S-FRAME 2023.1 Release Highlights

Andres Chavez
Andres Chavez New Altair Community Member
edited January 16 in Altair HyperWorks

Seismic and Wind Building Code Support in S-FRAME

S-FRAME now supports seismic and wind loads per the ASCE 7-22: Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures, to allow the users to perform code checks based on the code provisions for the latest American building code:

  • Support for seismic loads via the new Multi-Period Design Response Spectrum for seismic design.
  • Support for wind loads using the Automatic Main Wind Force Resisting System (MWFRS), for wind loads on buildings of all heights generated using the Directional Procedure.

 

Geometry export to DXF enhancements in S-FRAME

Users can now filter layers when exporting to a DXF file using checkboxes, and panels are now exportable as AutoCAD Polylines.

 

Concrete Design

S-CONCRETE now supports minimum design moments for wall sections, and some other enhancements were introduced for different calculations such as shear strength, and also for the Results Report for column and wall sections:

  • I-shape, C-shape, T-shape and L-shape wall sections can now be evaluated for minimum design moments, which can be checked and applied automatically per the ACI, CSA, EC2, and BS codes. Minimum design moments are also supported in the Multistory Designer (MSD).
  • For the ACI 318-19 code, concrete shear strength (Vc) is now calculated as the maximum of equations (a) and (b) of table 22.5.5.1, rather than just equation (b).
  • Not toggling on applying Slenderness Effects and/or Minimum Moments to a column or wall section now issues a warning message.

 

Foundation Design

S-FOUNDATION can now code-check concrete elements as per the latest Canadian concrete design code (CSA A23.3-19), and some minor modifications were made to allow users to use the Create Multiple mode for ETABS models. For code checks that use the Flexible method, the Solver will no longer report results for models in which the analysis did not complete successfully due to an error or non-converging results.


 

Timber Design

S-TIMBER has expanded modeling, automation, and design features, and also supports new design codes. Connectivity options have been enhanced at panel edges to account for different panel-to-panel connections, and to design CLT panels according to the latest American timber design code. Operations will be performed faster in larger models. Geometry export to DXF has also been enhanced, similar to S-FRAME, and some minor modifications were made to other calculations:

  • The latest National Design Specification for Wood Construction design code (NDS 2018) is now supported for Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT). Bending, Shear, Axial, and combined Bending and Axial code checks are now performed as per the NDS 2018.

 

  • Panel edge connections now offer pinned (pinned constraint at panel edges), custom (the constraints at the connection of panels at their edge can be customized for connecting common nodes in arbitrary DoFs), rigid  (rigid body constraint applied to panel connection, independent from the panel mesh), and detached (disconnection of panels at their edge that have an independent mesh) connections to ensure that the load transfer and connectivity adapts to the users' needs.
  • A new wizard, accessed through the Run menu > Wizards, aids in easier and faster modeling of a single member, using guided modeling of members for fast design of timber and steel members, while being supported by all the available design codes,  including the latest Canadian and American steel and timber codes.

 

  • Users will notice performance improvements when loading results in an analyzed model, graphically navigating large models (panning, zooming, and rotating), panel strip line results in the Design Output window, and also when updating objects and changing analysis options and model settings.
  • Users can now filter layers when exporting to a DXF file using checkboxes, and panels are now exportable as AutoCAD Polylines.
  • Section property calculation methods, and displaying certain values in the Design Output window for different checks (column stability and bearing code checks), as well as corrected member bending moment diagrams for the Imperial unit system, have been enhanced.

 

Section Properties Calculator (S-CALC)

S-CALC now offers new steel section databases to create custom sections, and some minor modifications were made to the calculation of some properties. S-CALC's interoperability has also been expanded:

  • New steel section databases are now available in S-CALC, including AISC v15.0 – 2017 (American), GB/T 2008 (Chinese), IS 808:1989 and IS 808:2021 (Indian), and Asia (Continental).
  • The Monosymmetry Constant is now calculated using the average flange thickness for I beams with different tension and compression flange thicknesses.
  • S-CALC now supports exporting custom sections in BIM format for Autodesk Revit.

 

IMPORTANT: please bear in mind that, for all the newer versions of the products to be installed and working as intended, any previous 2023 versions of the products should be uninstalled before installing the newer versions, as stated in each product's Release Notes.

You can find this information and all the additional details for each product in 2023.1 Release Notes.

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