Bentley has just announced the newest release of STAAD.Pro, one of the world’s most widely used structural analysis and design products. STAAD.Pro 2006 features new seismic and dynamic analysis tools, along with enhanced interoperability that advances the integration of design and analysis across the structural workflow. In addition, the new release is fully integrated with Bentley Building Information Modeling (BIM) solutions – providing users with a streamlined workflow from modeling to documentation.
Because STAAD.Pro 2006 interoperates with special-purpose applications such as RAM Concept (for the design of elevated reinforced and post-tensioned concrete slabs) and AutoPIPE XM (for piping analysis and design), the preservation of exchanged data is maximized. This means a pipe-stress engineer using AutoPIPE can now accurately exchange load and stiffness data with a structural engineer using STAAD.Pro. The exchange can take place in real time and analysis and clash detection can then be performed on a combined model.
In addition, STAAD.Pro 2006 is integrated with Bentley BIM solutions, including Bentley Structural for building design and documentation of structural systems for buildings and industrial plants in steel, concrete, and timber. Work can be done in either STAAD.Pro or Bentley Structural and changes are automatically reflected in both, allowing integration among analysis, design, and documentation in a BIM solution.
Key features of STAAD.Pro 2006’s new tools for seismic and dynamic analyses include:
- Automatic calculation of transfer forces for steel connection design
- True modeling of physical members, including assignment of properties, materials, and loads
- Automatic calculation of buckling lengths for steel design
- Automatic generation of a response spectrum from IBC seismic maps through simple zip code or latitude/longitude input
- Pushover analysis and graphical identification of plastic hinges based on FEMA 356/440 codes for steel structures (optional)
- Single-file archiving for all STAAD input and output
- Steady-state analysis
Future upgrades of STAAD.Pro 2006, coming later this year, will include the latest steel and concrete codes (AISC 2005 code and ACI 2005) as well as interoperability with Bentley Rebar to provide full concrete detailing and bar schedules from a STAAD.Pro model.
Users of Bentley’s STAAD product line with a current maintenance agreement will receive STAAD.Pro 2006 free of charge. All other users may contact their Bentley regional engineer for upgrade information at 800 367 7373, or from outside the USA at +1 714 974 2500. For more information, contact Gus Bergsma of Bentley’s Research Engineers International Solutions Center, 2744 Loker Avenue West, Carlsbad , Calif. 92010 USA; phone: 800 726 7789 or +1 760 431 3610, ext. 110; fax: +1 760 431 5214; e-mail: gus.bergsma@bentley.com; or Web site: www.bentley.com/structural.