Performance:
VisualAnalysis 6.0 is optimized for Windows XP and Windows Vista and is at least seven times (7x or 700%) faster than version 5.5 for both analysis and design. Other enhancements will increase your productivity directly or indirectly such as automatic creation of design groups, preliminary unity checks, group-editing of design parameters, and much more.
Latest Codes and Specifications:
VisualAnalysis 6.0 helps you comply with IBC 2006 and related specifications in many ways, from automating load combinations to applying actual loads. This version of VisualAnalysis is the first to include direct and explicit support for many IBC requirements in addition to material design specifications from AISC, ACI, NDS, and AISI. While we have avoided "black boxing" the software, it is easy to set up and use the features provided in VisualAnalysis, when you need them.
Incredible Graphics:
VisualAnalysis 6.0 looks better than any prior version because of the new realistically "Rendered" Model view. The graphics system is way more than skin-deep however as it helps drive your productivity an many levels that go beyond the pretty picture. The graphics system is the engine that handles your mouse and keyboard commands, providing sophisticated model manipulation, selection and filtering capabilities. There are dozens of new and amazing capabilities just for sketching members and plates alone. These appear almost "insignificant" on the feature list, but will save you many more hours a day than some of the high-profile improvements.
Areas and Area Loads:
VisualAnalysis 6.0 introduces the concept of an area, which is a meta-level modeling object. Areas offer you the ability to separate your model from the loads. This one feature alone is worth any upgrade investment from previous versions as you can reconfigure and even delete model components without having to recreate or adjust loads in dozens of load cases! Additional support for ASCE 7 Wind loads, automatic corridor live loads, and the ability to generate plate meshes for walls or slabs make areas the "killer feature" for version 6.0!
Redesigned User-Interface:
VisualAnalysis 6.0 sports a clean new "look & feel" that may leave long-time customers briefly stunned, but once you start to appreciate the organization and simplicity it makes prior versions seem "clunky"! We have made literally hundreds of minor improvements including: simplifying the main menu, moving status bar functions to the "front & center", unburying the Generate Standard feature, making Model, Result, and Design windows easily selected tabs, expanding the Project Manager, implementing "Redo", offering context-sensitive toolbars, adding more keyboard "shortcuts", and the list goes on.
Help & Documentation:
On Major new VisualAnalysis 6.0 enhancement is a new Help Pane that offers continuous advice, tips, warnings, or information that was formerly placed in annoying "Fly-By" tips or buried in a help file somewhere. The help pane stays out of your way, making information available but does not demand your attention. The entire User's Guide has been reorganized, simplified and consolidated for easier reading in help-format. We have also added many more tutorials to help you learn how to use specific features of the software in a quick 5-10 minute step-by-step manner.
Detailed New Benefits
SUCCEED with Better Quality & Productivity
- Analyze 7-Times Faster
- Design Checks 7-Times Faster
- Automatic Design Groups
- Area Loads
- Drag & Drop Parametric Structures
- High-Quality Graphics
- Smarter DXF Import & Export: More Options
- Significantly easier STAAD (.std) importing
- Redo Command
Improved DESIGN Capabilities
- IBC 2006, ASCE7-05 Support
- Design Criteria Settings
- Latest Design Specifications: AISC, ACI, NDS, AISI
- Semi-Automatic Wind Load Generation
- Improved Seismic Design Support (Overstrength, Redundancy Factors)
- Connection "Design Forces" Reported
- Simplified Design Parameters (Bracing, Size Limits, Deflections)
- Latest Building Codes: AISC 2005, ACI 318-05, NDS 2005, AISI 2005
- Edit Multiple Design Groups Simultaneously
MODEL with Style
- Extend Members
- Snap-To Members
- Auto-Split Plates and Area Plate Meshing
- Areas (e.g. Floors, Walls, Roof Planes) with Holes & Corridors
- Multiple Edit Grids: Skewed, Rotated, and with Irregular Spacing
- Create Tab in Project Manager: Generate Models Fast!
- Many New Generate Standard Templates, Especially Trusses
- Selection by Name Prefix
- Smarter Name Prefixes for various Types of Members (helps you stay organized)
- Simpler, Smarter ways to create Members, Nodes, Member Loads
- Member Format Painter
- Standard Parametric Rectangular Tube Shapes
- Easier Filtering, Zooming, Panning, Rotating, Finding, etc.
Simplified LOAD Application
- Load Case Manager: consolidates all load case tasks
- Area Loads (separates the loads from the model; holes, corridors)
- Rigid Diaphgram Loading
- Semi-Automatic ASCE 7 Wind Load Generation (you stay in control!)
- Smarter Load Selection & Editing
Powerful Finite Element ANALYSIS
- Semi-Automatic Plate Meshing
- Membrane-Only Plate Elements (for modeling semi-rigid diaphragms)
- Drift Calculations
- Diaphragm Stability Report
Expanded REPORT Options
- Stress Path Graphing for Plate Elements
- Drag & Drop Reports
- New Styles and Tables
- Simplified Options for Units
- Help Tips Expanded
- Friendly Selected Result Information
General Look & Feel
- High Quality Graphics for Model, Result & Design Views
- Easier Tabbed access to Model, Result, Design Views
- Improved & Expanded Project Manager (single-click editing!)
- Streamlined Menu System, More Functionality in 25% Fewer Commands
- Improved Find Window is Tabbed and Customizable, Shows Results and Design too!
- Improved Member Graphs
- Updated and Improved Shape & Material Databases (e.g. AISC 13th Edition)
- Simplified & Consistent Units System, Easier Access to Change Units
Also Features Added in Version 5.5
(For those upgrading from version 5.1 or prior)
Combined Member Improvements
Some of our competitors refer to these things as "Physical Members". We've had them since version 5.0, but it has been a half-baked feature that many avoided. You can now Uncombine these things if your model changes, they are also supported more directly in the Split Member box and other operations making them much more usable.
Automatic Effective Length (K) Factors
Calculating effective length factors manually is tedious and error-prone with lots of 'bookkeeping'. VisualAnalysis and VisualDesign now automatically calculates the K factors for steel, wood, and concrete design of columns. You can override the values calculated on a per-design group basis, should you not like the values calculated. (with Design)
Automatic Spreadsheet Report (with Equations)
VisualAnalysis reports a lot of stuff, but perhaps it does not report exactly what you need, or you wish to do further processing of results or summations of values. Every report comes up with an optional spreadsheet view that you can use for simple calculation tasks in an Excel-like fashion. If you need the full power of Excel, you can save your report directly to an XLS file. [Advanced Level Only]
Generic Design
VisualDesign supports four common US design specifications as well as a couple Canadian standards, which is 'priceless' for most engineering in the US. For everything else, there is Generic Design! You can use this module to get quick checks on just about any shape/material combination, including wood I-Joists, castellated steel beams, aluminum shapes, or structural fiberglass shapes. Combine this with the powerful shape and material database editors and you can find out which members work and which ones do not. (in VisualDesign)
Structural Composite Lumber Design
Customers have longed for LVL support in the wood design module. Here it is! Design and check LVL, PSL, and other typical products, many are included in our shape database already. (VisualDesign)
Canadian Steel Design
Why? Because some of us live close to the border, eh? Many of our customers are in Canada, and now perhaps many more will give VisualAnalysis a shot. (in VisualDesign)
Startup Wizard
Getting started with VisualAnalysis just got a little easier with direct options for examples.
Node Merge Command
Sometimes things do not go well, especially when generating copies and importing DXF files. We now have a menu item to help you clean up a mess. This powerful command takes two or three "close" nodes and merges them into one, including fixing all member attachments and consolidating loads.
Load Case Manager Improvements
Load cases and combinations are very difficult. The Load Case Manager, was previously only available in the 'Advanced' level of VisualAnalysis, it is now available in the 'Standard' level as well. It has been improved to allow design-options, and to show more details.
