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ROBOT MILLENNIUM v 16.5 - USERS MANUAL UPDATE, May 2003

Web: www.robot-structures.com e-mail : [email protected] Techsupport : [email protected]

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

NOVELTIES IN THE ROBOT MILLENNIUM PROGRAM (VERSION 16.5).................................. 4

GENERAL PART ..................................................................................................................................... 4

BAR STRUCTURES ................................................................................................................................. 5PLATES, SHELLS, PLANE STRESS / PLANE DEFORMATION STRUCTURES ................................................... 6SOLIDS.................................................................................................................................................. 6RC STRUCTURES ................................................................................................................................... 6STRUCTURE ANALYSIS .......................................................................................................................... 7ROBOT EXPERT ..................................................................................................................................... 7

ROBOT OPEN STANDARD ....................................................................................................................... 8

1. ROBOT MILLENNIUM INSTALLATION ...................................................................................... 9

1.1 HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS....................................................................................................... 9

1.2 INSTALLATION PROGRAM ........................................................................................................... 91.2.1. Installation on Single Computers ........................................................................................... 101.2.2. Network Installation of Robot Millennium.............................................................................. 15

INSTALLATION OF NETWORK PROTECTION............ ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ..... ...... 16NETWORK SERVER VERSION INSTALLATION OF ROBOT MILLENNIUM ................................ 17NODE INSTALLATION OF THE NETWORK VERSION OF ROBOT MILLENNIUM..................... 19

Functionality of the Network Version ............................. ................................ ............................... .............. 22

PROGRAM ADMINISTRATOR........... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ..... ... 23Examples of how to use theAdministratorprogram...... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ...... ..... ..... ..... .... 24

NETWORK MONITOR............ ..... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ..... .... 251.2.3. Protection Settings................................................................................................................. 26

1.3 GENERATION OF INSTALLATION REPORT................................................................................... 29

2. INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................... 30

2.1 GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE PROGRAM ................................................................................ 302.2 GENERAL RULES ...................................................................................................................... 34

2.2.1 The Layout System...........................................................................................................35

2.2.2 Menu, Context Menu, Toolbars ........................................................................................ 362.2.3 Preferences and Job Preferences...................................................................................... 382.2.4 Selection and Filters ........................................................................................................40

2.2.5 Display of Structural Attributes........................................................................................ 432.2.6 Lists Used in the Program................................................................................................ 442.2.7 Common Features of Dialog Boxes (Graphic Cursor, Calculator) .................................... 45

2.3 SIGN CONVENTION................................................................................................................... 46Sign Convention for Bar Elements................................................................................................... 46Sign Convention for Planar Finite Elements .................................................................................... 47

Sign Convention for Volumetric Finite Elements.............................................................................. 482.4 LIST OF SHORTCUTS ................................................................................................................. 492.5 SNAP SETTINGS........................................................................................................................ 50

3. GENERAL RULES ON STRUCTURE MODEL DEFINITION................................................. 52

3.1 STRUCTURE TYPES................................................................................................................... 523.2 NODES, BARS .......................................................................................................................... 52

3.3 BAR SECTIONS AND MATERIALS ............................................................................................... 553.4 PANELS ................................................................................................................................... 60

3.4.1 Types of Planar Finite Elements....................................................................................... 62Delaunay's Triangulation Method.... ............................... ................................ ............................... .............. 62

Coons' Method............................................................................................................................................62

Parameters of FE Mesh Generation................................. ................................ ............................... .............. 64

3.4.2 Emitters, FE mesh refinement, consolidation and quality.................................................. 67

3.5 PANEL THICKNESS ................................................................................................................... 693.6 SOLIDS (VOLUMETRIC STRUCTURES) ........................................................................................ 71

3.6.1 Description of Volumetric Finite Elements.............................................................................. 74
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3.7 OPERATIONS ON 2D OBJECTS (EXTRUDE, REVOLVE, COMBINATION) AND ON 3D OBJECTS(FILLET, CHAMFER)............................................................................................................................. 783.8 SUPPORTS ................................................................................................................................ 84

3.8.1 Elastic Support Definition (Layered Soils)............................................................................... 86

3.9 LOADS..................................................................................................................................... 883.9.1 Load Case Combinations.... .................................................................................................... 96

3.9.2 Code Combinations............ .................................................................................................... 973.9.3 Moving Loads....................................................................................................................... 1003.9.4. Autoloader Moving Loads......... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ..... ..... 105

3.10 SNOW/WIND LOADS............................................................................................................... 1083.10.1 Snow/Wind Loads in 3D...................................................................................................... 1103.10.2 Wind Loads Masts / Towers ....... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ..... ... 111

3.10.3. Snow/Wind Loads on 3D Objects ....................................................................................... 1123.10.4. Wind Loads for the Structure with a Polygon Base (Prism)................................................. 1143.10.5 Load Report (Loads Taken from Database) ........................................................................ 1173.10.6 Automatic Definition of Loads Induced by Soil Pressure...................................................... 119

3.11 CABLES ................................................................................................................................. 122Equations Governing the Problem............ ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ..... .. 123Cables in Robot Millennium........ .................................................................................................. 125

Assembling Load Case............ ..... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ..... .. 126Load Cases after Anchorage........... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ..... 127

3.12 OTHER STRUCTURAL ATTRIBUTES .......................................................................................... 1283.13 OTHER STRUCTURE COMPONENTS .......................................................................................... 131

3.13.1 Edit Operations.................................................................................................................. 135

3.14 TYPICAL STRUCTURES............................................................................................................ 1363.15 PHASE STRUCTURES ............................................................................................................... 1373.16 SURFACE FINITE ELEMENTS ................................................................................................... 1383.17 COORDINATE SYSTEM ............................................................................................................ 140

3.17.1 Global Systems ................................................................................................................. 1403.17.2 Local Coordinate Systems................................................................................................. 140

3.17.2.1 Bar Elements .............................. ................................ ............................... ............................... .. 1403.17.2.2 Finite Elements........................... ................................ ............................... ............................... .. 141

3.17.3 Global-local Systems Relations ......................................................................................... 1423.18 SIGN CONVENTIONS ............................................................................................................... 143

3.18.1 Bar Elements ..................................................................................................................... 1433.18.2 Finite Elements.................................................................................................................. 1443.18.3 Volumetric Finite Elements................................................................................................. 145

3.19 SECTION DEFINITION.............................................................................................................. 145

4. STRUCTURE ANALYSIS.......................................................................................................... 152

4.1 STRUCTURE CALCULATIONS................................................................................................... 152

4.2 AVAILABLE ANALYSIS TYPES................................................................................................. 1534.3 NEW CASE DEFINITION AND ANALYSIS TYPE CHANGE ............................................................ 166

5. RESULT ANALYSIS.................................................................................................................. 173

5.1 DIAGRAMS............................................................................................................................. 1745.2 TABLES ................................................................................................................................. 1775.3 MAPS ON BARS ...................................................................................................................... 180

5.4 MAPS (PANELS) ..................................................................................................................... 1815.5 PANEL CUTS .......................................................................................................................... 1855.6 MAPS ON SOLIDS.................................................................................................................... 188

5.7 SOLID CUTS ........................................................................................................................... 1915.8 STRESS ANALYSIS (BARS) ...................................................................................................... 1945.9 STRUCTURE STRESS ANALYSIS ............................................................................................... 196

5.10 GLOBAL ANALYSIS - BARS..................................................................................................... 1995.11 DETAILED ANALYSIS.............................................................................................................. 2015.12 INFLUENCE LINES .................................................................................................................. 2055.13 R EDUCED RESULTS FOR PANELS ............................................................................................. 206

5.14 TIME HISTORY ANALYSIS / ADVANCED ANALYSES DIAGRAMS AND TABLES........................ 210


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6. STRUCTURE DESIGN.............................................................................................................. 215

6.1 STEEL/ALUMINUM DESIGN ..................................................................................................... 215

6.1.1. Detailed Analysis - Eurocode3 ...................................................................................... 2226.2 DESIGN OF RC STRUCTURE ELEMENTS ................................................................................... 226

6.2.1 RC Beam Design........................................................................................................... 228

6.2.2 RC Column Design ....................................................................................................... 2336.2.3 Foundation Design ........................................................................................................ 2376.2.4. Continuous Footing Design ................................................................................................. 240

6.2.5 Deep Beam Design......................................................................................................... 2416.2.6 Final Drawings.............................................................................................................. 243

6.3 DESIGN OF RC BARS .............................................................................................................. 246

6.4 STEEL CONNECTION DESIGN .................................................................................................. 2556.5 TIMBER DESIGN ..................................................................................................................... 2606.6 PLATE AND SHELL REINFORCEMENT ....................................................................................... 263

7. SECTION DATABASES............................................................................................................ 273

8. PRINTOUTS............................................................................................................................... 276

8.1 CALCULATIONNOTES ............................................................................................................ 2768.2 PRINTOUT COMPOSITION ........................................................................................................ 276

8.2.1 Standard Tab........................................................................................................................ 2788.2.2 Screen Captures Tab ............................................................................................................ 279

8.2.3 Templates Tab...................................................................................................................... 2798.2.4 Simplified Printout Tab......................................................................................................... 280

STAGE 1................... ............................... ................................ ............................... ............................... .. 280STAGE 2................... ............................... ................................ ............................... ............................... .. 280STAGE 3................... ............................... ................................ ............................... ............................... .. 281

8.3 PAGE SETUP........................................................................................................................... 281

APPENDICES .................................................................................................................................... 282

APPENDIX 1 ................................................................................................................................... 283APPENDIX 2 ................................................................................................................................... 288APPENDIX 3 ................................................................................................................................... 298APPENDIX 4 ................................................................................................................................... 334

APPENDIX 5 ................................................................................................................................... 335APPENDIX 6 ................................................................................................................................... 351
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Novelties in the ROBOT MILLENNIUM PROGRAM(Version 16.5)

General Part

1. Structure axes possibility of defining any structure axes in the form of:- straight lines- rays- segments

2. Structure axes possibility of transforming lines and bars into any structure axes3. Structure axes possibility of selecting objects-parts of a structure by means of axes

- new option Selection by means of Structure Axes (the Edit / Select Specialmenu)- possibility of indicating the axes between which selected objects are positioned (theSelection dialog box)

- possibility of indicating the structure axes between which selected objects are positionedin the graphical viewer using the mouse cursor (by indicating a single axis and throughwindow selection)

4. Structure axes altered manner of activation of the modification dialog box (at present, themodification mechanism is called up by the Properties option in the context menu).

5. Structure axes possibility of defining axes in the Cartesian system rotated by adetermined angle

6. Structure axes possibility of reading structure axes defined in AutoCAD (as a result,arbitrary structure axes in the Robotprogram are obtained)

7. Operations on structure model in the graphical viewer enhanced operation of the

mechanism for highlighting structure parts (nodes, bars, lines, panels, solids, etc.) bymeans of the mouse cursor, which include as follows:- not highlighting the objects that are invisible (the display is switched off in the Display

dialog box)- not highlighting the objects for which the snap mechanism of the mouse cursor is

switched off (the Snap Settings dialog box)8. Visibility of structure attributes display of attributes activated by opening certain dialog

boxes is switched off automatically on closing these dialog boxes9. Visibility of structure attributes possibility of defining sets of attributes to be displayed on

structure parts (the Displaydialog box)10.Definition of the local work system possibility of saving a work plane defined by 3 points

as a predefined structure view available from the level of the View Historydialog box andthe dialog box for setting a view (the button in the graphical viewer)

11.A window with a structure view in OPEN GL a new cursor mode which enables changingthe structure view depending on a cursor position in 4 quarters of the graphical viewer

12.Loading of projects generated under previous versions of the program the initial view setautomatically (such a zoom selected so that the entire structure is shown in the graphicalviewer)

13.New printout language for results Croatian (037)14.Data exchange format SAT possibility of loading a file in which units other than meters

were used


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Bar Structures

DEFINITION

1. Possibility of displaying groups of bars used in steel design as bar attributes in a structure

graphical view2. New types of steel compound sections- two angles with legs back to back (there is a possibility to choose if a section should beset shorter leg back to back or longer leg back to back)

- C-section and I-section back to back3. New types of user sections:

- steel sections: round filled and box II- concrete I-section

4. Concrete sections possibility of reduction of geometrical moments in static and dynamicanalysis

5. Moving loads- possibility of a moving load case analysis for overhead traveling cranes- possibility of definition and analysis of moving load cases for a user-defined vehicle

6. Snow and wind loads load generation according to the American code ASCE 7-987. Loads - combinations:- possibility of combining moving load cases with static load cases- possibility of using other combinations, including user quadratic combinations, in

definition of a combination

CALCULATIONS

8. Consideration of added masses in static calculations for the needs of off-shore structures

RESULTS

9. Results for the elasto-plastic analysis- new table of plasticity state history (presenting values of the plastic ratio in the course of

the iteration process)- possibility of displaying the plastic ratio in tables of forces and stresses- possibility of displaying the plastic ratio in the global analysis

10.Results in a tabular form possibility of displaying results at intermediate points - divisionof calculation elements into n-points

11.The dialog boxes Info-bars and Info-nodes possibility of generating a calculation notewith entire data contained in these dialog boxes

DESIGN OF STEEL AND TIMBER MEMBERS

12.Design of multi-chord columns according to the Polish code PN-90/B-0320013.Consideration of stiffness of a section internal flange in the analysis of a section with

stiffener according to Eurocode3

CONNECTION DESIGN

14. New connection type a column - beam (two-sided) connection according to the codesCM66 and EC3


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Plates, Shells, Plane Stress / Plane Deformation Structures

DEFINITION

1. Possibility of graphic selection of panels and contours through indicating their descriptionwith the mouse cursor2. Snow and wind loads for cylindrical containers - load generation according to the

American code ASCE 7-98

RESULTS

3. Possibility of displaying a finite element mesh on a result map

See also some of the novelties for bar structures

Solids

DEFINITION

1. A number of volumetric finite elements considered in statistical data

See also some of the novelties for bar, plate and shell structures

RC Structures

REQUIRED MEMBER REINFORCEMENT

1. reinforcement calculation according to the Canadian code CSA A23.3-942. reinforcement calculation according to the Romanian code STAS 10107/0-903. reinforcement calculation according to the Singaporean code CP65 (1999)4. calculation update according to the Polish code PN-B-03264: December 2002

REQUIRED REINFORCEMENT OF PLATES AND SHELLS

1. reinforcement calculation according to the Canadian code CSA A23.3-942. reinforcement calculation according to the Romanian code STAS 10107/0-903. reinforcement calculation according to the Singaporean code CP65 (1999)4. calculation update according to the Polish code PN-B-03264: December 2002

RC BEAMS

1. reinforcement calculation according to the Singaporean code CP65 (1999)2. calculation update according to the Polish code PN-B-03264: December 20023. consideration of releases defined for bars when importing beams via *.DAI files


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RC COLUMNS

1. reinforcement calculation according to the Singaporean code CP65 (1999)2. calculation update according to the Polish code PN-B-03264: December 20023. possibility of considering reactions that result from adjoining beams in column calculations

RC PLATES

1. calculation of plate reinforcement according to the code SNIP 2.03.01-84 (includingcalculation of punching and considering wire fabric databases characteristic of a givencode)

2. reinforcement calculation according to the Singaporean code CP65 (1999)3. calculation update according to the Polish code PN-B-03264: December 20024. possibility of selecting a set of plates (multiselection) when importing *.DAI files from the

DALLES module

DEEP - BEAMS

1. calculation update according to the Polish code PN-B-03264: December 2002

FOUNDATIONS

1. calculation update according to the Polish code PN-B-03264: December 2002

Structure Analysis

1. Moving loads- analysis of moving loads induced by overhead traveling cranes- analysis of loads induced by user-defined vehicles

2. Structure seismic analysis according to the Canadian code

Robot Expert

1. New RC calculator according to the Canadian code CSA A23.3-942. New RC calculator according to the Romanian code STAS3. RC calculator according to the Polish code update to PN-B-03264: December 2002


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Robot Open Standard

1. Support of the following bar attribute: inactive bar2. Possibility of changing bar orientation (local coordinate system)

- possibility of setting the local systems sense with respect to the selected axis of theglobal coordinate system3. Definition of the size of FE mesh by specifying length of the element edge4. Possibility of switching on automatic adjustment of FE mesh on touching objects5. Possibility of dividing object edges:

- into N parts- at a selected point- by cutting with a selected plane

6. Recognition of the object type (if it is a solid type object)7. Calculations of:

- object area- solid volume

8. Saving the current state of the project


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1. Robot Millennium INSTALLATION

1.1 Hardware Requirements

To successfully install Robot Millennium, your computer must be equipped with thefollowing:

a Windows NT/2000/XP operating system (Windows 2000 or XP Professional system isrecommended)

a complete IBM PC compatible computer with at least a P5 processor,

128 MB RAM and about 500 MB of free disk space when the installation is completed (foradvanced users 512 (or more) Mb RAM and 5 GB of free disk space is recommended),

resolution at least 1024x768.

Robot Millennium is delivered along with a protection key (this is necessary duringinstallation and usage of the program) or with disk protection. It is advised to insert the key toa parallel port (printer port) prior to the installation. The key should be inserted into the portbefore every program activation and should remain there while the program is in use.In order to correctly print the Robot Millennium calculation notes, it is necessary to have aword processor supporting *.rtf (Rich Text Format) format files. MS Word version 6.0 (orhigher) or WordPad which is included in the standard Windows 95 installation are examplesof such word processors. The Robot Millennium system also has its own word processorthat supports *.rtf format files.

1.2 Installation ProgramRobot Millennium is equipped with an automatic installation program. It allows the user toperform a fast and effective installation. During the installation of the program, a few shortquestions will appear on the screen that the user must answer for the installation to continue.First, the protection key must be inserted into a parallel port of the computer (printer port).Next, the CD with the Robot Millennium installation must be inserted into the appropriate CDdrive. The system installation start window will appear on the screen. Once the Installationsoption is selected, the options that allow for the Robot Millennium system installation appearon the screen.

Individual buttons located on the screen allow for:

RobotMillennium/Robot LT/Robot PL installation of Robot Millennium, Robot Lightand Robot Plate (R/C plate design)

Robot Expert installation of calculators offered by RoboBAT company: the calculatorallowing the calculation and verification of RC sections may begin, the retaining wallcalculator, the EC3 calculator for steel structures, timber structure calculator according toEC5

Robot Load Report starting the installation of the Robot Load Report program

R/C tools: Robot Dalle, Robot Mur, ACI Beam, ACI Column, ACI Foundation commencement of the installation of additional programs for calculations of R/C structureelements


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Network tools: Network protection, Network Monitor starting the installation ofnetwork protection for the network version of the Robot program and Monitor programthat allows one to monitor utilization of license for the network version of Robot (see thedescription in chapter 1.2.2)

General tools - activation of installation of additional drivers, VRML Player, DAO as well

as Solid DXF Converter.

To install Robot Millennium on the disk, press the Robot MILLENNIUM / Robot LT/RobotPL button.

NOTE: It is possible, if required during installation, to return to the previous dialogbox shown on the screen in order to make corrections to the data previouslyentered by the user.

1.2.1. Installation on Single Computers

The consecutive stages of the Robot Millennium installation on a stand-alone unit are listedbelow:

1. A dialog box for the selection of the desired installation language will appear as shown onthe drawing below.

2. The Robot Millennium License Agreement dialog box will appear; to continue theinstallation once you have familiarized yourself with the contents, press the YES button(accepting the license agreement conditions); the following dialog box presents notespertaining to the performance of Robot Millennium; press the NEXT button to continue.

3. A dialog box prompting basic user data (see the figure below) will appear; enter the name(initials) of the user, the company name, and optionally the e-mail address; press theNEXT button to continue.


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4. A dialog box in which the type of Robot Millennium installation may be selected willappear. Available are: full, typical, custom; network installations are also listed in thisdialog box - server and node; one may also select in this dialog box the installation ofRobot LT and Robot PL

NOTE: The network installation (network server and nodes) is described in the nextchapter of the manual (Chapter 1.2.2).

Once the appropriate type of stand-alone installation is selected, press the NEXT button tocontinue the installation.


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One of three installation types on a single computer may be selected in the above dialog box:

full allows to install the full version of the program: all available languages (interface,calculation notes, help) and national codes

typical allows to install the full version of the program for one language version only

custom a selection of installation components may be performed; once this option isselected and the NEXT button is pressed, the dialog box shown below will appear on thescreen.

It is also possible to select the network installation described in Chapter 1.2.2.


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NOTE: during the custom installation, at least two options must be selected: Thebasic program files and, for example, for the English language version Filesfor the English language version.

5. There appears a dialog box that allows one to define the target folder of programinstallation on hard disk (see the figure below): the C:\Program Files\ROBOT Structural

Office\Robot MILLENNIUM folder is the default folder of the installation. The localizationmay be typed directly from the keyboard or selected by means of the Browse button,available in the lower part of the dialog box; if the defined folder is not present on harddisk, the installation program will create the folder with the user-defined name; press theCONTINUE button to continue.

NOTE: It is not recommended to install Robotprogram on a substituted disk. In sucha case, after restarting Windows system Robotprogram support will not beregistered; to make it available, it should be installed by means of appropriateicon from Robotfolder.


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6. A dialog box for entering the group name in which Robot Millennium will be installed will

appear (see the drawing below); the default group name which the user may changeappears on the screen (Robot Structural Office); to continue, press the NEXT button.

7. A dialog box confirming the entered information (program location, name, userinformation) appears; press the NEXT button to continue;


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8. The program begins the Robot Millennium installation (copying files); the installationProgress window appears on the screen. Short notes about the program are displayed onthe screen during the installation;

9. Once the installation is complete, the group dialog box containing the icons RobotMillennium and the auxiliary programs is displayed;

10. The Robot Millennium program may be uninstalled by selecting the Add/Removeprograms available in the Control Panel. Selection of this option allows for modification ofpreviously installed Robotprogram version (adding or removing components) and versionreinstallation according to currently selected options (repair installation).

The Robot Millennium system has been installed to a disk. It is necessary to restartWINDOWS NT/2000/XP to run Robot Millennium; therefore a warning to restart thecomputer before activating the program appears on the screen. Robot Millennium isactivated by:

double-clicking the icon of the system located in the Windows desktop (if the user decidedto place the icon on the desktop during installation),

selecting the Robot Millennium command in the Robot Structural Office group createdduring installation.

1.2.2. Network Installation of Robot Millennium

NOTE: Network installation of the Robot Millennium program should be performedby Network Administrator or, in the worst case, in his presence.

Network installation consists of three parts:

installation of network protection

installation of the server

installation of nodes.

In the first stages, the network installation (for the server installation as well as for networknodes) is carried out in the same way as for a single computer installation (see points 1-4described in Chapter 1.2.1). To install the network version, the Robot Millennium server andnetwork protection must be installed first.Network protection may be installed on any computer connected to the network. Theinstallation is independent from the network installation of Robot Millennium and does nothave to be carried out on the server where Robot Millennium is to be installed. The otherusers, in order to use protection during node installation, must have access rights to readfrom the folder where the License Protection files are installed.

The Robot Millennium server must be installed on a disk that is visible to other users. Themain folder of the server version of Robot Millennium must be available to other users withreading rights, whereas the USERS folder with reading and saving rights. The RobotMillennium server should be installed by the administrator of the Robot system (the personinstalling the Robot Millennium server is given such rights). Once the server is installed, the

users may install the nodal versions on their computers. During node installation, the networkaddress of the Robot Millennium server should be given.

NOTE: During the Robot Millennium server installation the use of short names forthe folder in which the server version will be installed is recommended(maximum 8 characters of the folder name and 3 extension characters) seepoint 4 in chapter 1.2.1.


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The configuration recommended for network installation of the program:

Network protection server - on any computer, yet never on an NT server(installation ofprotection drivers)

Robot Millennium server - on the computer where the backup copies will be stored (it maybe an NT server, for installation of Robot Millennium server does not comprise installationof any drivers, but, to maintain network security, this should be another server, especiallyin the case of big networks).

INSTALLATION OF NETWORK PROTECTION

Installation of network protection allows one to install network protection on any computerconnected to the network. The installation is independent from the network installation ofRobot Millennium and does not have to be carried out on the server where Robot Millenniumwill be installed. Moreover, it must not be carried out on an NT server. Network protection

supports both the Robot Millennium program and all the calculators (RC calculator, RobotExpert, etc.).Network protection installation is started once the Network Protection button is pressed inthe menu of the Installation layout (see also chapter 1.2). Installation of network protectionshould be carried out before the installation of Robot Millennium server and before theinstallation of Robot Millennium program nodes.Installation of network protection allows one to set protection for the entire network by meansof one protection key (red HASP). The key must be inserted in the printer port of the computerwhere the installation of network protection has been carried out, for it is there that the driversof the key are installed.

Moreover, the installation of the protection key requires the License Protection to be installedfirst. The License Protection is provided on a diskette delivered together with the network key.The installer of network protection demands one to insert this diskette by displaying theappropriate message:

The installation procedure reads License Protection from the diskette and displays its numberin the below-presented dialog box.


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NOTE: Each License Protection is installed in the following folder: D:\ProgramFiles\Common Files\RoboBAT\Prot, where D:\Program Files\CommonFiles is a Windows folder. The above folder must be made accessible forother users to read, for the user must indicate the folder of the installed

License Protection during node installation.

Once the installation is completed, one should restart the Windows system to activate thedrivers of the protection key.

NETWORK SERVER VERSION INSTALLATION OF ROBOTMILLENNIUM

During the Robot Millennium server installation, select the following option in the SetupType dialog box: Network - server.


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After pressing the NEXT button, Robot Millennium will be installed on the server. After theserver installation of Robot Millennium, this program cannot be activated.A node installation

is necessary to do this. A node may be installed on the same computer as the server versionbut the installation must be performed in a different folder.In installation of the network version the possibility of selecting User File Server has beenimplemented; this is a place where user files are saved. Hitherto, while working in the

network, user files have been saved in the place where the Robotprogram server (USERSfolder) is installed. At present, files are saved in the User File Server. In the dialog box below,the place of their installation may be selected; the installation program creates the USERSfolder at the indicated location.


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Once the files are installed on the server, the note shown below will be displayed.

If the server version of Robot Millennium was installed on the NTFS partitions (WindowsNT), the main database of Robot Millennium program should be made available to otherusers, whereas the "Users" database must be made available with saving rights.The administrator should have the right to save to the main database of Robot Millenniumprogram. During the installation of a network version node, the Robot Millennium folder mustbe made available with the rights to write.

NODE INSTALLATION OF THE NETWORK VERSION OF ROBOTMILLENNIUM

During the installation of a node of the network version of Robot Millennium, the Networknode option should be chosen from the Setup Type dialog box (Best Performance or EfficientSpace).As during version installation on single computers, components for installation may also bechosen for both types of network nodes.

NOTE: It is recommended that the same language versions of Robot Millennium beinstalled on all network nodes.


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During installation, the server version Robot Millennium installation folder should beindicated (the Robot Millennium server should be installed first). It should be noted whetherthe Robot Millennium version folder has been given as the networks address or whether itwas mapped (changed to a disk letter). In the second case, options for re-mapping the diskafter restarting the Windows system should be set.

In the installation of the network version, the possibility of selecting User File Server has beenimplemented; this is a place where user files are saved. In the dialog box below thedestination folder for the Robot program server may be selected; the installation programchecks the right of writing in the indicated location and interrupts further installation, if the useris not given such a right.


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Once the files are installed, the Protection License is installed on the node version of RobotMillennium. The dialog box shown on the drawing below in which one should determine thepath to the Protection License that was installed during the installation of network protectionfor Robot Millennium.

Nodal protection can be installed directly from the protection diskette. Then the path to thediskette should be given (e.g. A:\).


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Once the installation is complete, the Windows system should be restarted.

Functionality of the Network Version

The basic features of the network version of the Robot Millennium are presentedbelow:1. Work in the local or server mode.

The user may select the place where his/her files will be kept (projects and configurationfiles). This may be a local computer that is being used, or, the server computer. In thesecond case, the user will be able to work on his projects from any network computer.

2. Possibility of work on a project from any computerIf the user chooses to work in the server mode, he/she will be able to work on projectsfrom any network computer (without needing to copy files).

3. Orientation of the program towards the user.Every user has its own folder with configuration files and projects.

4. Advanced options of the configuration file managementThe administrator may define common configuration files on the server for all network

users. The user is informed about any changes and may easily perform an actualization ofconfiguration files (compare the below presented description of the Administratorprogram).

5. Possibility of limiting access to Robot.If the necessity arises, the administrator may define a list of users with the right to accessRobot, a right to make changes to the default configuration, etc. (compare the belowpresented description of the Administrator program).


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Work Mode tabThe Work Mode tab allows the user to define his/her work parameters on the net.A local work mode means that the user configuration file will be located on the userscomputer (faster access).A server work mode means that the configuration file will be located on the server. This isrecommended if the user wishes to work on the same project on various computers.

The configuration selection allows the user to declare whether he/she wants to use the localor server configuration (defined by the system administrator).As long as we want to continue working on the same configuration files copying of localconfiguration files and projects to the server or server files to the local disk should beperformed once the work mode is changed (appropriately from the local to server mode orfrom server to local mode).

Robot Expert TabRobot Expert tab allows one to update the network address of the computer where theNetwork Monitor is installed.

Examples of how to use theAdministrator program.

A. The user cannot run Robot Millennium.Check that the server is active

if during node installation the path to the server was mapped, check if after restarting themapping is still current.

check if the user has reading rights in the System folder on the server.

check if the user has saving rights for the Users folder \ user name

check if the user has the right to use Robot Millennium.

B. Messages at start of the Robot Millennium program.

in the case of the appearance of a message about the necessity to update the configurationor system files, after activating theAdministratorprogram it is required to switch to the Filestab and open the appropriate option.C. Work on the network versionIf the user wishes to work on projects from any network computer, then the Network workmode option should be activated on the Mode tab.

If the user is working in the local mode (configuration files are located on a local computer)and wants to work on the same files on a different computer, the following should be done:

run the Administrator program

switch to the Work Mode tab

use the option for copying files on the server

change the work mode to server mode

D. The job of the network version administrator.Modification of the server configuration (changes in the configuration visible for all users)

the administrator checks that he is working on the current configuration (File tab), if not,then an update of configuration files is performed.

the administrator enters the required changes (new material addition, definition of a newsection, supports, addition of a new template, etc.)

he activates theAdministratorprogram


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on the System tab, he selects the Configuration File Modification option.

the administrator closes theAdministrator program

the user who will then run Robot Millennium will receive a warning about the need toupdate the configuration files.

Modification of the protection code (e.g. once new options have been purchased)

run theAdministrator program

on the System tab, enter a new protection code

the user who will later run Robot Millennium will have the protection code automaticallyupdated.

NETWORK MONITOR

Possibilities of the Network Monitor: Tracking the programs with protection run in the network (Licenses tab)

Generation of reports concerning the statistics of using license (Reports tab)

Gathering information concerning certain events (Events tab)

Sending e-mails to Users.

Program Monitor may be installed on any computer in the network. For the program tooperate according to its goals, it should be launched (preferably in Autostart) and notswitched off till there are protected programs operating in the network. Once the Monitor is

installed, one should type the name of the computer where the Monitor is installed inthe "Network Monitor" tab of the "Administrator" program. Each program (RobotMillennium or Robot Expert) sends to the Monitor information that it has been activated anduses protection. The Licenses tab will display information concerning a given program (thename of the computer where it has been run, user's name, number of the protection used,name of the application, process identifier, time of activation, state of the application).The application tree consists of roots (computer names) and the activated applications. Theapplications activated on one computer use one license. During its operation, RobotMillennium periodically (every few minutes) sends control information to the Monitor. Thetime of sending the information is introduced in the Last Ping field. If the hour introduced inthis field is not up-to-date, it means that the application is not active. Pings are not sent whilea structure is being prepared for calculations.

NOTE: Robot Expert Programs do not ping and Robot Millennium cannot pingwhen opening an *.str file.

Exiting an application sends appropriate message to the Monitor and the program is removedfrom the tree of applications in the Licenses tab.Diagnostics of using a license consists in watching the tree in the Licenses tab. The

Administrator may see who has been using the license and for how long. He may also seewhether the license is blocked by process jamming or not (Last Ping received a long timeago). It is not possible to take away the license from a user by remote control, or tounblock the license taken away by a jammed process. The Remove Application option isused to delete from the tree the application that does not exist (it must have ended in an errorand the protection has not been returned). The Monitor should be run during the entire timewhen protection is used. After exiting and re-running the Monitor, one can obtain informationconcerning the programs operated in the network, with the exception of the information


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concerning the programs that ended their operation in an error when the Monitor was inactive(these programs will not be included in the tree, but they will keep blocking the license).The Administrator may generate reports concerning the use of the license by the users.Several report templates will be provided, but the user will be able to create his own reports,as need be. A user-defined report will appear in the table in the Reports tab and it may beprinted. The default report contains the entire database (All the data are introduced into an

*.mdb database and can be viewed through Access). Checking out the Logout Status fieldmeans that the application has sent the message notifying that its operation has terminated(standard behavior). If the field is not checked out, it means that the application terminated inan error or it terminated when the Monitor was switched off.

NOTE: From time to time, the unnecessary records should be removed from thedatabase.

If an application (Robot Millennium or Robot Expert) has not been assigned a license, then,a message will be sent to the Monitor and it will be displayed in the Events tab.It is possible to sent e-mails to users. The Network Monitor program contains a dialog boxthat allows one to define the addressee and the message contents. E-mails sent to a userduring his work are displayed immediately (not later than in 5 minutes after sending in the

case of work on a demo version), while the remaining ones will be displayed during the nextRobot session.

NOTE: E-mails may be sent only to the users of Robot Millennium.

For the e-mails to be received, one should check out the "Message support" field in theLicense Monitor tab of the Administrator program (the tab is available only for theAdministrator).For Robot Expert programs to be able to register, one should perform the following operationsin the "Network Monitor":

Run the "Administrator" program on the computer where the Robot Expert programs willbe used

Go to the Robot Expert tab and update the License Monitor Address (if the button isgrayed out, it means that the actualization has been performed).

During actualization, there may appear an error caused by the fact that the user is notauthorized to modify registers. In such case, the actualization should be performed by theuser with the rights of an Administrator for the computer in question (not to be confused withthe rights of the Administrator of the Robot Millennium system), or else, the actualization maybe performed by running the RegEdit program (contained in system Windows NT/2000/XP)and setting the key value "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ RoboBAT \ Protection \Net \ LicenseServerName" to the current address of the License Monitor (provided over the"Actualize" button in the Robot Experttab of the Administrator program).

1.2.3. Protection Settings

The protection key delivered together with the Robotprogram can be changed by specifyingthe appropriate code. Such a situation may occur when the user purchases new options orwhen the temporary protection terminates and the user decides to prolong it.The Protection - Settings dialog box is used to modify or check protection settings on theuser computer. After installing the program, the options provided in this dialog box enablemodification of protection settings.

The Protection - Settings dialog box opens after choosing the following option: Tools /Protection settings located in the Robot Structural Office group in the STARTmenu of theWindows operating system.


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NOTE: Prior to opening the Protection - Settings dialog box the user should makesure that the programs using RoboBAT protection keys have been closed.

Once the Protection - Settings option is selected, the dialog box shown in the drawing belowappears on the screen.

The top part of the dialog box contains the Select keylist; from this list the user should select

a protection key to be modified. Protection key types are designated with letters from A to E;the appropriate letter is shown on the selection list. For network protection, the Select key

field contains the relevant item describing a network key.

NOTE: Take note that protection keys may be connected simultaneously ONLY ifthey are of different types (otherwise the keys can be damaged).

After a protection key has been selected, its number and identifier are read automatically (andentered to the edit fields: Numberand ID). For network protection, zero value is entered to theID field.

The Select keyfield enables as well, support of the total number of local keys A, B, C, D andE; the installation report generated for such a setting corresponds to all the options availableon these keys.

The Source field contains options used to provide codes changing protection settings savedon the protection key chosen earlier. The user should select the source from which theinformation about modifications in the protection should be gotten (Internet, CD, delivered fileor entered manually), and next, press the Apply button in the bottom part of the dialog box. Inthe Personalization edit field the user may enter program authorization (a character stringdisplayed, among others, on the Robotprogram vignette); the maximal name length to begiven cannot exceed 32 characters. To save the modified personalization on the protectionkey, the Apply button in the bottom part of the dialog box should be pressed.There are the following buttons included in the bottom part of the Protection - Settingsdialog box:

Local / Network pressing this button opens the Protection - Local/Networkdialog box(see the description below)


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Refresh - pressing this button causes rereading of the connected local keys and networkprotection settings; the option is useful if there are several keys of the same type (e.g. A).Since many keys of the same type cannot be connected simultaneously, all operationson the keys have to be performed one by one. It can be done by replacing the key andpressing the Refresh button without exiting from the program

Report - pressing this button starts generation of a report containing the currentprotection settings for a selected key

Test - pressing this button runs a protection test. The testing procedure verifies theprotection system checking all the local keys and active network licenses (activated bymeans of the Local / Network option). A result of the test taken is a text file withinformation which should allow identification of possible protection problems.

If problems with the protection system occur, the user should press the Test button andsend the file with the test result to the RoboBAT technical support.

Apply - pressing this button modifies the protection

Close - pressing this button closes the Protection - Settings dialog box.

The dialog box shown in the figure below is displayed on the screen after pressing theLocal/Network button in the Protection - Settings dialog box.

The above dialog box includes options allowing configuration of local and network protectionfor all the RoboBAT products.The top part of the dialog box contains the Local / Network field concerned with all theprograms. If the Local option is chosen only, then the program will not be looking for thenetwork key; if the Networkoption is set only, the program will not be checking the local key.If both options are selected (i.e. Local and Network), then first the key connected locally to acomputer will be checked, if there is no such one, the network key will be checked.


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In the field located to the right of the Network option, the user may indicate the foldercontaining the ~TMP folder with a tmp.pmn file including a definition of network protectionsettings; it can be done either by entering the path directly to the edit field or by indicating thefolder location after pressing the (...) button.Pressing the Apply button in the bottom part of the dialog box saves the modified settings.

Below are the following fields located: Local / Network - RCAD and Local / Network - ESOP.They include options similar to those described above located in the Local / Networkfield.There is, however, a possibility of independent protection configuration for RCAD program(the same settings apply to both RCAD Steel and RCAD Concrete) and ESOP program.Thanks to that, the user may buy a local Robotprogram license as well as network RCADprogram license and work simultaneously with both programs on the same computer.

For example, to enable on one computer, the local Robotprogram protection and the networkRCAD program protection, the following operations should be carried out in the dialog boxabove:

switch on the Independent settings for RCAD option

switch on the Network option located below and point the location where ~TMP folderwith the appropriate tmp.pmn file is contained

press the Apply button in the bottom part of the dialog box to save the changes made.

Similarly, the user may set the protection for the ESOP program independently of theprotection settings for the remaining programs.

After closing the Protection - Local/Network dialog box, the user returns to the mainProtection - Settings dialog box where the information about the available protection keys isautomatically updated.

1.3 Generation of Installation Report

Once program installation is completed and the program is activated, an installation reportwhich presents information concerning Robotprogram will be automatically generated. If thereport is not printed by a user then, there are several ways of installation report (protectionreport) generation. To start generation of installation report, a user should choose one of thepossibilities presented below, which are provided by the program:1. in the Robotprogram select Help / Installation reportoption from the menu; in the

Protection Settings dialog box press the Report button2. from the START menu of the Windows system run the option: Robot / Tools / Protection

parameters; in the Protection Settings dialog box press the Report button.

NOTE: Generation of installation report may take some time; once it is completed, atext editor will appear on the screen to present the generated report.


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2. INTRODUCTION

2.1 General Description of the Program

Robot Millennium is an integrated graphic program used for modeling, analyzing anddesigning various types of structures. The program allows users to create structures, carryout calculations and verify results. Unlike other finite element programs, Robot Millenniumalso allows to prepare a calculation report for the designed and calculated structure.

The most important features of Robot Millennium are listed below:

complete graphic structure definition in the graphic editor (user may also load e.g. DXFformat files containing the structures geometry which have been prepared in a differentgraphic program)

possibility of graphic display of the designed structure and display of various calculationresults (forces, displacements, simultaneous work in several windows on the samescreen, etc.)

possibility of calculating (designing) the structure while designing another structure(multithreading)

possibility of carrying out static and dynamic structure analysis

possibility of assigning bar types during the structure creation instead of assigning them inthe code modules

possibility of an arbitrary printout composition (calculation notes, screen capture, printoutcomposition, transferring objects to other programs).

Robot Millennium is made up of several modules that are each responsible for a specificstep in the structure design (creating the structure model, calculating the structure,designing). The modules work in the same environment.

Once Robot Millennium is activated (click on the appropriate icon on the desktop or choosethe appropriate command from the taskbar), the window shown below will appear on thescreen. The window is used to select the type of structure that will be designed; load anexisting structure or choose the structure design module.

NOTE: During first activation of Robot program an installation report is generatedthat presents information concerning Robot program. Generation ofinstallation report may take some time; once it is completed a text editor willappear on screen to present the generated report.


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Individual icons found in the above window indicate:

- 2D frame, - shell,

- 2D truss, - plane stress structure,

- grillage, - plane deformation structure,

- 3D truss, - axisymmetric structure,

- 3D frame, - volumetric structure (solid)

- plate,

NOTE: The axisymmetric structure type models a solid generated due to rotationaround the rotation axis, by means of a 2D, vertical section through a solid(see the drawing below). It is assumed that the global Z axis is a vertical axisof a solid; half of a section is defined on the positive side of the X axis. Tomark the position of the section vertical axis in an axisymmetric structure, inthe structure view auxiliary structural axes with X coordinates equaling 0 have

been added.


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The above screen may be divided into several sections:

top bar where basic information pertaining to the task is given (project name, structurecalculation data: available results, unavailable results, results during analysis, etc.);

menu and toolbars (an additional toolbar at the right side of the screen containing themost frequently used icons) and the Robot Millennium layout selection list;

selection lists of the following: nodes, bars, load cases and modes;

a graphic viewer (graphic editor) which is used for structure modeling and visualization;

field at the bottom of the screen where the following information is presented: names ofthe open viewers, cursor location coordinates, used units and several options which open

dialog boxes (Display, Snap settings) or display information about the availableresources.

Icons in the lower left part of the layout allow one to:

select the cursor mode (snap settings)

opening the Displaydialog box

restore the default attributes of the structures presented on screen.In case of volumetric structure definition three additional icons appear in the lower part of thescreen:

without shading (none)

shading

quick shading.


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2.2.1 The Layout System

Robot Millennium has been equipped with a layout mechanism that simplifies the designprocess. The layouts in Robot Millennium are specially designed systems of dialog boxes,viewers and tables that are used to perform specific defined operations. Layouts available in

Robot Millennium were created to make consecutive operations leading to defining,calculating, and designing the structure easier. In order to avoid damage to the layout system,the dialog boxes and tables that open once a layout is activated may not be closed. The stateof the dialog boxes is saved at closing; the dialog boxes in the layout should re-open in thesame state as at closing.

Layouts are available once the selection list found in the upper part of the screen is chosen(see the figure below).

The list, that is shown below opens after clicking in the layout selection field. It is a list ofstandard layouts available in Robot Millennium. The list does not include all layouts definedin several layout groups. Only layouts used for the bar structure model definition arepresented on the drawing below.

The layout order and arrangement was created to suggest the next design step. It is notnecessary to define the structure according to the layout order. This may be done in any orderchosen by the user; the layout system was introduced in such a way that Robot Millenniumstructure definition is intuitive and efficient. All Robot Millennium operations may also beperformed without using the defined layouts. As an example of using layouts, the screenarrangement opened after choosing the BARS layout is shown on the figure below.


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The screen may be divided into three main parts:

the graphic viewer where the structure is defined,

the Bars dialog box (in the case of a different layout, it will be a different dialog box) usedto define the consecutive structure bars,

a table operating like a spreadsheet where data pertaining to the defined bars is shown,(in the case of a different layout, it will be data concerning other objects such as: nodes,loads, supports, etc.). The table allows you to edit the entered data. It is also possible tocopy the contents of the table into other programs (i.e. MS Excel).

By choosing the consecutive layouts defined in Robot Millennium, the user may easilydefine, calculate and design the structure. Once the structure is chosen, it may be necessaryto modify some bars (i.e. by changing the bar section); the recalculation of the entire structure

could be necessary. The layout system greatly simplifies and speeds up these stages ofanalysis, design and modification.

2.2.2 Menu, Context Menu, Toolbars

The Robot Millennium system menu consists of two parts: a text menu and toolbars withappropriate icons. They can be used interchangeably, according to the users needs andpreferences.Both are displayed in the same way - as a horizontal bar at the top of the screen (additionally,for most layouts in the Robot Millennium system, another toolbar is displayed on the rightside of the screen). Basic options available within the modules are accessible both from thetext menu and the toolbar. Though contents of the text menu and toolbars for successive

modules vary, main options are always available regardless of which module is active. The


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figure below illustrates both types of menus; the main menu that appears once the STARTlayout is selected is shown as an example.

Text menu

Toolbar

Clicking with the left mouse button on any command from the text menu results in opening acorresponding submenu with detailed options. All commands are of the text type (activated bythe command name).Each toolbar contains options presented as icons. The main menu contains only basicoptions. Clicking with the left mouse button on some icons from the main menu results indisplaying an additional submenu with groups of related options (structure definition,operations used for structure edition on the screen, tools). Clicking on other icons from themain icon menu results in executing given operations (save, print, preview, copy, initial viewetc.) or opening appropriate dialog boxes (analysis types).The text menu is organized in a hierarchical order. To select an option, place the cursor on

the option name and click with the left mouse button. If the command is already highlightedthe option can also be selected by pressing the button. Another way to execute anoption is the hot-key system (by pressing the underlined letter). Arrows from the keyboard canbe used to select options in the text menu.Once one of the options from the main menu is selected, the appropriate submenu with agroup of related options will be displayed. For some options from the submenu furthersubmenus are available.Toolbars are organized in a similar way. Clicking with the left mouse button results either inexecuting a given operation or opening a corresponding submenu with a group of relatedoptions.For example, in order to open the Structural Axis dialog box to define structural axes, it isnecessary to select:

the Geometry / Structural Axis option from the menu

the icon from the side toolbar of the START layout.

Both operations open the same dialog box.

NOTE: In the Robot Millennium system, menus are adjusted to successive modules(structure definition, results preview, design). The menu that is currentlypresented on the screen corresponds to the active (highlighted) viewer, tableor graphic editor. In order to change the menu activate another viewer ortable by clicking on it with the left mouse button.

The menu, context menu, hot keys and toolbars defined in the Robot Millennium system can

be modified (with the Tools/Adjust command available from the menu). Dialog boxes foradjusting menus/context menus, hot keys and toolbars will be opened and can be modifiedaccording to the users needs.


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While working with the graphic editor or a table, clicking the rightmouse button opens an additional context menu containing themost widely used options.The context menu that opens while working in the viewer of theSTART layout is shown as an example (2D frame).

2.2.3 Preferences and Job PreferencesThe two options, Preferences and Job Preferences, allow the user to set programparameters in the Robot Millennium system. The Preferences dialog box presented belowis used to define basic parameters in the program. It is available from:

the menu by selecting: Tools / Preferences

by selecting the Preferences icon located in the TOOLS toolbar.

The above dialog box can be divided into several sections, namely:

the upper section - containing four icons and a field for selecting the preference file.

The name of the currently used preference file is displayed in the upper partr of the dialogbox. This field allows the user to select a previously created preference file. Pressing thearrow at the end of this field opens a list of previously created files where the appropriate

one can be selected


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section database (selection of the appropriate database with member sections),

vehicle databases (selection of the appropriate database with code-defined vehicles),

load database (selection of the appropriate database with loads used for composing theloads acting on structure elements),

soil database (selection of the appropriate database containing the list of soils),

codes (selection of codes to be used during the structure design steel, R/C, connectiondesign, etc.); while selecting codes of code combinations, the user may run the editor ofcode combination regulations it is done by pressing the () button located to the rightof the list for selection of code combination regulations

structure analysis parameters (selection of the static analysis method and definition ofbasic parameters for dynamic and non-linear analyses; selection of analysis types,possibility of saving results for seismic analysis combination of seismic cases)

parameters for generation of surface finite element mesh for plates and shells.

2.2.4 Selection and Filters

The selection options are commonly used while working in different modules of the program.They allow the user to define the node and bar list (only!) which will be used in furtherselection. Once the selection is made, a set of bars or nodes is created and it is active untilthe next selection is made.

The selection can be made:

graphically on the screen (by selecting one of the optionsfrom the Edit / Select Special submenu or by selecting theSelectoption from the context menu)

from the Selection dialog box (using the Edit / Selectoption)

from the list of nodes and bars located under the menu (anynumber of bars/nodes for selection can be entered in thisfield) or from the table by highlighting appropriate lines.

Selection is the same in all tables and viewers. This means thatonce the nodes/bars are chosen in the graphic viewer, theselection will also be presented in the bar/node table. As ananalogy, selection of bars/nodes in the table will result inhighlighting these objects in viewers. The dialog box forselection (called up by the Edit / Selectcommand) is presentedbeside.

The above dialog box allows for the selection of nodes/bars in the structure. It can beperformed either by using buttons located in the upper part of the dialog box (All, None,Inversion, Previous) or from options in the Attributes tab. Selected bars or nodes will beentered to the field located in the upper part of the Selection dialog box. In particular cases,the dialog box can be opened in a special mode, i.e. selection of bars, only. The shape of thebottom part of the Selection dialog box depends on what object is indicated.

To perform a selection:

indicate the object (node, bar, load case, mode), which will undergo selection


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enter the corresponding numbers of the selected objects in the appropriate fields, or usethe options found in the lower portion of the dialog box.

At the end of the field where the list of selected nodes isintroduced, the user finds a field for determining thedefinition of selection mode. The field may be checkedout or not. If the field is not checked out, the field of nodeselection containing a support will be filled with nodenumbers corresponding to the nodes where the supportis applied (see the figure beside).

If the selection field is checked out, the field of nodeselection containing a support will be filled with thefollowing text: Support = any(see the figure beside).

The difference in performance between the two buttons found in the dialog box is as follows:

once the button is pressed, selected objects will be added to the current selection

once the button is pressed, the current selection will be removed and numbers of theselected objects will be entered.

The Selection dialog box is used to define a group of nodes or bars. Once the selection ismade (in any of the described ways), switch to the Group tab. The lower part of the dialog boxwill be displayed as below:

Once the selection is made and the button is pressed, a small dialog box will be open.The color and the name of the group is to be entered there. After pressing the Apply button,the group of a given name and color will be added to the field presented on the figure above.In the Selection dialog box the user may define selection of objects by means of a defined

grid of structure axes. The Selection dialog box includes the additional Geometry tabavailable, shown in the drawing below.


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The above dialog box contains options enabling selection of objects positioned on theselected structure axes; the user may determine positions of the beginning and end structureaxes (in all directions of the coordinate system), between which objects are to be selected.Structure elements may also be selected by means of structure axes after choosing thefollowing command from the menu: Edit / Select Special / Structure Axes.

Object selection in the program should be distinguished from the filter. Selection is used tospecify which objects (nodes, bars, cases and modes) are to be displayed whereas filters aredifferent for each viewer and table. Filtering can be done in tables by opening the Filtersdialog box (using the View / Filters command). In case of graphic viewer, filtering is applicableonly for load cases and modes.To perform filtering in edit viewers:

open the Selection dialog box and choose load cases or modes,

select the appropriate load case or mode from the list of cases and modes located underthe menu.

The program also provides an option (Result Filters) which is used for global selection of

results obtained for nodes, bars, etc. defined in a structure. Description of this option ispresented in the chapter 4.3.For description of the filter mechanism in tables see chapter 5.2.

Simple, basic operations allowing one to perform selection are discussed in examples:

if an object is indicated (node, bar, panel), it is selected

indicating an object with a mouse with the CTRL or SHIFT button pressed results inadding objects to or removing them from the groups of selected objects (as in theWindows operating system)

indicating again an already selected object results in entering into the mode of object

position modification within the structure (in this way, one may move, for instance, a barto another position)

selection of objects may be performed by means of moving the mouse cursor i

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