What’s New
The many new features we’ve added to Version 6 make it faster, more powerful and more intuitive than ever. Some of these new features are:
- Enhanced Graphics — 5x Faster, Translucent Rendering
- Accelerated Dynamics Solver — Up To 100x Faster!
- Custom Concrete Rebar Layouts
- Glulam Timber Design
- Automatic Wind and Seismic Load Generation
- Flexible Diaphragms
- Plane Stress Plates
- Plate Thermal Loads
- Model Links w/ Revit® Structure and DesconWin
Overview
RISA-3D is so popular among structural engineers for many reasons but one in particular stands out: ease of use. We designed our premier product with the daily use of structural engineering professionals in mind.
User friendliness combined with advanced analysis capabilities make this industry standard software a very powerful tool for the analysis and optimization of all types of structures and all common structural materials, including steel, concrete and wood. It’s a tool no structural engineer should be without!
Why RISA-3D Stands Apart
State-of-the-Art Modeling Interface
Our multiple view interface, advanced selection and drawing tools, and spreadsheet features continue to be the best in the business.
Powerful Analysis and Design
With RISA-3D you can rapidly design buildings, bridges, racks, tanks, crane rails, stadiums, arenas, culverts, all types of industrial and commercial structures and everything in between.
Seamless Integration with RISAFloor and RISAFoot
RISA-3D’s full integration within the RISA Building System enables you to manage all aspects of your project within the same environment.
Top-notch Presentation of Results
Both graphical and numerical visualization capabilities let you get presentation quality results quickly and easily.
Quality & Support
The support you receive from our staff of professional engineers is second-to-none. Our clients know they can rely on RISA for the dependable software and quality support they deserve.
Specifications
Modeling Features:
- Comprehensive CAD-like graphic drawing/editing capabilities that let you draw, modify and load elements as well as snap, move, rotate, copy, mirror, scale, split, merge, mesh, delete, apply, etc.
- Versatile drawing grids (orthogonal, radial, skewed)
- Universal snaps and object snaps allow drawing without grids
- Versatile general truss generator
- Powerful graphic select/unselect tools including box, line, polygon, invert, criteria, spreadsheet selection, with locking
- Saved selections to quickly recall desired selection states
- Real spreadsheets with cut, paste, fill, math, sort, find, etc.
- Dynamic synchronization between spreadsheets and graphics
- Open multiple spreadsheets simultaneously
- Constant in-stream error checking and data validation
- Unlimited undo/redo capability
- Data templates for grids, disks, cylinders, cones, arcs, trusses, tanks, etc.
- Support for all units systems & conversions at any time
- Automatic interaction with RISASection libraries
- Import DXF, RISA-2D, STAAD and ProSteel 3D files
- Export DXF, SDNF, DesconWin and ProSteel 3D files
- Two-way link with Autodesk Revit Structure
Analysis Features:
- Static analysis and P-Delta effects
- Accelerated Lanzcos dynamics solver, very fast and robust
- Multiple simultaneous dynamic and response spectra analysis using Gupta, CQC or SRSS with automatic calc of scaling factors
- Automatic inclusion of mass offset (5% or user defined) for dynamics
- Automatic generation of wind and seismic forces
- True physical member modeling
- State of the art 3 or 4 node plate/shell elements with plane stress option
- High end mesh generation – draw a polygon with any number of sides to create a mesh of well formed quadrilateral (NOT triangular) elements.
- Accurate analysis of tapered wide flanges
- Automatic rigid diaphragm modeling with detachable joints
- Area loads with one-way or two-way distributions
- Plate thermal loads
- Simultaneous moving loads, AASHTO/custom for bridges, cranes…
- Torsional warping calculations for stiffness, stress and design
- Member end releases, rigid end offsets, top of member offsets
- Joint master-slave assignments
- Enforced joint displacements
- One Way members, for tension only bracing, slipping, etc.
- One Way springs, for modeling soils and other effects
- Euler members: Compression up to buckling load, then turn off
- Stress calculations on any arbitrary shape
- Inactivate members, plates, and diaphragms without deleting them
- Story drift calculations provide relative drift and ratio to height
- Automatic self-weight calculations for members and plates
- Automatic subgrade soil spring generator
Graphics Features:
- Unlimited simultaneous model view windows
- “True to scale” rendering with translucency, even when drawing
- High-speed redraw algorithm for instant refreshing
- Dynamically zoom, pan, rotate, scroll, snap views
- Font and color control
- Saved views to quickly restore frequent or desired views
- Rendered or wire-frame animations of deflected model and mode shapes
- Animation of moving loads with speed control
- Distance tool for measuring between points
- Force/moment summation about any arbitrary cut line
- High quality customizable graphics printing
Design Features:
- Designs/optimizes concrete, hot rolled steel, cold formed steel and wood
- Concrete Design Codes: ACI 1999/2002, BS 8110-97, CSA A23.3-94, IS456:2000,EC 2-1992, NZS3101-1995, AS 3600-2001
- Maintains consistent bar sizes through adjacent spans
- Program selected or user defined rebar layouts for flexure and shear
- Exact integration of concrete stress; parabolic or rectangular stress blocks
- Concrete beam detailing (Rectangular, T and L).
- Concrete column interaction diagrams.
- Steel Design Codes: AISC ASD 9th, LRFD 2nd & 3rd, HSS Specification, CAN/CSA-S16.1-1994 & 2004, BS 5950-1-2000, IS 800-1984, Euro 3-1993, NZS 3404-1:1997, AS 4100-1998 including local shape databases.
- Cold Formed Steel Design Codes: AISI 1999/2001, CSA S136-01, CANACERO-01 ASD, CANACERO-01 LRFD
- NDS 91/97/2001 wood design, Glulams, SCL, multi-ply, full sawn
- Automatic spectra generation for UBC 1997, IBC 2000/2003
- Extensive user controlled generation of load combinations: ASCE, UBC, IBC, BOCA, SBC, ACI, International
- Intelligent unbraced length calculations for physical members
- Automatic approximation of K factors
- Tapered wide flange design with either ASD or LRFD codes
- Optimization of member sizes for all materials and all design codes, controlled by standard or user-defined lists of available sizes and criteria
- Automatic calculation of custom shape properties
- Steel Shapes: AISC, HSS, CAN, ARBED, British, Euro, Indian, Chilean, Australian
- Light Gage Shapes: AISI, SSMA, Dale / Incor, Dietrich, Marino\WARE
- Wood Shapes: Complete NDS species/grade and Glulam database
- Seamless integration with RISAFoot (Ver 2+) for advanced footing design
Results Features:
- Graphic presentation of color-coded results and plotted designs
- Color contours of plate stresses/forces, quadratic smoothing, animation
- Spreadsheet results with sorting and filtering of: reactions, member & joint deflections, beam & plate forces/stresses, optimized sizes, code designs, concrete reinforcing, material takeoffs, frequencies and mode shapes
- Standard and user-defined reports
- Graphic member detail reports with force/stress/deflection diagrams and detailed design calculations and expanded diagrams
- Saved solutions quickly restore analysis and design results
Integrated Building Design:
RISAFloor and RISA-3D are so tightly integrated that they operate as one program on the same building model. Optimize the gravity system in RISAFloor and the lateral system in RISA-3D, with a free and complete flow of information both ways.
- Lateral models created as you define & change floors
- Gravity loads are automatically applied & updated
- Automatically generated wind and seismic loads including partial loadings and accidental torsion cases with detailed reports
- View and edit all loads in RISA-3D’s spreadsheets or plot & print them
Use all the power of RISA-3D for your lateral system. Tension-only bracing, sloping columns, openings in walls, compression-only soil springs, are just a few of the possibilities. Even better, the RISA-3D and RISAFloor interfaces are the same, making them easier to learn.
General Features:
- Optimized for Windows 98/2000/NT/ME/XP
- Automatic timed backup
- Extensive customization options & user defaults
- Comprehensive printed reference manual & tutorials
- Encyclopedic online help with index and cross-reference
- Program technical support provided by Professional Engineers
