GRAITEC, European BIM software developer for the construction industry, announces the release of Advance Design 2015 dedicated to structural engineering.

Advance Design® is specifically dedicated to structural engineers who require a professional and easy-to-use BIM solution for structural FEM simulation and optimization according to specific design standards (Concrete, Steel or Wood).

Advance Design 2015 is articulated around 3 main subjects:

• Concrete deflection calculation: new options for the reinforced concrete design according EC2
• New starting screen for easier use
• The implementation of the new NTC2008 Italian codes
• And also: numerous improvements and adjustments

ADVANCE DESIGN 2015: concrete deflection calculation

When designing a reinforced concrete structure, engineers must check limit deflections, especially on beams and floors. This is achieved by taking into account the cracked inertia of the reinforced concrete section. However, in FEM calculation, this leads to specific modelling and iterative processes which are tedious and time-consuming tasks for engineers.
Advance Design 2015 now automatically performs concrete deflection calculation based on theoretical or real reinforcement computed by the software.

Process: Successive design steps are performed, with concrete inertia being automatically calculated at each iteration. Concrete inertia is actually given by interpolation between a fully cracked state and a non-cracked state, in accordance with article 7.4.3 from EN1992-1-1.
Graphical results and reports allow for a quick and easy post-processing of all intermediate values: cracked inertia, non-cracked inertia, interpolated value, deflection for each mesh…

ADVANCE DESIGN 2015: New starting screen for easier use

In order to simplify (for the new users) the first steps with Advance Design, the 2015 release comes with a brand-new starting wizard from where the user can access many types of information:
Several project samples for each type of structure: the user can open the models he is interested in to see how to model, define the main assumption, assign design templates…

Several other help tools are available: online videos, Graitec Web pages, quick access to the documentation, software configuration… All those tools are specific to each country, depending on the configuration settings.

 

ADVANCE DESIGN 2015: entering the Italian market

Advance Design 2015 now features the NTC 2008 Italian codes for:

• Actions combinations automatic generation
• Seismic loads
• Climatic loads (Wind & Snow)
• Reinforced concrete design
• Steel members design.

ADVANCE DESIGN 2015: and also…

The 2015 version brings a number of new features and adjustments based on feedback from thousands of users:

• New solver option for improved torsor calculation on walls using T6-Q9 elements
• Uniform diagrams for linear support actions for easier post-processing
• Improved export of a meshed model through a .TXT file format
• Update of the SRSS modal summation method for faster seismical analysis on simple models.

Advance Design 2015 is part of the GRAITEC Advance 2015 Suite that also consists of GRAITEC Advance BIM Connect 2015 and Advance CAD 2015.

• GRAITEC BIM Connect 2015 allows sharing and synchronization with Autodesk Revit® 2015 models.
• Advance CAD 2015 is a 2D / 3D CAD software that enables engineers and detailers to modify or create DWG drawings. The 2015 version brings many functional enhancements such as new toolboxes, angular dimensions on dynamic blocks, new dimension styles… as well as improved performance.