ENERCALC - upload custom section into steel column calc? 1

[HeavyCivil]

I'm designing reinforcement for some turn-of-the-century long-span trusses. Many members failing in compression need to get built up, so I'd like to use enercalc to speed things up. Does anyone know how to import shapes/sections from the Custom Section Properties module into the Steel Column module?

 

[Lion06]

I don't think you can, but to be honest I wouldn't recommend it with Enercalc anyway. It has a hard enough time getting the easy things right.

I would set up a spreadsheet where you input section properties (maybe even from Enercalc) of your built-up sections and the lengh and it gives you a capacity. Compare that capacity to the load from your model.

That should be pretty close to as fast as Enercalc and will do two additional things:
1). It will give you more confidence in the answer than enercalc will
2). It will get you more intimately familiar with that section of the code. I always find writing spreadsheets is beneficial that way.