Best structural software for multiple scenarios

[dozer]

I'm currently using STAAD.Pro to model large pieces of equipment (kind of like small buildings) that must be checked for not just there in-place conditions but also lifting and transportation. Frequently these structures are built, lifted, and transported on their side. Also, there are frequently platforms that are included in the in-place model but are not attached during shipping.

In STAAD sometimes you can combine the different scenarios into one file but it's not a very natural thing and you have to do a lot of fiddling with it. Probably the most riduculous aspect is how it treats nodes that are supports in some cases but not in others. Also, I often have tension-only members so everytime it recalculates the stiffness matrix any members you told to ignore earlier are turned back on so you specifically have to tell it to ignore them again.

I'm looking for a structural package that is written with these kind of issues in mind so that one file can easily and naturally handle all cases. Does anyone have any suggestions.

 

[structuresguy]

I can feel your pain using Staad. I have been using Staad for quite a while now, so I know it's limitations pretty well. that said, it is perfectly capable of doign everything you want, just not in an automated manner. Given all your different scenarios, I would create separate model files for each scenario, and then customized each to avoid turning members on and off.

However, I still think you could write the code in staad to check it all in one run, applying gravity in Y direction, then in X direction, to check shipping on side. And you can write the code to turn on/off members and then rerun, any number of times.

I don't know of a software package that will easily do want you want. Etabs won't I think, but you can have multiple models in one file, and run simultaneously (very nice for parametric modeling), so it might save some time. I don't think Ram Advance will either (much like Staad), but not sure.