismic -X -E - - -
1.0 Seismic +Z +E - - -
1.0 Seismic +Z -E - - -
1.0 Seismic -Z +E - - -
1.0 Seismic -Z -E - - -
1.0 Seismic +X 0 0.3 Seismic +Z +E
1.0 Seismic +X 0 0.3 Seismic +Z -E
1.0 Seismic +X 0 0.3 Seismic -Z +E
1.0 Seismic +X 0 0.3 Seismic -Z -E
1.0 Seismic -X 0 0.3 Seismic +Z +E
1.0 Seismic -X 0 0.3 Seismic +Z -E
1.0 Seismic -X 0 0.3 Seismic -Z +E
1.0 Seismic -X 0 0.3 Seismic -Z -E
1.0 Seismic +Z 0 0.3 Seismic +X +E
1.0 Seismic +Z 0 0.3 Seismic +X -E
1.0 Seismic +Z 0 0.3 Seismic -X +E

Seismic Load
Primary Direction Load Orthogonal Direction Load

Factor Load Eccentricity Factor Load Eccentricity
1.0 Seismic +Z 0 0.3 Seismic -X -E
1.0 Seismic -Z 0 0.3 Seismic +X +E
1.0 Seismic -Z 0 0.3 Seismic +X -E
1.0 Seismic -Z 0 0.3 Seismic -X +E
1.0 Seismic -Z 0 0.3 Seismic -X -E
1.0 Seismic +X +E 0.3 Seismic +Z 0
1.0 Seismic +X +E 0.3 Seismic -Z 0
1.0 Seismic +X -E 0.3 Seismic +Z 0
1.0 Seismic +X -E 0.3 Seismic -Z 0
1.0 Seismic -X +E 0.3 Seismic +Z 0
1.0 Seismic -X +E 0.3 Seismic -Z 0
1.0 Seismic -X -E 0.3 Seismic +Z 0
1.0 Seismic -X -E 0.3 Seismic -Z 0
1.0 Seismic +Z +E 0.3 Seismic +X 0
1.0 Seismic +Z +E 0.3 Seismic -X 0
1.0 Seismic +Z -E 0.3 Seismic +X 0
1.0 Seismic +Z -E 0.3 Seismic -X 0
1.0 Seismic -Z +E 0.3 Seismic +X 0
1.0 Seismic -Z +E 0.3 Seismic -X 0
1.0 Seismic -Z -E 0.3 Seismic +X 0
1.0 Seismic -Z -E 0.3 Seismic -X 0

Seismic Load
The intent of each of these different permutations is to have the designated

orthogonal load component acting on the structure simultaneously with the
primary load, in order to correctly capture the effects on the structure.
When multiple load cases exist in a STAAD.Pro model, the program analyzes each
of those load cases individually. If LOAD COMBINATION commands exist in the
input file, they instruct STAAD.Pro to combine the results of the constituent load
cases in specified proportions. By contrast, the REPEAT LOAD command is a way to
instruct STAAD.Pro to analyze more than one load case as though they act
concurrently, but to treat it as a primary load case.
One reason for using REPEAT LOAD commands is to correctly capture P- effects on
a structure when a PDELTA analysis is performed.
The application in this instance will be to create REPEAT LOAD commands to

correctly develop a primary load case for each of the potential permutations of
primary seismic load, orthogonal seismic load, and eccentricity as developed in
the table above.
The syntax for a REPEAT LOAD command is to enter the number of the first
constituent load case, then a space, then the factor that should be applied to that
load case, then another space, then the number of the next constituent load case,
another space, and the factor for that load, etc. The following table illustrates
how the above seismic permutations translate into REPEAT LOAD command
syntax. Note how negative factors are being used to effectively reverse the
direction of the seismic load. In these cases, the load direction IS reversed, but the
sense of the eccentricity (if any) is NOT reversed.

Seismic Load
Primary Direction Load Case Factor Orthogonal Direction Load Case Factor
1000 1.0 - -
1000 -1.0 - -
1001 1.0 - -
1001 -1.0 - -
1002 1.0 - -
1003 1.0 - -
1002 -1.0 - -
1003 -1.0 - -
1004 1.0 - -
1005 1.0 - -
1004 -1.0 - -
1005 -1.0 - -
1000 1.0 1004 0.3
1000 1.0 1005 0.3
1000 1.0 1004 -0.3
1000 1.0 1005 -0.3
1000 -1.0 1004 0.3
1000 -1.0 1005 0.3
1000 -1.0 1004 -0.3
1000 -1.0 1005 -0.3
1001 1.0 1002 0.3
1001 1.0 1003 0.3
1001 1.0 1002 -0.3
1001 1.0 1003 -0.3
1001 -1.0 1002 0.3
1001 -1.0 1003 0.3
1001 -1.0 1002 -0.3

Seismic Load
Primary Direction Load Case Factor Orthogonal Direction Load Case Factor
1001 -1.0 1003 -0.3
1002 1.0 1001 0.3
1002 1.0 1001 -0.3
1003 1.0 1001 0.3
1003 1.0 1001 -0.3
1002 -1.0 1001 0.3
1002 -1.0 1001 -0.3
1003 -1.0 1001 0.3
1003 -1.0 1001 -0.3
1004 1.0 1000 0.3
1004 1.0 1000 -0.3
1005 1.0 1000 0.3
1005 1.0 1000 -0.3
1004 -1.0 1000 0.3
1004 -1.0 1000 -0.3
1005 -1.0 1000 0.3
1005 -1.0 1000 -0.3

Seismic Load
Exercise: Create Orthogonal Effects

3 Click Load Cases Details in the Load & Definition dialog, and then click the
Add button.
4 As mentioned above, a REPEAT LOAD is a primary load case, so with the
Primary option selected in the Add New: Load Cases dialog, enter the
following parameters:
Number: 2000
Loading Type: Seismic
Title: SEISMIC PERMUTATIONS
Note: In this case, it is important to set the Loading Type to Seismic.

Definition dialog in the form of: 2000: SEISMIC PERMUTATIONS at the
bottom of the list of Load Case Details.
Hint: By starting this list of Load Cases with the number 2000, it will make it
possible to recognize at a glance which seismic loads are the basic
seismic loads (the 1000-series) and which are the complete set of
permutations with all directions and orthogonal effects correctly
considered for design purposes (the 2000-series).
6 Click the new line, and then click the Add button.
7 Click the Repeat Load option in the list of available items in the Add New:
Load Items dialog.
Note: There are three available Load Items within the Repeat Load category.
The one we need now is the first of the three, Repeat Load, which
should be selected by default.
The Available Load Cases list provides a way to select the constituents for
the current Repeat Load. The familiar arrow buttons provide a way to
move one or many selected load cases to the right-hand side of the dialog,
which develops the Repeat Load Definition.
Referring back to the table of permutations above, the first line indicates
that we need to create a Repeat Load that consists solely of Load Case
1000 with a factor of 1.0.

Seismic Load
Note: Technically there is no need to create a Repeat Load for a condition like
this that contains only one load case. It is being done here for
consistency and for demonstration purposes.
8 Click Load 1000 in the list of Available Load Cases and then click the single
right arrow.
Load Case 1000 gets moved to the right-hand side of the dialog, so it
becomes a part of the current Repeat Load Definition, and it has a factor
of 1.0 by default. The Factor input field could be edited at this point if
necessary.
Definition dialog in the form of:
REPEAT LOAD
1000 1
Note: The remaining orthogonal seismic permutations could be populated in

the same way. In order to save time, this work has already been
completed in the next dataset file.
want to save.
14 Click the + in front of any of the 2000-series Load Cases to see that they
have been populated with Repeat Load Items.
15 Open the STAAD Editor and notice that one final PERFORM ANALYSIS
command was inserted after all of the REPEAT LOAD commands, directly
above the FINISH command.
This final PERFORM ANALYSIS command instructs STAAD.Pro to process all
of the REPEAT LOAD commands.
16 Close the STAAD Editor.
17 Click Analyze > Run Analysis.
18 When the analysis is complete, choose the option to Stay in Modeling
Mode, and click Done.

Seismic Load
19 Click the Scale icon on the Structure toolbar.
20 In the Load Scales category, set the parameters as follows:

Point Force: 1.2 kip per ft {8 kN per m}
Point Moment: 8 kip-ft per ft {25 kN m per m}
21 Click OK.
22 Click the Loads icon on the Structure toolbar.
23 Use the Active Load list box on the View toolbar to scroll through the
seismic Load Cases:
Note: The Load Cases indicated as No Eccentricity do not display moment

symbols at the current scale.
Note: Starting at Load Case 2012 and higher, orthogonal effects can be
observed by the fact that two perpendicular force arrows are visible at
most nodes.
want to save.

Seismic Load
Some additional notes pertaining to the Calculation and

Distribution of Seismic Base Shear:
The following comes from the Technical Reference manual, and provides specific
information on the steps used to calculate and distribute the seismic base shear:
The Time Period of the structure is calculated based on Section 12.8.1 of ASCE
7-05 for IBC 2006. This is reported in the output as Ta.
The period is also calculated in accordance with the Rayleigh method. This is
reported in the output as T. The Rayleigh based period may be overridden by
specifying a value for PX or PZ depending on the direction of the seismic load.
The governing Time Period of the structure is then chosen between the above
two periods, and the additional guidance provided in Section 12.8.2.1 of ASCE
7-05 for IBC 2006. The resulting value is reported as Time Period used in the
output file.
The Design Base Shear is calculated based on Equation 12.8-1 of ASCE 7-05 for
IBC 2006. It is then distributed at each floor using the rules of Clause 12.83
from IBC 2006, and Equations 12.8-11, 12.8-12 and 12.8-13 of ASCE 7-05. A
collection of nodes with the same Y coordinate value is considered to be a
Level for the purposes of determining the vertical distribution of seismic
load in accordance with Section 12.8.3 of ASCE 7-05.
If the ACCIDENTAL option is specified, the program calculates the additional
torsional moment. The lever arm for calculating the torsional moment is
obtained as 5% of the building dimension at each floor level perpendicular to
the direction of the IBC load per section 12.8.4.2 of ASCE 7-05 for IBC 2006. At
each joint where a weight is located, the lateral seismic force acting at that
joint is multiplied by this lever arm to obtain the torsional moment at that
joint.


STAAD.Pro has the ability to perform a Direct Analysis according to AISC 360-05.
When the Direct Analysis method is applied, it is an iterative process. The analysis
results can have an influence on member stiffness, which in turn influences the
analysis. STAAD.Pro has implemented a method of approaching this iterative
analysis and design method through the use of a Direct Analysis Definition.
Exercise: Create a Direct Analysis Definition

4 Click Direct Analysis Definition, and then click Add.
The Add New: dialog provides the following parameters:
FLEX Parameter: used to identify those members whose flexural
stiffness is considered to contribute to the lateral stability of the
structure. The input for this parameter consists of the initial value of b
that should be used, and it is the type of parameter that must be
assigned to specific members in order to have any effect. This means it
is possible to specify different initial values of b for different members
if desired.
The b factor is used to reduce the flexural stiffness of a frame member
as a function of the axial load carried by the member. Members to
which FLEX is assigned will have their EI factored by 0.80 times b while
STAAD performs the global solution. However, the final member forces
and the code check will be based on 100% of the flexural stiffness.
FYLD Parameter: used to specify the yield stress of members only for
the purpose of calculating b.
AXIAL Parameter: used to identify those members whose axial stiffness
is considered to contribute to the lateral stability of the structure.
Notional Load Factor: used to specify the factor for notional loads (ex:
0.002 or 0.003).
Note: If 0.003 or greater is entered, then b will be set to 1.0 and no iterations
will be performed.

5 Enter a value of 1.0 in the FLEX Parameter and click Add. A new line of
data appears in the Load & Definition dialog in the form of: FLEX 1. It is
preceded by the graphic icon reminding that it is the type of parameter
that must be assigned in order for it to have any effect.
Note: The FYLD Parameter should be entered in units of kips/in2, but the
current input unit is set to kip-ft, and unit changes are not permitted
while editing loads. The easiest way to handle this is to manually edit
the input file later to insert the appropriate UNIT commands. {When
working in metric units, the approach will be slightly different.}
6 Click FYLD Parameter, enter 50 (representing 50 ksi) {344700 kN/m2}, and
click Add. A new line of data appears in the Load & Definition dialog in the
form of: FYLD 50 {FYLD 344700}. Again, it is the type of parameter that
must be assigned in order for it to have any effect.
7 Click AXIAL Parameter, and click Add. A new line of data appears in the
Load & Definition dialog in the form of: AXIAL, and is again, the type of
parameter that must be assigned to have an effect.
8 Click Notional Load Factor, enter 0.002, and click Add, followed by Close.
A new line of data appears in the Load & Definition dialog in the form of:
NOTIONAL LOAD FACTOR 0.002. The leading graphic for this parameter
indicates that this parameter does NOT need to be assigned to specific
members.
Hint: Establishing the Notional Load Factor in a Direct Analysis Definition does
two things. First, based on the value that is assigned, it dictates
whether the program will iterate on the value of tau b. Second, when
generating notional loads automatically through the Load Combination
generator, it dictates the factor that will be used for the notional loads.
However, it does NOT automatically specify the Notional Load Factor
that will be used if Notional Loads are created manually.
9 Click the FLEX 1 parameter, Assign to View, Assign, and confirm with Yes.
10 Click the FYLD 50 {FYLD 344700} parameter, Assign to View, Assign, and
confirm with Yes.
11 Click the AXIAL parameter, select Beams Parallel to Y, Assign to Selected
Members, Assign, and confirm with Yes.

12 Edit the input file to manually insert the UNIT change commands so the
file appears as shown below (you will add the first and last line):
UNIT INCH KIP {UNIT METER KN}
DEFINE DIRECT ANALYSIS
FLEX 1 LIST 1 TO 55
FYLD 50 LIST 1 TO 55 {FYLD 344700 LIST 1 TO 55}
AXIAL LIST 32 TO 45 49 50 54 55
NOTIONAL LOAD FACTOR 0.002
END
UNIT FEET KIP {UNIT METER KN}
13 Save and close the input file.
The Direct Analysis method requires that Notional Loads be incorporated into the
structural analysis to account for geometric imperfections in the frame and other
non-linearities in the structure such as residual stresses. The Notional Loads are
defined as lateral loads with a magnitude equal to a small percentage of the
applied gravity loads, and they can be created two different ways in STAAD.Pro;
manually, or automatically through the Load Combination generation process. In
this section, we will see how to create Notional Loads manually.
Exercise: Create Notional Loads Manually

Assume that the goal is to generate Notional Loads based on 100% of the
loads defined as dead load and live load.
3 Click the + in front of Load Cases Details in the Load & Definition dialog,
and notice that this model already has Load Cases populated with Load
Items to represent dead load, live load, and snow load.
Add. The Add New: Load Cases dialog opens and defaults to creating a
new Primary Load Case.


Number: 4
Loading Type: None
Title: X NOTIONAL LOADS
6 Click Add.
Number: 5
Loading Type: None
Title: Z NOTIONAL LOADS
8 Click Add, followed by Close. The corresponding data in the STAAD input
file appears as two new lines in the Load & Definition dialog in the form of:
4: X NOTIONAL LOADS and 5: Z NOTIONAL LOADS under Load Cases
Details.
9 Click the line corresponding to Load Case 4, and click Add.
10 Click Repeat Load option in the Add New: Load Items dialog, and then click
the Notional Load Item.
Note: This dialog allows Notional Loads to be created on the basis of Primary
Load Cases, Reference Load Cases, or any combination thereof. Our
intent in this exercise is to create Notional Loads based on dead load
and live load.
11 Select Load Cases 1 and 2 in the Primary Load Cases list, and then click the
single right arrow button to move them to the right side of the dialog.
Hint: Multiple Load Cases can be selected at one time by holding the SHIFT
key.
12 Edit the Factor to 0.002 for both Load Cases, leave the direction set to X,
and click Add. A new line of data appears in the Load & Definition dialog in
the form of: NOTIONAL LOAD > 1 X 0.002 2 X 0.002.
13 Click the line in the Load & Definition dialog corresponding to Load Case 5.
14 Click Repeat Load option in the Add New: Load Items dialog, and then click
the Notional Load Item.
15 Select Load Cases 1 and 2 in the Primary Load Cases list, and then click the
single right arrow button to move them to the right side of the dialog.

16 Edit the Factor to 0.002 and use the dropdowns to set the direction to Z
for both Load Cases.
Definition dialog in the form of: NOTIONAL LOAD > 1 Z 0.002 2 Z 0.002.
Note: This completes the process of creating the Notional Loads manually. We
will discuss the automatic method of creating Notional Loads in the
upcoming section on Load Combinations.
want to save.

Load Combinations
Load Combinations
STAAD.Pro provides a variety of options for combining loads. The first method
that we will explore is the option to use the LOAD COMBINATION command to
create Load Combinations manually.
Exercise: Create a Load Combination Manually

1 Open the file named Loads 12.std.
and notice that this model already has Load Cases assigned to Loading
Types: Dead, Live, Snow, and Seismic.
4 Click on Load Cases Details in the Load & Definition dialog, and then click
Add.
5 In the Add New: Load Cases dialog, click Define Combinations.
6 Leave the Load No. and Name set to their default values.
7 Leave the Type set to Normal.
Note: There is also an option to combine the constituent Load Cases using the
Square Root of the Sum of the Squares method, or the Absolute Value
method. In addition, it is also possible to create a mixed combination
that consists of some terms to be combined in a linear (Normal) form,
and some terms to be combined in the SRSS form.
8 Using the selection arrows, move Load Cases 1, 2, and 3001 to the Load
Combination Definition window on the right side of the Add New: Load
Cases dialog.
9 Leave all three Factors at their default value of 1 for demonstration
purposes, but note that each Factor could be edited individually.
The resulting Load Combination is displayed in the Load & Definition
dialog.
Although it is possible to create Load Combinations manually in this way,
this method may not be practical for situations where the goal is to
generate the complete set of code-specified load combinations for a
structure with many different loading types. For these applications, it is
more efficient to take advantage of the Auto Load Combination generator,
which is demonstrated in the next few exercises.

Load Combinations
want to save.
Exercise: Edit Auto Load Combination Generation Rules

Types: Dead, Live, Snow, and Seismic.
Note: The Loading Type establishes the nature of the Load Case for the
purpose of automatically generating Load Combinations according to
codes and design standards.
4 Click Commands > Loading > Edit Auto Load Rules.
This is a built-in facility that can quickly create all of the various load
combinations according to the rules of a selected code or design standard.
The Auto Load Combination generator uses a set of customizable tables to
establish the rules for creating combinations. The options available in the
generator are as follows:
Select Code: The Select Code list offers a choice of code or design
standard upon which to base the load combinations. There is also an
option to introduce new sets of custom rules with the New Code
button.
Select Category: The Select Category list provides a way to choose from
a subset of rules within the selected code. The New Category button
can be used to create additional custom subsets of rules within any
Code.
Include Notional Load: The first row in a load combination rules table is
labeled Include Notional Load. When this checkbox is selected for a
given Loading Type, STAAD.Pro will automatically calculate a Notional
Load equal to the Notional Load Factor multiplied by the load factor
and multiplied by the vertical component of load due to that particular
Loading Type. That component of Notional Load will be included in any
Load Combination that includes that particular Loading Type.
Note: For any Load Combination that includes any component of Notional
Load, STAAD.Pro will automatically generate four permutations of that
Load Combination, so that it covers all four possible Notional Load
directions (+X, -X, +Z, and -Z).

Load Combinations
Combination Rule: The next row in a Load Combination rules table is

labeled Combination Rule. It provides a list with three choices that
dictate how loads of that Loading Type will be treated as the
combinations are created:
Combine All Cases Together: All loads of that Loading Type are
assumed to act concurrently. (This may be the most common
setting for Dead Load, since, even if there is more than one Load
Case defined to contain Dead Load, most likely the intent is that
they should all be considered to act at the same time.)
Separate Combination for Each Case: Each Load Case that contains
loads of that Loading Type are assumed to act independently
(mutually exclusive). (This may be a common setting for Seismic
Load where the intent is not to apply seismic from the north at the
same time as seismic from the south.)
All Possible Combinations: Each load case that contains loads of
that Loading Type will be applied in all possible permutations. (This
may be a common setting for Live Load that has been separated
into individual Load Cases to represent loads on various spans of a
continuous, multi-span beam. This setting would generate all
possible permutations of load such as: load on span 1 only, load on
spans 1 and 2, load on odd alternate spans, load on even alternate
spans, load on end spans, etc).
Select Code: IBC
Select Category: Table7ASD241
Ensure that the Include Notional Load checkbox is selected for Dead,
Live, and Snow.
Note: The checkbox may also be checked for some other gravity loading types,
but that will have no effect on the current model.
Combination Rule for Dead: Combine All Cases Together
Combination Rule for Live: All Possible Combinations
Combination Rule for Seismic: Separate Combination for Each Case
Combination Rule for Snow: Combine All Cases Together
Note: The load factors in the individual fields in the table can be edited as
necessary. Additional rows can be added if it becomes necessary to
introduce new combinations.

Load Combinations
6 Click the Update Table button to save the changes to the file that contains
the rules.
7 Click Close to dismiss the Edit Loading Rules for Auto Load Combination
Generation dialog.
The Auto Load Combination Generation rules are now ready to use. At this
point there are three different options:
Create Load Combinations (results combinations) without Notional
Loads
Create Repeat Load Combinations without Notional Loads
Create Repeat Load Combinations with Notional Loads
Each option is demonstrated in exercises below.
Exercise: Generate Load Combinations (results combinations) without

Notional Loads
Add.
4 Click the Auto Load Combination option in the Add New: Load Cases
dialog.
5 Set the lists as follows:
Select Load Combination Code: IBC
Select Load Combination Category: Table7ASD241
Load Combinations in STAAD.Pro can be thought of as results
combinations. In other words, Load Combinations simply combine the
factored results of the constituent Load Cases based on the specified load
factors.
Warning: Load Combinations do not actually process the constituent Load

Cases simultaneously; therefore they may not accurately capture
the true structural response. For instance, Load Combination will
not correctly capture P- effects, which depend on the concurrent
analysis of the loads causing the P and the loads causing the .
Warning: As another example, in a combination where Wind Loads create

tension in a compression-only support, and the Dead Load is

Load Combinations
required to restore equilibrium, a Load Combination will predict an

instability, because it does not have the ability to determine that
the Dead Load counteracts the Wind Load uplift. For these types of
conditions it is important to combine loads using the Repeat Load
method instead of the Load Combination method.
6 Leave the Create Repeat Load Cases checkbox deselected.

7 Click the Generate Loads button.
Note: The arrow buttons could be used to select/discard specific combinations

if necessary.
Observe the Load Combinations that are generated in the Load &
Definition dialog, and note the syntax used to identify the constituent
Load Cases and their respective factors.
LOAD COMB 4 Generated IBC Table7ASD241 1
1 1.0
1 1.0 2 1.0
...
1 0.6 3003 -0.7
1 0.6 3004 -0.7
want to save.

Load Combinations
Exercise: Generate Repeat Load Combinations without Notional Loads

As discussed above, a Repeat Load is a way to instruct STAAD.Pro to
analyze more than one load case concurrently, but to treat it as a primary
load case. Thus, Repeat Loads are another way to combine loads, and very
importantly, they combine loads in a way that correctly captures the P-
effects on a structure.
Add.
dialog.

if necessary.
7 Click the Create Repeat Load Cases checkbox.
Observe the Repeat Loads that are generated in the Load & Definition
dialog, and note the syntax used to identify the constituent Load Cases
and their respective factors.
LOAD 4 Generated IBC Table7ASD241 1
REPEAT LOAD
1 1.0
REPEAT LOAD
1 1.0 2 1.0
...

Load Combinations
REPEAT LOAD
1 0.6 3003 -0.7
REPEAT LOAD
1 0.6 3004 -0.7
want to save.
Exercise: Generate Repeat Load Combinations (with Notional Loads)

The Auto Load Combination generator can also be used to generate
Repeat Load type combinations that include the appropriate components
of Notional Loads.
Add.
dialog.
6 Check the Create Repeat Load Cases checkbox, and then check the
Include Notional Load? checkbox.

if necessary.
8 Click the Add button. The Repeat Load commands can be seen generating
in the Load & Definition dialog.
9 Click Close to dismiss the Add New: Load Cases dialog.
10 Observe the Repeat Loads that are generated in the Load & Definition
dialog, and note the syntax used to identify the constituent Load Cases,
the Notional Loads, and their respective factors.

Load Combinations
Note: The load factors or directions for any of the individual generated loads
could be edited by clicking on REPEAT LOAD or on NOTIONAL LOAD and
then clicking the Edit button.
Note: The corresponding data in the STAAD input file appears as follows:
REPEAT LOAD
1 1.0
NOTIONAL LOAD
1 X 0.002
REPEAT LOAD
1 1.0
NOTIONAL LOAD
1 X -0.002
...
REPEAT LOAD
1 0.6 3004 -0.7
NOTIONAL LOAD
1 Z 0.0012
REPEAT LOAD
1 0.6 3004 -0.7
NOTIONAL LOAD
1 Z -0.0012
want to save.

Load Envelopes
Load Envelopes
Load Envelopes are a convenient way to work with logical groups of Load Cases.
Exercise: Apply Load Envelopes

1 Open the file named Loads 16.std.
Assume that the goal is to create a Load Envelope of all of the Repeat Load
Combinations that contain seismic loads.
Types: Dead, Live, Snow, and Seismic, as well as many Repeat Load
Combinations.
By studying the Load Cases Details, the following is found to be the
complete list of all Repeat Load commands that include seismic load:
9 - 32
34 - 41
4 Click Load Envelopes in the Load & Definition dialog, and then click Add.
Envelope: 1 (Accept default)
Type: STRESS
6 Scroll down through the Available: list and click the line that says 9
GENERATED IBC TABLE7ASD241 6. Scroll further down, hold down the
SHIFT key, and click the line that says 32 GENERATED IBC TABLE7ASD241
29. Release the SHIFT key, and click the single right arrow to move the
highlighted items to the Selected: side of the dialog.
7 Scroll through the Available: list and click the line that says 34 GENERATED
IBC TABLE7ASD241 31. Scroll further down, hold down the SHIFT key, and
click the line that says 41 GENERATED IBC TABLE7ASD241 38. Release the
SHIFT key, and click the single right arrow to move the highlighted items to
the Selected: side of the dialog.

Load Envelopes
9 Click the + in front of the Load Envelopes line in the Load & Definition
dialog. The envelope we just created appears as a new line in the form of:
D ENVELOPE 1 TYPE STRESS
10 Click the new line, and then click the Edit button. Notice that the Load
Envelope could be edited at any time if necessary.
11 Click Close to dismiss the Edit dialog.
12 Click Analyze > Run Analysis in the Menu Bar. Click Save in the warning
dialog. When the STAAD Analysis and Design dialog indicates that the
analysis is complete, choose the option to Go to Post Processing Mode
and click Done.
Note: In the Results Setup dialog, notice that STAAD.Pro automatically detects
that a Load Envelope has been defined and defaults to the option to
display results for ENVELOPE 1.
13 Click OK to accept this setting and dismiss the Results Setup dialog.
14 Select any of the sub-tabs under the Node or Beam tab. Notice that the
Data Area only displays results for Load Cases that are in the Load
Envelope we just created.
want to save.

Reference Loads
Reference Loads
There are some instances where it is convenient to define load cases that don't
need to be analyzed in their own right, but that simply will serve as building
blocks for inclusion in other primary Load Cases. This is the purpose for Reference
Loads.
Exercise: Define and Assign Reference Loads

3 Click the + in front of Definitions in the Load & Definition dialog.
4 Click Reference Load Definitions, and then click Add.
5 Leave the Number at its default of 1. Set the Loading Type to Dead. Enter
POINT LOADS in the Title field, and click Add.
The number will increment to 2.
6 Set the Loading Type to Dead. Enter MOMENTS in the Title field, and click
Add followed by Close.
7 Click on R1 : POINT LOADS, and then click Add.
8 Click on the Nodal Load category in the Add New : Reference Load Items
dialog. The Node item will be selected by default.
9 Enter a value of -60 {-60} in the Fy field, and then click Add followed by
Close.
10 Click on the newly added Load Item in the POINT LOADS definition, select
the option to Assign to Edit List, enter 1 4 5 8 9 12 13 16 17 20 in the list
box, and then click Assign.
11 Click on R2 : MOMENTS, and then click Add.
12 Click on the Nodal Load category in the Add New : Reference Load Items
dialog. The Node item will be selected by default.
13 Enter a value of 60 {60} in the Mz field, and then click Add.
14 Enter a value of -60 {-60} in the Mz field, and then click Add followed by
Close.
15 Click on the newly added Load Item in the MOMENTS definition that
references the positive moment value, select the option to Assign to Edit
List, enter 1 5 9 13 17 in the list box, and then click Assign.

Reference Loads
16 Click on the Load Item that references the negative moment value, select
the option to Assign to Edit List, enter 4 8 12 16 20 in the list box, and then
click Assign.
The Reference Load Definitions are now complete, and the next step is to
incorporate them into Load Cases.
Notice that a single Load Case named DEAD LOAD has already been
created in this dataset file.
18 Click on the DEAD LOAD Load Case, and then click Add.
19 Click on the Repeat Load category in the Add New : Load Items dialog, and
then click the Reference Load item.
20 Click on the R1 and R2 Load Cases while holding the Shift key, and then
click the single right arrow to move both Load Cases to the Referenced
Load side of the dialog. Leave both Factors at their default values of 1.0,
and click Add followed by Close.
The new REFERENCE LOAD now appears within the DEAD LOAD Load Case.
The syntax refers to the constituent Reference Load Definitions and
includes the factors by which each component is multiplied.
21 Click on REFERENCE LOAD to see the graphic representation of the loads
on the structure diagram.
This simple example illustrates how Reference Loads can be used to
conveniently define individual components of load on a structure without
analyzing them individually, and then how they can be applied to the
structure by incorporation into a Load Case.
want to save.

Module Assessment
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Module Assessment

Analyzing the Model
Module Overview
STAAD.Pro can perform various types of analyses on a structure and offers options
for obtaining a printout of model information and the results of an analysis. This
module demonstrates how to perform an analysis in STAAD.Pro and obtain
printed output results.
Ability to create structure geometry using STAAD.Pro
Ability to assign member and material properties, supports, and loads in
STAAD.Pro
Module Objectives
Add analysis commands at the appropriate location in the input file
Add commands for printing model information and analysis results in an
output file
Perform an analysis
View the output file
Jan-12 323 Analyzing the Model

Preparing for the Analysis

This module begins at the point where all of the steps needed to create and load a
complete model have been performed. The next step is to perform the analysis to
obtain the forces, moments, displacements, support reactions, and so forth.
STAAD.Pro offers several analysis methods as shown below:
Perform Analysis - instructs STAAD to perform a linear elastic (stiffness)
analysis
P-Delta Analysis - performs a second-order elastic analysis that considers the
effects of the applied loads acting on the displaced structure (P- effect). This
type of analysis is generally preferred by most building codes. This is an
iterative analysis process. This analysis type also has options to specify the
number of iterations to be performed or to place a convergence tolerance on
the displacements from successive iterations. There is also an option to
include the P- (small delta) effect, which considers the effect of applied loads
acting on the deformed shape of individual members. Finally, this analysis
includes an option to include the Geometric Stiffness (Kg) matrix, which
modifies the member stiffnesses based on the applied loads.
Cable Analysis - performs a non-linear cable analysis on a structure that
contains non-linear cable members
Direct Analysis - performs a Direct Analysis in accordance with Appendix 7 of
AISC 360-05. This method accounts for the second-order effects resulting
from deformation in the structure due to applied loading, imperfections, and
reduced bending stiffness of members due to the presence of axial loads. This
analysis is similar to a P-Delta Analysis with the Use Geometric Stiffness (Kg)
and Small Delta options selected. However, this analysis calculates
modifications to the stiffness matrix using the b factors described in AISC
360-05.
Generate Floor Spectrum - used to request the calculation of floor and/or
joint response spectra from time history results. This is particularly useful in
the analysis of floor systems supporting vibrating equipment. This feature
requires a license for the Advanced Analysis Engine.
Imperfection Analysis - considers the secondary effects of loads acting on
members that have an initial curvature (camber) or an initial drift (out-of-
plumbness). This analysis is used on structures that have members with an
Imperfection specification applied to them.
Buckling Analysis - identifies the factor by which the loads in the selected load
case should be increased (or decreased if the factor is less than 1) such that
Euler buckling first occurs in any member of the structure.
Analyzing the Model 324 Jan-12

Pushover Analysis - performs a static, non-linear procedure in accordance

with FEMA 356. In this method, a lateral push load is applied to the
structure and increased progressively according to a predefined loading
pattern until either the loading or the structure displacement reaches a
prescribed level. This method considers the non-linear behavior of the
structure, allowing plastic hinges to form in the structure until a collapse
mechanism is created. This technique is typically applied for the seismic
rehabilitation of structures.
Most of the analysis types also contain the following print options:
No Print - none of the Print Options will be included in the output file.
Load Data - includes an interpretation of all the load data in the output file.
Statics Check -includes a report in the output file that will provide, for each
load case:
The total load acting on the structure.
The forces in the X, Y, and Z directions.
The moments about the X, Y and Z axes acting at the origin.
A support reaction summary.
The maximum displacements in the model.
The maximum translation in the X, Y and Z directions.
The maximum rotations about the X, Y and Z axes.
In a concise form the Statics Check provides an equilibrium check and a maximum
displacement summary.
The Statics Check output can be used to compare the total loading to the total
reactions. These two quantities should be equal in magnitude and opposite in
sense for a linear-elastic analysis. If they are not, it is an indication that some of
the applied load is not being considered, and it may indicate that there is a
problem with the model.

Note: Do not confuse the Statics Check option with the Statics Load option directly
below it.
Statics Load -includes an equilibrium check at every joint in the structure,
instead of the concise check for only support reactions versus applied loading.
Mode Shapes - includes a report of frequencies and modes when a dynamic
analysis is performed.
Both - equivalent to selecting Load Data and Statics Check.
All - equivalent to selecting Load Data and Statics Load.
This module demonstrates how to instruct STAAD.Pro to perform a specific type

of analysis, and to provide certain types of output.
Exercise: Issuing an Analysis Command

1 Open the dataset file named Analysis 1.std.
The general workflow process continues to move from top to bottom in
the Page Control area.
2 Click the Analysis/Print tab in the Page Control area.
Three sub-tabs are displayed in the Page Control area: Pre-Print, Analysis
and Post-Print. The Analysis sub-tab is active by default and the Analysis/
Print Commands dialog is open.
The Analysis/Print Commands dialog allows specification of the type of
analysis to be performed as well as providing options for printing analysis-
related information into an output file.
There is a tab on this dialog for each of the analysis types described. In
addition, there is a tab that is used to insert a Change command into the
input file. The Change command is used to reset the stiffness matrix, and
is typically required in models that include multiple analysis instructions.
A linear-elastic analysis will be performed on this model.
3 Click the Perform Analysis tab in the Analysis/Print Commands dialog.
4 Select the Statics Check radio button. Click Add, then Close.
This instructs the program to perform an analysis and to include in the
output file the information listed above in the description of the Statics
Check option.

Understanding the STAAD.Pro Input File

The Analysis-Whole Structure dialog (hereafter referred to as the Analysis dialog)
in the Data Area displays an outline of commands that are included in the input
file for the model. The order of commands in the STAAD.Pro input file is very
important.
Note the PERFORM ANALYSIS PRINT STATICS CHECK command that was just added
appears at the bottom of the command list. Also, click the Define Commands
button and note the checkbox labeled After Current in the lower left-hand corner
of the Analysis/Print Commands dialog. This checkbox influences the location
where a new command is inserted into the STAAD.Pro input file.
It refers to the currently selected line in the Command Tree shown in the Analysis
dialog. If left unchecked, a new command will always be added to the end of the
STAAD.Pro input file. As an example, a Perform Analysis command must precede a
Check Code command in the input file. In the following exercise, we will assume
that a Check Code command was inadvertently placed in the input file without a
preceding Perform Analysis command.
If STAAD.Pro adds new commands to the end of the input file by default, how can
you insert a Perform Analysis command above the line containing the Check Code
command? This is where the After Current checkbox is useful.
Exercise: Adding Commands to the middle of the STAAD.Pro Input File

1 In the Analysis dialog in the Data Area, double-click the line that starts
with LOAD 2.
That folder expands to reveal its contents.
2 Double-click the line that says MEMBER LOAD to expand that item as well.
3 Click on the line that says UNI GY -2 {UNI GY -30}. It becomes highlighted
to indicate that it is now the current line.
Suppose that we wish to insert a new analysis command immediately
after this location in the input file.
4 Click the Define Commands button at the bottom of the Analysis dialog.
5 On the Perform Analysis tab, click the Both radio button.
6 This time, click the After Current checkbox to activate it, and then click
Add, followed by Close.
The new command, PERFORM ANALYSIS PRINT BOTH, is inserted after the
currently selected line in the input file.

Note: This command was only added to demonstrate the function of the After
Current option. It should not be left in the input file.
7 Right-click the PERFORM ANALYSIS PRINT BOTH line in the Analysis
dialog.
8 Click Delete Command in the pop-up menu, and then confirm by clicking
Yes.
Note that the command disappears from the input file.
9 Leave the command that says PERFORM ANALYSIS PRINT STATICS CHECK.
Exercise: Adding Additional Print Commands to the Input File
Note: STAAD.Pro provides numerous options for including information about

the model and the results of the analysis in the output file.
1 Click the Pre-Print sub-tab in the Page Control, and then click the Define
Commands button at the bottom of the Pre Analysis Print dialog in the
Data Area.
The Analysis/Print Commands dialog opens. Note the Analysis/Print
Commands dialog has different options when it is accessed from the Pre
Analysis Print dialog than when it is accessed from the Analysis dialog.
This dialog is used to include in the output file certain items related to the
input data, such as joint coordinates, member properties, and material
properties.
2 Click the Material Properties tab, click the Add button, and then click
Close.
This places a command in the input file requesting STAAD.Pro to print the
material properties of members in the output file.
Note that the command appears in the Pre Analysis Print dialog, and that
it has a question mark graphic in front of the command. This indicates that
the command has not yet been assigned to any members.
3 Click the PRINT MATERIAL PROPERTIES command in the Pre Analysis Print
dialog.
4 Click the Assign To View radio button in the Assignment Method category,
and then click the Assign button.
5 Click Yes in the pop-up dialog to confirm the assignment.
All members in the Main Window become highlighted, indicating that the
command was applied to every member in the model.

Note that even if no Pre Analysis Print commands were issued, STAAD.Pro
will still echo the input data in the output file.
However, the Pre Analysis Print commands display information in a more
user-friendly, tabular format.
6 Now, click the Post-Print sub-tab in the Page Control, and then click the
Define Commands button at the bottom of the Post Analysis Print dialog in
the Data Area.
Another Analysis/Print Commands dialog opens with a large number of
post-analysis printing options available.
Some of the available options to place in the output file include analysis
results, joint displacements, support reactions, member forces, member
section forces (all 6 forces at 1/8th intervals along the member length),
member stresses, etc.
7 Click the Analysis Results tab, and then click Add followed by Close.
The PRINT ANALYSIS RESULTS command now appears in the input file in
the Post Analysis Print dialog.
About the Print Analysis Results Command

The Print Analysis Results command does not need to be assigned to any specific
member. It automatically is assigned to every node and member in the structure.
By adding this command, all joint displacements, support reactions, and member
end forces are included in the output file.
It is always possible to come back later, add more analysis/print commands, and
re-run the analysis. In addition, there are other methods of obtaining analysis
results besides the output file.
For example, the Post Processor, which is covered in detail in another module,
offers a variety of ways to view results graphically. It is also used to create
customized reports that can include information in both tabular and graphical
format.

The commands in the Post Analysis Print dialog now include:

PERFORM ANALYSIS PRINT STATICS CHECK
PRINT MATERIAL PROPERTIES
PRINT ANALYSIS RESULTS
FINISH
Note that when the command list is viewed from the Post Analysis Print dialog,
most of the commands are grayed out, and only the PRINT ANALYSIS RESULTS
command is in bold text with a green checkmark.
The other items are grayed out to indicate that they cannot be modified from the
current location in the Page Control. Edits to those items require moving to a
different tab in the Page Control first.
For example, if it is necessary to modify the edit list of members for the PRINT
MATERIAL PROPERTIES command, it requires clicking on the Pre-Print sub-tab
first. Then the PRINT MATERIAL PROPERTIES command would be in bold text,
indicating that it is accessible to modify.

Performing the Analysis
Performing the Analysis

Now that preparations are complete, it is time to perform the analysis.
Exercise: Performing the Analysis

1 Continue working in the same file, or open the dataset file named Analysis
2.std.
2 Click Analyze > Run Analysis. Click Save if a confirmation dialog appears.
A dialog labeled STAAD Analysis and Design displays a series of messages
as the analysis proceeds.
While the analysis is in progress, a button labeled Abort is provided in the
lower right corner. It can be used to stop the processing and abort the run.
In the case of this example model, the processing time is so short that it
may be difficult to see the Abort button before it changes to the Done
button.
When the analysis is complete, STAAD.Pro displays the message: End
STAAD.Pro Run and reports the total processing time.
Three options are now available in the lower left corner of the dialog:
View Output File
Go to Post Processing Mode
Stay in Modeling Mode
3 Click the View Output File radio button, and then click Done.
The STAAD Analysis and Design dialog is dismissed and the output file
opens in the STAAD Output Viewer.
4 Keep the STAAD Output Viewer window open for reference in the next
section.

How STAAD.Pro Generates Results

In a linear elastic analysis, a fundamental equation is used to generate the results:
[K] {u} = {P}
It states that the stiffness, K, of the structure multiplied by the displacement

vector, u, must be equal to the applied loading vector, P, in order to satisfy the
requirement that the structure is in a state of equilibrium.
The stiffness of a structure is a composition of the individual stiffnesses of each

member and each degree of freedom in the structure. The simplest case of this
concept, a single member with a single degree of freedom, can be illustrated by
considering a weight suspended at the end of a spring of stiffness K.
K = P/
The weight applies a load to the spring, causing it to deflect a distance as shown
in the figure above. This is a simple example. However, even when looking at only
a single beam in a three-dimensional structure model, the problem immediately
becomes more complicated.
Each beam has six degrees of freedom at each end of the beam; three
translational degrees of freedom and three rotational degrees of freedom. So
there are twelve degrees of freedom for each beam element, and each degree of
freedom has its own stiffness.
There are also coupling effects which have to be taken into account. For instance,
when one portion of the structure pushes on another portion, the second portion
pushes back, and when one end of a beam moves, the other end moves too, and
so forth.

All of these stiffnesses must be assembled into a stiffness matrix. The magnitudes
of the stiffness factors are known. The stiffnesses are a function of member
properties, material properties, member orientation, beta angles, and so forth.
The load values are also known. The only unknown values are the displacements,
and this is the quantity for which STAAD.Pro is actually solving.

Viewing the Output File

During the analysis, an output file is produced containing results, warnings and
messages associated with errors if any. The output file has the extension .ANL and
may be viewed using the STAAD Output Viewer or any other text file viewer. Use
the scroll bar to scroll down through the report.
The first section displays any job information that was entered in the Job Info
dialog, followed by an echo of the input file. Below that is a list of PROBLEM
STATISTICS: number of joints, members and elements, supports, load cases, and
other data.
Following the statistics is information associated with the Statics Check requested
with the PRINT STATICS CHECK command. The Statics Check was requested in
order to verify that the structure is in equilibrium for the various load cases. For
each primary load case, the Statics Check report provides:
Summary of total applied loads for all 6 degrees of freedom, with moments
calculated about the origin of the coordinate system (0, 0, 0).
Summary of total reactions from the supports of the structure, with moments
calculated about the origin of the coordinate system (0, 0, 0).
Maximum displacements (3 translations and 3 rotations) in the structure
induced by this load case.
To check equilibrium for a given load case, verify that each of the 3 applied forces
and 3 applied moments is equal in magnitude and opposite in sign to the 3
reaction forces and 3 reaction moments.
Hint: A failure to achieve equilibrium could imply that the analysis results (for a
linear elastic analysis) are erroneous. Factors such as instability conditions or
improperly applied loads can cause the equilibrium check to fail.
It is also important to examine the maximum displacements for two reasons:

First, to verify that the displacements seem reasonable and not extreme,
which could indicate a modeling error, an instability, or a drastically
disproportionate member stiffness somewhere in the model.
Second, to simply verify that the deformations are within tolerable limits.
Following the statics check is the material properties information for all members
in the model.

The next block of data is the analysis results, which includes:

Joint displacements for every joint
Support reactions for every support
Member end forces for every member
Finally, a message is printed indicating the end of the STAAD.Pro run.
The output report for this very simple structure is several pages long. This
underscores the need to be judicious when choosing analysis/print commands. It
can be very easy to end up with an output report that is hundreds of pages in
length, making it difficult to find the desired results.
Bear in mind that the output file is just one method of obtaining output results
from STAAD.Pro. The Post Processor, which is covered in detail in a different
module, is specifically for the purpose of observing and reporting analysis results.
Close the STAAD Output Viewer window by clicking File > Exit. Be careful to select
the STAAD Output Viewer's File menu, not the File menu in the STAAD.Pro Menu
Bar.
Click File > Close to return to the Start Page.

Module Assessment
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Exercise Problems
Module Overview
This module contains nine example problems that will reinforce the Fundamental
STAAD.Pro skills that you have learned up to this point.
Familiarity with model generation and property assignment techniques in
STAAD.Pro
Familiarity with analysis commands and post-processing functions of
STAAD.Pro
Familiarity with basic steel and concrete design commands in STAAD.Pro
Module Objectives
Reinforce your Fundamental STAAD.Pro skills.
Jan-12 337 Exercise Problems

Exercise Problem One
Exercise Problem One

Create the geometry of the structure shown in the figures below.
9 ft {3 m}
9 ft {3 m}
Isometric View of the Entire Structure
Note: The supports and dimension lines are shown for information only.
Y
X
10 ft
{3 m}
15 ft 15 ft 15 ft 15 ft 15 ft 15 ft
{5 m} {5 m} {5 m} {5 m} {5 m} {5 m}
Dimensions of one of the Side Trusses
Hints:
In the Run Structure Wizard option of the Geometry menu, create a Pratt
Truss with the overall dimensions shown above.
Bring it into the main drawing.
Delete the unwanted members.
Split the cross members at the bottom, and connect them at the split points.
Exercise Problems 338 Jan-12

Exercise Problem Two

Create the geometry of the structure shown in the figure below.
Isometric View of Entire Structure
Note: The supports and dimension lines are shown for information only.

Method 1 Hints:
In the Geometry menu, select Snap/Grid Node - Beam. Set the plane of the
grid to XZ.
Draw the outer triangle of the bottom level. Split the 2 members at their
midpoints, and add a beam between the 2 new points.
Use Geometry > Translational Repeat to create the upper triangle.
Remember to switch on Link Steps to connect the 2 levels using vertical
members.
Using Geometry > Add Beam, draw the diagonals.
Split the diagonals and connect them at the split points.
Using Geometry > Add Beam, draw the remaining members.
Method 2 Hints:
In the Geometry menu, select Snap/Grid Node - Beam. Set the plane of the
grid to XY. Calculate the angle of the vertex of the bottom triangle, and set the
angle of the plane to be half that value about YY.
Draw one of the vertical side faces of the structure. Use Geometry > Circular
Repeat - Copy mode to create the other face. Remember to switch on Link
Steps while circular repeating.
Add the rest of the members, and split and connect as necessary.

Exercise Problem Three

Create the model of the structure shown in the figures below, and assign the
following data.
Basic data for the structure:
ATTRIBUTE DATA
Member Properties W12x26 for all members
Material Constants E, Density, Poisson - Default value for steel
Supports Fixed supports as shown
Loads 2 primary load cases as shown. Load case 3 should
combine 1 & 2, with a factor of 1.
Analysis Type Linear Static (PERFORM ANALYSIS)
Results Produce a report containing the following items:
Support Reactions for Load 3.
Bending Moment Diagram for Load 3 with the
maximum values annotated.
Node Deflection Diagram for Load 3 with the resultant
values annotated.

Isometric View of Structure (English Units)
Isometric View of Structure (Metric Units)

Connection Data: Moments MY and MZ released
Note: At junction points where horizontals, verticals and bracing members meet, it is
sufficient for this exercise to apply the releases only on the horizontal
members.

Load 1: Distributed Member Loads
Load 2: Lateral Forces along Global X

Exercise Problem Four

Create the model of the steel tower shown in the figures below. Perform the
analysis, followed by a member selection, re-analysis, and a code check on the
members to determine if they pass the AISC ASD code requirements.

ATTRIBUTE DATA
Groups 3 groups to be formed: _VERTICAL, _HORIZONTAL,
_BRACING
Member Properties Vertical Members: W10x49
Horizontal Members: W8x28
Bracing Members: L3x3x1/4 Single Angle
Material Constants Modulus of Elasticity: 30,000 ksi {207,000 MPa}
Additional Member Bracing members to be declared TRUSS type.
Specifications
Supports Pinned supports as shown in earlier figure.
Load Case 1 Equipment Load:
2 kips {9 kN} concentrated force at midpoint of roof-level
beams. Use the Member Load - Concentrated force option
to do this.

Load Case 2 Walkway Live Load:

300 lbs/ft {4.4 kN/m} distributed load on intermediate
level beams.
Load Case 3 Load in X direction on Windward Face:

1.2 kips {5 kN} as shown.

Load Case 4 Case 1 + Case 2 + Case 3 (LOAD COMBINATION type)

Analysis Type Linear Elastic (PERFORM ANALYSIS)
Steel Design Yield strength of steel: 40 ksi {275 MPa}
Parameters
Steel Design Perform a member selection for the entire structure.
Operation
Grouping Group members after selection according to their group
names.
Reanalyze
Code Check Perform a code check for the entire structure.

Exercise Problem Five

The concrete frame shown in the figures below should be modeled and analyzed.
Following the analysis, perform a concrete design for the beams, columns and
slab per the ACI 318 code as explained below.


Basic Data for the structure:
ATTRIBUTE DATA
Cross Section Interior Circular Columns: 30 ft {9 m} tall,
Properties 28 in {700 mm} diameter
Exterior Rectangular Columns: 20 ft {6 m} tall,
36 in {900 mm} depth (YD), 24 in {600 mm} width (ZD)
Plate Thickness: 8 inches {200 mm}
Material Constants Modulus of Elasticity, Density, Poisson: Default value for
Concrete
Additional Member None (Program Defaults)
Specifications
(Releases, Offsets,
etc.)
Supports Fixed Supports as shown in earlier figure.
Loads Load Case 1: Dead Load - Self Weight
Load Case 2: Live Load - Pressure load on plates,
200 lbs/ft2 {9.5 kN/m2} acting globally downward
Load Case 3: Wind Load in X direction on roof -
200 lbs/ft2 {9.5 kN/m2) acting in positive global X
direction (on both slopes)
Load Case 4: Combination Case - Case 1 + Case 2 +
Case 3 (Use REPEAT LOAD)
Analysis Type PDelta

Concrete Design
1 Design the beam shown.
2 Design the columns shown.

3 Design the element shown.

Exercise Problem Six

The tower shown below is supported by six cables. Analyze the structure for 3
load cases, as explained.
1165.36 in
{2960 cm}
1165.36 in
{2960 cm}
1165.36 in
{2960 cm}
Isometric View

600 in
{1524 cm}
600 in
{1524 cm}
Cable Connection Levels
60 in
{1524 mm}
60 in
{1524 mm}
Typical Segment in Elevation

60 in
{1524 mm}
60 in
{1524 mm} 60 in
{1524 mm}
Typical Segment in Isometric View
60 in {1524 mm}
60 in
{1524 mm}
60 in {1524 mm}
Plan View of Typical Level

60 Origin (0, 0, 0)
30 in
{762 mm}
30 in 17.32 in 34.64 in
{762 mm} {440 mm} {880 mm}
60
3
Details of Typical Level
ATTRIBUTE DATA
Member Properties All components of town: Pipe section 24 in {600 mm}
OD, 22 in {550 mm} ID
Cables: 1 sq. in {650 mm2} cross section area
Material Properties Default values for steel
Cable Initial Tension 3000 lbs {13.3 kN}
Loads Load Case 1: Wind Load - 100 lbs {445 N} at each node
on windward face
Load Case 2: Ice Load - 50 lbs per foot {730 N/m} on
each horizontal member
Load Case 3: Load 1 + Load 2
Analysis Type Linear Static



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STAAD.

Bentley Institute Course Guide

AutoCAD is a registered trademark of Autodesk, Inc.

Copyright 2012, Bentley Systems, Incorporated. All Rights Reserved.

STAAD.Pro Fundamentals 2 Jan-12

Model Generation ___________________________________ 7

Jan-12 3 STAAD.Pro Fundamentals

Controlling the View ________________________________83

Finite Element Modeling ______________________________ 91

Property Assignment ________________________________ 125

STAAD.Pro Fundamentals 4 Jan-12

Loads and Load Definitions ______________________________177

Loads and Load Generators ___________________________ 193

Jan-12 5 STAAD.Pro Fundamentals

Wind Definitions ___________________________________270

Analyzing the Model _________________________________ 323

Exercise Problems ___________________________________ 337

STAAD.Pro Fundamentals 6 Jan-12

Jan-12 7 Model Generation

Copyright 2012 Bentley Systems, Incorporated

The Start Page

Model Generation 8 Jan-12

Jan-12 9 Model Generation

Exercise: Customize the Backup Manager for Training

Note: In order to ensure uniformity, this training session is accompanied by a

Model Generation 10 Jan-12

Base Units Working Directory

Base Unit Configuration

Jan-12 11 Model Generation

Global Axis Orientation

The location of entities in a STAAD.Pro model is defined with reference to the

Exercise: Select the Axis Orientation

Model Generation 12 Jan-12

Starting a New Project

Jan-12 13 Model Generation

Exercise: Start a New Project

Model Generation 14 Jan-12

Graphical User Interface

Jan-12 15 Model Generation

Menu Bar Main Window Toolbar

Page Control Status Bar Data Area

Model Generation 16 Jan-12

STAAD.Pro Structural Entities

Plate versus Solid Elements

Jan-12 17 Model Generation

Making Selections in STAAD.Pro

Beams Cursor Members only

Plates Cursor Plate elements only

Surface Cursor Surface entities only

Solids Cursor Solid elements only

Geometry Cursor All types of entities

Select Text Cursor Text labels only

Load Edit Cursor Loads only

Support Edit Cursor Supports only

Member Release Edit Cursor Member releases only

Filtered Selection Cursor Multiple types of geometric entities with

Model Generation 18 Jan-12

Cursor Selection Modes

In STAAD.Pro, there are three selection modes available to be used in conjunction

Jan-12 19 Model Generation

Undo and Redo Tools

Model Generation 20 Jan-12

Creating Structure Geometry

Working with Grids