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Code snippets are short sections which you commonly need to insert into different input files in STAAD.Pro. Saving this code as a separate snippet allows you to easily access these portions of predefined code. To Insert a Code Snippet Place your cursor at the point you want to insert a code snippet. Right-click and select  Insert Snippet  from the pop-up menu.  The inline snippet tool opens. Either: Use the arrow keys or mouse to select the name of the snippet you want to insert. Tip:  If you have organized snippet files into multiple folders, select the folder first. or Start typing to select the snippet by the Shortcut string in the snippet file. Double-click with the mouse, press  , or press   to select and place the snippet.  The text is inserted.  To get snippet files, follow our subscrription list. We will be launching snippets in the upcoming posts. Build Your Own Website 100+ templates, customize and go live!

Previous Topic: How to create nodes in STAAD Pro? You can create a structural model by creating nodes, followed by joining them or by directly creating nodes from Snap node/beam. Let us see each one. Create beams by snap node grids.  Once you start a model with add beam option, you get grid and a snap node/beam window. how to set up the grid is shown in Create nodes . Once you have set the grid, just start creating beams at the intersection of grids. Make sure Snap node/beam is on.  You don't need to press CTRL when creating beams. If you want to end the beam creation, press ESC. To start creating beams again, click snap node/beam at the bottom of snap node/beam window.  Join nodes by entering node numbers in beams table.  Enter node numbers the beams window in geometry panel. If you can't see the beams table, just right click on any table and select beams. Make sure you are in geometry panel.    Enter beam detail in input file.  You can go to inp

Previous Topic: What are nodes, beams and plates in STAAD Pro? So, now that you know what is STAAD Pro. and how to start a model in it let us learn to create a model by creating nodes. In next topic you will be learning the creation of beams. To know what are nodes, beams and plates in STAAD Pro. follow this link . Nodes can be created in many ways, let us learn one by one. Create nodes on snap node grids.  Once you start a new model with add beam option, you will be directed to snap node beam with default grid. Click on edit to edit the grid. you can set the grids as per your architectural center lines or column positions. add spacing as per your requirement. make sure the origin at 0,0,0. Hold down the CTRL key and place the nodes at the intersections you want. the node placement courser shall come only when snap node/beam is on. you can read out the instruction at the bottom left to understand how it works.  Once you have placed the nodes, close

The year was 1997, REI (Research engineers international) developed a structural analysis and design computer program. The place was Yorba Linda, CA a suburban city in orange county, California. The program named as STAAD – III. The program initially used by Iowa State University for educational purposes. The first version of STAAD III was made in 1978. The initial program start with selecting printer selection where you want to print the output. Once you select the printer you had to log out and log in again to select other printer. These were the days of starting computer era. Once you have completed printer selection you will be at the GUI of STAAD III. It was looking like this: Courtesy: Iowa State University Basic information about STAAD III was given like “"STAAD_III for Windows / Windows NT is a comprehensive structural engineering software that addresses all aspects of structural engineering -model development analysis, design, verification, and visualisation.

Previous Topic: What is STAAD Pro? Modeling is the heart of structural design in STAAD Pro. If you have done the modelling right, half the road is travelled. Let us learn how to do modelling in STAAD Pro. Let’s first learn how to create a 3D Space frame Model. For creating a new model, open STAAD Pro and Select “New Project”. A new model window pops up, Select space in type, Give your structure a name, brows location where you want to save this structure ( try to have a separate folder for structure, as there will be lots of files prepared along with STAAD Pro. model file). Select length units, force units and press next. Once you press next, types of options by which you can model a structure window opens. Select each type and you can see description of that type of modelling method. Let us learn one by one. 1. Add beam: Description says “Begin building your model by creating new joints and beams using the construction grid, drawing tools and spreadsheets.”

Generally, beam starts at left and ends at right in X direction, starts from bottom and ends at top in Z direction, likewise for the case of columns, columns start at bottom and ends at top. If your beams and columns are not in right orientation, they can create confusion in results interpretation. So, you should always make the beam column orientation right before analysing the structure. Here is how you can do it: 1. select beams parallel to x. (go to select - select beams parallel to - x) 2. Select Redefine Incidence (go to tools - redefine incidence) 3.There are 3 options viz. Switch incidence of selected beam. Set the incidence order of selected beams o start node is closer to the origin than end node. Set the incidence order of selected beams o start node is farther to the origin than end node. 4. Select any one option as per your requirement.  5. you have done it. Enjoy the best of STAAD. Watch this video for example of how to do it.  S

STAAD Pro is a great analysis and design software. It gives us concrete design results in output file. the navigation in the output file is so tedious that we usually like graphical/tabular results than navigating to output file. It does not give comprehensive beam design result output directly to excel. But, there is no stop to anything in this technologically advanced world. We have prepared a program that extracts the beam design results from STAAD ANL files and puts the data in a specific format that you can use easily for detailing of beams. It's fast and easy and economical too. here is a video showing how to use it. To get the program, WhatsApp us to +91-9925015825  

STAAD Pro is a great analysis and design software. It gives us concrete design results in output file. the navigation in the output file is so tedious that we usually like graphical/tabular results than navigating to output file. It does not give comprehensive beam design result output directly to excel either. But, there is no stop to anything in this technologically advanced world. We have prepared a program that extracts the column design results from STAAD ANL files and puts the data in a specific format that you can use easily for detailing of columns. It's fast and easy and economical too.  here is a video showing how to use it. To get the program, WhatsApp us on +91-9925015825. 

Creating a centerline drawing from a beam column layout and exporting it as DXF will help it to be imported in STAAD.Pro. You can create the centerline the way you want, but here we have shown a method which is a quicker one we feel. The ultimate choice is with you about how to make it. Here is a quick way. 1. Create 4 lines at two opposite corners. 2. Use fillet multiple to join them. you have made the bounding box. 3. Create lines in center where the beams will be coming. 4. extend them to the bounding box. Your DXF is ready. 5. select all the centerlines you just created and move them with upper left corner to 0,0,0. 6. Now, if your STAAD.Pro units are different than the CAD, scale your centerline drawing to the           appropriate scale factor. 7. write down "DXFOUT" command in command line. A saving window pops up. Select the location     where you want to save your DXF. 8. Go to tools -- ooptions -- DXF outions -- Check mark select object and chaneg 16 to

Many a times we use fields in the texts in Autocad drawings. By default the field background comes grayish white. It annoys us. We want to remove it as soon as possible. Here is how it looks like. You can remove this background by setting fielddisplay value to 0. Just type fielddisplay and it will be showing value 1, change it to 0 and press enter. you can see the difference. Here is how it looks like after setting fielddisplay value to 0. Some more topics you may like to read Shortcuts of Autocad. Basic Commands in Autocad? How to write text below Dimension line? How to see the dialogue box in Autocad? How to set units' format and precision? Hope you find it useful. Comment if you have doubts or suggestions. Like, tweet and + post if you find it useful. follow us to get more.

Here is a simple way to write text below dimension line. Just press \X (Backslash followed by capital x) and type your text. You have written text below dimension line. Here is how it looks like. Some more topics you may like to read Shortcuts of Autocad. Basic Commands in Autocad? How to see the dialogue box in Autocad? How to set units' format and precision? How to remove Field background? Hope you find it useful. Comment if you have doubts or suggestions. Like, tweet and + post if you find it useful. follow us to get more.

Axis color convention in STAAD.Pro is as below: X Axis : Blue Y Axis : Red Z Axis  : Green You can see it in STAAD window by pressing Shift + I. Some other STAAD Pro topics you may like to explore : About Nodes, Beams and Plate Create DXF file for importing in STAAD  Tooltip options About changing default Units Take Backup of your model Extend Beam Renumber Nodes Renumber Beams Renumber Columns Shortcuts of STAAD Pro Change default design Codes Hope you find it useful. Comment if you have doubts or suggestions. Like, tweet and + post if you find it useful. follow us to get more. Build Your Own Website 4000+ templates, customize and go live!

Sometimes, when you run an AutoCAD command that usually displays a file selection dialog window, you instead receive a prompt at the command line. You find it cumbersome to save the file to a particular place or select a particular file in such case. This is because FILEDIA variable is by default became 0. Follow the following procedure and you will be seeing the file selection window. To display a dialog window when using the Open, Save As, etc. commands: On the command line in AutoCAD, enter FILEDIA . Enter 1 for the value. Enjoy. Some more topics you may like to read Shortcuts of Autocad. Basic Commands in Autocad? How to write text below Dimension line? How to set units' format and precision? How to remove Field background? Hope you find it useful. Comment if you have doubts or suggestions. Like, tweet and + post if you find it useful. follow us to get more.

Backup files in STAAD are saved as .SBK file type. You can take as many time interval backup as you want. More over you can compare two backup models for changes being made. You can set predefined time intervals at which model can be backed up. By default backups are saved in the folder where model is saved. You can change that too. For opening backup manager, start STAAD and in project task open backup manager. Set no. of auto save backups and time intervals for the same. Set no of manual save backups, keep backups as less as you need. Because, that consumes disk space. If you are a new modeler, you should be saving more backups, but if you are an expert, you might need only 3 to 5 backups, that is too much for the experienced STAAD user.  Set backup directory, by default the project directory is the backup directory. You can change the backup directory by un checking the project directory option and specifying the directory path for the backup. One should have

Many a times you need element information for better interpretation or in use of something viz, putting coordinates of nodes in area load assignment, finding beam length etc. At that time you click on it and get the information about elements. But, what if you hover over an element and get its number and other related information? It’s a good idea indeed, right? Yes, it is possible. Just follow the following steps and you can get all the element information you need just by hovering over it. 1. Go to view menu and click on structural tool tip options.  2. Select the element in the tool, in options column, click right all the information that you want at the time of hovering.  3. Set tip delay as you want the tool tip to show after milliseconds.  4. Press ok and hover over an element and see the information you needed.  5. Enjoy STAAD. Some other STAAD Pro topics you may like to explore : About Nodes, Beam