Author: graitecgroup

GRAITEC R&D center acquires Microsoft Gold Independent Software Vendor status

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GRAITEC is pleased to announce that its subsidiary GRAITEC Romania received the status of Gold Independent Software Vendor.

GRAITEC R&D center acquires Microsoft Gold ISV

At the beginning of June 2011, the R&D center of the GRAITEC Group, GRAITEC Romania, has renewed its status as a partner for Microsoft, by receiving the Gold Independent Software Vendor competency.

Of the 640,000 organizations included in the Microsoft Partner Network, only 1% of them have a Gold diploma. Therefore, GRAITEC is part of a very short list of partners around the world, who have achieved this high degree of competency.

This certification comes as an addition and also an acknowledgment of the expertise, experience and performance of GRAITEC software solutions, based on recent Microsoft technologies. GRAITEC Advance software solutions passed the compatibility tests for Microsoft Windows 7 since October 2010, obtaining the compliancy logo: “Compatible with Windows 7”.

As a Certified Microsoft Gold Partner, GRAITEC proves once again the exceptional technical skills, and continuing concern to ensure and increase customer satisfaction. Through the collaboration with Microsoft, GRAITEC aims to offer its customers significant benefits to support its business development and provide a genuine competitive advantage.

Ionel DRAGU, GRAITEC R&D Director, comments: “We received the Gold ISV certification because our software pack is fully compatible with the Microsoft platform. This achievement acknowledges once again the quality of our products based on Microsoft technology”

Manuel LIEDOT, GRAITEC Chief Product Officer, comments: “Since the success of any company is provided by its ability to adapt to market requirements, this certification proves that our products and services are capable to keep up with new trends. Our mission is to provide a comprehensive and integrated solution to ensure the best performance in building design and civil engineering.“

Advance Steel Project: Industrial Plant

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Location: East Coast, USA
Design office: Rouleau-Desaulniers

Project description:
Additional equipment supports access platforms for a new engineered wood factory. Total weight: ~340 tons. More than 1350 shop drawings prepared

“The fact that Advance Steel is based on AutoCAD® made the 3D modeling of the mechanical equipment and ducting easy. This is necessary to avoid any interference between the mechanical equipment and the structural and miscellaneous elements.”
Marc DESAULNIERS, Project Manager, Rouleau-Desaulniers

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Advance Steel User meeting in Czech Republic

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GRAITEC announces that a User meeting was organized by its Czech subsidiary, AB Studio, on June 7th for the Advance Steel users from Czech Republic and Slovakia. The meeting took place at the Institut Slavonice s.r.o. in the historical city of Slavonice.

Jiri Bendl – Managing director of AB Studio – opened the meeting and presented an overview of the business in Czech Republic and Slovakia, but also in the rest of the world.

With AB Studio and GRAITEC SA staff in attendance, the day provided an excellent opportunity to go through detailed presentations of the major features of the new Advance Steel 2011 release, to celebrate the project winners of the latest user contest and also to present some recent impressive projects done with Advance Steel around the world.

This meeting also gave the opportunity to have a presentation of Advance Design and Advance Concrete, which are part of the GRAITEC Advance suite, the structural BIM solution.

Between the different presentations, all participants took some minutes to climb the historical Slavonice old tower, and after the lunch break a tour was organized to visit the modern workshop and the production halls of PKD s.r.o., one of the major users of Advance Steel.

The User meeting was a big success with more than 50 participants and everyone is looking forward to the next User meeting.

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User meeting in the UK

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The first UK Advance Steel user group was held by GRAITEC UK in Oxford.

GRAITEC User meeting in the UK

The new features in Advance Steel 2011 were demonstrated and there was an excellent feedback from the 30 delegates which attended this meeting.

GRAITEC User meeting in the UK

A model competition had been proposed organized previously to this user group and 90 projects have been received!
Awards were made under several categories (Structures, Architectural Metalwork, Bridges, Special projects) and the prizes were given by Carl Spalding (GRAITEC UK Business Manager) to all the winners.

Why is ‘Copy 3D model’ powerful?

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With the “Copy 3D model” option, Advance Concrete provides a more rapid and efficient work environment for the user to create reinforcement drawings. To create a complete reinforcement drawing involves not only creating the reinforcement bars, but also creating the symbols and the dimensions lines relative to the formwork.

Using the “Copy 3D model” option the user has the advantage of copying all the specific symbols along with the reinforcement bars. Another advantage is that the copied reinforcement bars are automatically displayed in all the other plan views. Using this option, the user creates a correct 3D model, avoiding many copy errors.

All the reinforcement bars must be created along with all the designated symbols and the formwork dimension lines. The “Copy 3D model” option can be used for all the similar structural elements from the drawing. The user must choose a reference point and then copy the multiple entities for each structural element.

The following figure shows a reinforcement drawing for a wall with an opening. The reinforcement plan contains reinforcements, reinforcement symbols, dimension lines and altitude symbols.

Advance Concrete - Why is 'Copy 3D model' powerful?

For the reinforcement of the walls for the rest of the stories, the “Copy 3D model” option was used. The user selected all the reinforcement bars, reinforcement symbols, dimensions lines and all the altitude dimensions. The 3D copy allows the user to create the 3D reinforcement assembly avoiding all the errors that can occur when using the AutoCAD “Copy” option. In addition, by using this option, the user instantly creates the definition bars and the corresponding distribution bars.

Advance Concrete - Why is 'Copy 3D model' powerful?

In conclusion, by using the “Copy 3D model” option, the user can create reinforcement drawings in a shorter amount of time because the manual insertion of the symbols and dimension lines is avoided. Also the reinforcement 3D model is correctly created.

 

How to modify the mesh on linear elements

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Advance Design provides the option to define a manual mesh on linear elements in order to save time both in modeling and computation.

Linear elements mesh: by selecting one or more linear elements and accessing the properties window, all the available options that can be modified are in the Mesh category.

i. Automatic – when this option is active, all the imposed/intersected structural elements will be connected and share common nodes.

 

How is the mesh on linear elements modified?

Automatic mesh option inactive                                   Automatic mesh option active

How is the mesh on linear elements modified?

ii. Number – by entering a value in this field, the element will be meshed in that number of elements, without considering the value of the general mesh (global mesh options).

iii. Size – in this field a maximum dimension of the mesh is defined (length units); by applying a uniform spacing with a maximum dimension of “m”, the mesh will look as the following figure:

iv. Spacing – this option is directly connected to Size and Secondary Size; when any of the other available options, besides uniform spacing, is used then this field must be completed.

v. Secondary size – this field is the minimum dimension which will take into account the type of the spacing selected.

How is the mesh on linear elements modified

Sxx stresses on linear element at extremity “i”

How is the mesh on linear elements modified

vi. Extend into the wall – when a beam is supported by a wall (in the longitudinal direction), activating this option will create a rigid connection between the wall and the beam.

 

Read full article here

Advance Concrete Dynamic Reinforcement

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Creation of the reinforcement drawing is an important step in designing reinforced concrete buildings, which usually involves a lot of time, patience, skills and responsibility, as the created drawings should comply with specific standards.
Advance Concrete has a new reinforcement solution, easy to use in projects, so that the time spent for reinforcement drawing creation is considerably reduced.

1. Predefined dynamic reinforcement solutionsAdvance Concrete: Dynamic reinforcement

  • Cantilever beams
  • Columns (stirrups and pin bars)
  • Door and window openings
  • Wall between two columns
  • Plain wall between walls

2. Flexibility in defining new dynamic reinforcement solutions
Advance Concrete provides:

  • A user friendly environment for reinforcement solution design
  • Various tools for the creation of all reinforcement elements necessary for the reinforcement cage
  • A wizard for saving the dynamic reinforcement solution

3. Easy to use

  • Automatic creation of a drawing from a set of structural elements. The drawing contains predefined views
  • Adding reinforcement elements using the Advance Concrete tools
  • Saving the reinforcement solution in an interactive mode

4. Reusing the reinforcement solutions
All reinforcements put in place using the “Dynamic Reinforcement” automatically adapt to formwork contours and can be taken into account in reinforcement drawing creation and lists.

5. 3D ViewAdvance Concrete: Dynamic reinforcement
Based on the reinforcement representation in the views of the reinforcement drawing, Advance Concrete recreates the cage and displays it in 3D. It also detects collisions.

Benefits

  • The dynamic reinforcement solutions can be easily used in projects, so that the time spent for reinforcement drawings creation is considerably reduced. Common tasks, frequently encountered during the project development are simplified and reduced to simple parameter value input.
  • Once defined and saved, the dynamic reinforcement solutions can be applied in other projects; this minimizes the risk of errors and guarantees compliance with design rules and standards.
  • The drawings are kept up-to-date when projects are modified, and the risk of errors is considerably reduced.

Read full article here

 

 

Advance Steel is compliant with Voortman machinery

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Advance Steel is compliant with Voortman machineryDuring the NASCC 2011 steel conference, GRAITEC and VOORTMAN specialists had the opportunity to run a test session of the DSTV-NC files created by Advance Steel.

After the test session ended, the team could conclude the full compliancy of Advance Steel DSTV-NC files with the VOORTMAN machines.

Advance Steel is specifically designed for structural engineers and steel detailers who require a professional and easy-to-use 3D structural steel detailing software that automates the creation of workshop drawings, general arrangement drawings, reports and files for CNC machines.

VOORTMAN has developed over more than 40 years to be one of the world’s leading single source supplier of CNC-controlled machinery for the steel processing industry.

NASCC show in Pittsburgh was a success!

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The GRAITEC Advance Steel team exhibited at NASCC, the steel conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on May 11-14, 2011.

The show attendance was limited and got off to a slow start but by the time it was over we received an excellent amount of serious leads which will translate into interesting sales…

The US economy is definitely improving and this is good news for all markets.

Congratulations to M. Robert Beauchamps, owner of Datadraft Structural Detailing, (Montreal!) for winning the Advance Steel pro license.

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Create column heads automatically with Advance Design

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From architectural considerations or the desire to give the user more flexibility in organizing the interior space, the usage of a concrete flat slab that is supported directly by concrete columns with flared column heads is a solution that can eliminate many problems. Column heads are used to increase the shear strength of slabs and to reduce the bending moment in the slab by reducing the effective span.

Advance Design 2011 can automatically create “Master – slave” connections between the column head nodes and flat slab nodes.

Thus, while the modeling of a flat slab with column heads was described in a previous article (see: How can we design a flat slab with a column head?), the new feature in Advance Design is intended to ease the work and simplify the creation of column heads. However, certain steps will not be discussed in this document.

How are column heads automatically createdIn the following example we will consider a flat slab made of C20/25 concrete, with a 15 cm thickness, which is supported by four C20/25 concrete columns (40×40 cm). The column head dimensions will be 90×90 cm and the depth of the head is 25 cm. For calculations we will consider the self weight of the elements and a live load of 5 kN/m2. The size of the mesh element is set to 0.1 meters.

After all elements are modeled, open the “Application” dialog box from the “Options” drop-down menu and select the “Linear elements (Columns)” option. In order to define the correct shape of the column head, “Master – slave” nodes are determined according to the ratio between the “x” distance and the slab thickness (which, in this case, is 15 cm).

How are column heads automatically created

When the “Mesh” is done, it can be seen that the “Master – slave” connections were done automatically.

How are column heads automatically created

You can modify the degrees of freedom for each “Master – slave” connection in the “Properties” window.

How are column heads automatically created

The results can be processed after the Finite Element Analysis is done.

How are column heads automatically created

GRAITEC at BuildTech Asia 2011

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As part of the Singapore Construction Productivity week, and in conjunction with the Build Smart Conference, the BuildTechAsia2011 International Building Expo is a major event in Asia. This year the main topic was “Redefining the Future of Construction”. The inaugural BuildTechAsia 2011 Exhibition has presented the latest in technologies across varied segments of the building and construction industry. GRAITEC has exhibited and presented its Advance solutions and Building Information Modeling (BIM) concepts.

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Advance Steel – Stairs and Railings

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With its advanced feature set, Advance Steel supports the design of complex structures such as straight and spiral stairs, railings, cage ladders, etc. Advance Steel creates all necessary documents (including NC files) for the stair fabrication using a user selected template.

Quick and easyAdvance Steel: Stairs - Quick and easy
Once the user selects 2 points, the stair with its stringer and treads (including connection to the stringer) is created.
The tread distances are calculated using a standard formula for determining the ergonomic height and length of the step.

The stair can be modified using profile types for stringers, connection types between the treads and the stringers, lower and upper landing

Instant railings
Once the stringers are selected, the railings are created using the user defined start and end points.
Railings of any type can then be modified. Features include:

  • Profile types for posts, handrail and kickrail
  • Controlled positioning of posts, top handrail, middle handrail and kickrail
  • Connection between posts and stringers
  • And more…

If the stair length and width are modified the railing is automatically updated!

Spiral stairs
Using the Advance Steel advanced tools, with a few clicks defining the height, the tread width and direction, the entire stair can be created. Various options are available:

  • Large library of tread types
  • Treads can be welded to the central post or connected by a profile or a bolted plate
  • And moreAdvance Steel: Stairs - Spiral stairs

Cage ladders
All elements of a cage ladder are inserted by two points defining the height. The number of rungs can be defined or calculated according to the distance between the rungs. The user can modify then the shape and the size of the elements.

Easy to customize 
Stairs and railings can be customized through the Properties dialog box.
The tabs of the Properties dialog box are grouped in logical categories to simplify the use of this powerful feature.
The user can modify the parameters (dimensions, treads types, connection types, etc.) to get the required structure. All modifications are visible in the model as they happen.

Automatic drawings
Once the stair is modeled, the user may select a template for the workshop drawing. Advance Steel then creates all the necessary documents (including NC files) for the stair fabrication. The drawings are automatically labeled and dimensioned. The user can customize the drawing layout using the Drawing Style Manager.

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How does Quick Draw work

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Starting with version 2010, Advance Steel provides a setting that, when active, will improve working speed while modeling in shade mode. This option is called Quick Draw and can be found on the Standard toolbar.

It has two settings:

  • Quick Draw OFF. This is the normal shade representation without any speed improvement. All objects or features will be represented normally.
  • Quick Draw ON. When this setting is turned on, Advance Steel will run faster when modeling in shade mode. This is due to two representation modifications made to AS objects, which improve the shade speed, specifically for large models. These modification are:
    • – Holes will no longer be visible on the element. The feature will still be displayed, but the hole will not. This does not affect the detailing, and the bolt even if apparently collides with the plate/beam, it will not, as the hole still “exists”, it simply is not displayed.

How does Quick Draw work

    • – Round surfaces on tubes lose the smooth curved surfaces appearance. See the comparison in the following figure:

How does Quick Draw work
Switching between the two representation of Quick Draw can be done by simply clicking the button, the model does not require a regen, which makes it possible to use this option for fast modeling in shade mode and then switching quick draw off to view the model at the maximum rendering capabilities of AutoCAD.

GRAITEC at NASCC 2011 in Pittsburgh, USA (booth 1112)

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Advance Steel : Professional Steel Detailing Software Solution for AutoCAD
The GRAITEC Advance Steel team is pleased to announce that they will be exhibiting at NASCC, the steel conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on May 11-14, 2011.

The GRAITEC Team will be demonstrating Advance Steel 2011, the powerful and user-friendly 3D structural steel detailing and fabrication software that automatically creates drawings, BOMs and NC files, and that communicates with Autodesk® Revit® among other systems.

Attendees that visit the GRAITEC booth
have a chance
to win a free Advance Steel license*!

* Contestant must register at the GRAITEC booth and leave their full contact information. The drawing will take place Friday May 13 at 11:00 am and the winner will be contacted by GRAITEC the following Monday. The winning entry will receive a Professional version of Advance Steel worth $8800.

available for Thursday, May 12 (9:00 am – 5:30 pm) or Friday, May 13 (7:30 am – 2:00 pm)

GRAITEC does not distribute contact information. Employees and partners not eligible for the contest. Full contest rules available on request.

Visit us at booth 1112!

For further information please contact us: (450) 674 0657

Advance Design Meshing

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Advance Design includes a powerful finite elements engine, enhanced with the newest technologies. A simpler and faster automated meshing of complex structures is possible.

Meshing is an essential operation for the design calculation with the finite elements method. It separates the design elements in finite elements to refine the calculation results.

Advance Design meshing

The extended mesh capabilities of Advance Design allow you to apply and refine the meshing of each design element, and results in a quality analysis of your design.

Advanced control of global meshing:Delaunay and Grid mesh by quadrangles, triangles and combined mesh shapes

  • 2 meshing algorithms: Delaunay and Grid
  • Ability to mesh solely by triangles, by quadrangles or using a combination of mesh shapes
  • Include the loads in the meshing process
  • Definition of default mesh elements size

Extended capabilities for application of local mesh parameters:

  • Progressive mesh at the beginning, end, center or at both ends of design elements
  • Different meshing parameters for each side of planar elements
  • Different meshing parameters for each side of planar elementsAdvance Design: display the mesh for a certain part of the structure, keeping the rendering settings

Various display options for the meshed design:

  • Display mesh on the entire design or on a selection
  • Display / hide nodes, mesh IDs, number of meshes
  • Define the mesh node size
  • Display the mesh along with different rendering styles and display parameters (perspective view, shadow, luminosity, transparency, etc.)

Advance Concrete – Reinforcing load bearing walls

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Advance Concrete provides advanced reinforcement solutions, useful in designing reinforced concrete buildings so that the time spent for creation of the reinforcement drawings is considerably reduced.

Nowadays, many private or office buildings are built using load bearing walls as main supporting elements. In a vertical plane, the load bearing walls have a large capacity of processing gravitational loads, which recommends them for buildings with several levels, in seismic areas. On the other hand, in a perpendicular direction on the wall plane, the load bearing walls provide small resistance to horizontal forces and usually are supported by perpendicular walls or similar structures.

In this article you will read about:

  • Fast creation of all reinforcement elements
  • Automatic creation of a drawing
  • Adding reinforcement elements
  • Defining formulas when saving the solution

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About…

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This blog is dedicated to all engineers (and not only) that are using software solutions in their civil enginneering projects.

GRAITEC is a major software developer committed to providing a highly professional complete CAD and Analysis solution dedicated to Structural Engineering and Construction, able to offer a complete suite of fully compatible and integrated state-of-the-art products, covering design and detailing for the reinforced concrete and steel construction industries.

 

Enjoy!