FEA Software RFEM 6 | New Features
New Features and Tools for Effective Work
"I take this opportunity to thank you and your team for a really great software. After so many years of utilizing your software, we still see every day what your product is able to do and we really enjoy the application!
We look forward to more years together!"
Dipl.-Ing. Hartmuth Petschnigg
1 June 2021
In RFEM 6, numerous new features have been implemented, which make the daily work with the FEA program easier and more effective. On this page, we present a selection of new features.
New Model Types
The following new model types have been added to RFEM 6:
- 2D | XZ | 3D
- 2D | XY | 3D
- 1D | X | 3D
These model types allow modeling in a 1D or 2D environment (with optional cross-section rotation in all directions), but allow a three-dimensional load application and resulting 3D internal forces.
Import of Construction Site for Load Determination
The construction site can be specified on a digital map. In addition to the address data (incl. altitude), the snow load zone, wind zone, and seismic zone are automatically imported. This data is in turn used by the load wizards.
Integration of All Add-ons
All add-ons are automatically integrated in the programs RFEM 6 or RSTAB 9. This allows the individual program parts to interact (e.g. determination of the ideal overturning moment of timber beams using the "Torsional Warping (7 DOF)" add-on or consideration of staggered form-finding processes by means of the "Construction Stages Analysis (CSA)" add-on, and so on).
Output of Design Check Formulas
For designs in reinforced concrete, steel, timber, aluminum structures, and so on, the used design check formulas are displayed in detail (including a reference to the used equation from the standard). These design check formulas can also be included in the printout report.
Member and Member Set Representatives
For members and sets of members with identical properties, you can define representatives for model organization, design, and documentation.
Unit Stresses of Sections
For member sections, the unit stresses (related to N = 1 kiP, My = 1 kiP/ft, and so on) can be displayed in order to be able to estimate their resistance.
Load Transfer Surface
A surface with the stiffness type "Load Transfer" has no structural effect. It can be used to consider the loads from surfaces that have not been modeled (for example, facade structures, glass surfaces, trapezoidal roof sections, and so on).
Surface Contact
A surface contact serves to describe a contact definition between two or more surfaces that are at a distance away from each other. It is no longer necessary to create a contact solid between surfaces.
Imperfection Cases
Imperfection cases are used to organize imperfections. The cases allow an imperfection description from local imperfections, notional loads, initial sway via table (new), a static deformation, a buckling mode, a dynamic eigenmode, or a combination of all these types (new).
Design Situations
Design situations serve to collect the relevant load situations for the design. For example, you can define a design situation for the design of different materials.
Extension of Snow and Wind Load Wizards
The following functions have been added to the snow and wind load wizards:
- Loading of hybrid models made of members and surfaces (RFEM only)
- Connection to the Geo-Zone Tool (depending on the global construction site definition)
- Switching off surface sides
Modern Online Licensing System
The modern online licensing system allows licenses of RFEM, RSTAB, etc. to be distributed all over the world and assigned to the respective users via the Dlubal Account.
Script Manager
The script manager can be used to control all input elements using JavaScript via the console or saved scripts.
Improved Printout Report
The printout report has been fundamentally revised. Among other things, the following has been optimized:
- Quick creation due to non-modal printout report environment (parallel work in program and report possible)
- Interactive modification of chapters as well as creation of new user-defined chapters
- Import of PDFs, formulas, 3D graphics, etc.
- Output of the design check formulas used in the design (including a reference to the used equation from the standard)
- Modern printout report design
Faster Calculation
For models where many load combinations have to be calculated, several solvers (one per core) are started in parallel. Each solver then calculates a load combination. This leads to a better utilization of the cores and thus faster calculations.
Improved Result Diagram Window
These features have been added to the result diagram window:
- Parallel work in the result diagram window and model
- Optional overlapping display of results (e.g. several similar structural components in one image)
Web Service and API
The new API technology Web Services allows you to create your own desktop or web-based applications by controlling all objects included in RFEM/RSTAB. By providing libraries and functions, you can develop your own design checks, effective modeling of parametric structures, as well as optimization and automation processes using the programming languages Python and C#.
Extension of IFC Interface for Improved Open BIM Process
In addition to the import of IFC 2x3 (Coordination View & Structural Analysis View), the import and export of IFC 4 (Reference View & Structural Analysis View) is now supported.
Wind Simulation (RFEM or RSTAB Environment)
The following features have been added to RFEM and RSTAB for determining wind loads using RWIND:
- Load wizards for generating wind load cases with different flow fields in the different wind directions
- Wind load cases with freely assignable analysis settings including a user-defined specification of the wind tunnel size and wind profile
- Display of the wind tunnel with input wind profile and turbulence intensity profile
- Visualization and use of the RWIND simulation results
- Global definition of a terrain (horizontal planes, inclined plane, table)
Definition of Hotkeys
It is possible to assign hotkeys to a variety of commands. In this way, the frequently used commands can be executed quickly and easily with the previously assigned key combination.
By the way, this also works for your computer mouse. If this has other keys in addition to the left, right, and middle key, you can assign an abbreviation to them.
Assigning Loads to New Load Case
For member loads, surface loads, and so on, you can retroactively move loads into another load case.
Opening Loads
It is now possible to define opening loads (for example, wind loads) for flat loads on openings.
Clipping Box
In addition to the clipping plane, you can define a clipping box to hide irrelevant objects around a focal point.
Newton-Raphson for Calculations According to Second-Order Analysis
Two additional solution algorithms have been added for calculations according to the second-order analysis:- Newton-Raphson
- Newton-Raphson with postcritical analysis
Extended Specification of Nodal Mesh Refinements
Options for FE length arrangement have been added to the definition of nodal mesh refinements:- Radial
- Gradually
- Combined
Specification of Element Types
Input is simplified by specifying the element types for members, surfaces, solids, etc. (e.g. member nonlinearities, member stiffnesses, design supports, and many others).
Dlubal Center
Among other things, the Dlubal Center manages the projects and model files in a central location. Detailed information and graphics facilitate the assignment of all models for quick order processing. In addition, customer data including licensed programs and add-ons, etc. is organized in the Dlubal Center.
Global Management of All Add-ons
All add-ons are directly integrated in the program and, like the design standards for the respective materials, are managed centrally.
Global Model Parameters
You can define any global model parameters. They can also be used in the documentation.
Structured Data Navigator
The Data Navigator is clearly structured and contains assignable types for objects including a hyperlink function for quickly jumping to the assigned elements of an object.
New Options for Variable Surface Thicknesses
There are three new options available for defining variable surface thicknesses:
- 2 Nodes and Direction
- 4 Surface Corners
- Circle
Statistics for Sections
For all cross-sections used, statistical information such as total length, total volume, total weight, and so on is displayed.
New Section Distribution Types for Members
Seven new cross-section distribution types are available for members (including arrangement function for aligning to a straight edge):
- Tapered at both sides
- Tapered at start of member
- Tapered at end of member
- Saddle
- Offset at both sides
- Offset at start of member
- Offset at end of member
Cross-Section Library with Short Text Search
A short text search has been added to the cross-section library in order to find a desired cross-section or cross-section series even more quickly.
Set of Lines, Surfaces, and Solids
In addition to sets of members, you can also combine lines, surfaces, and solids into sets, for example, to consider them as uniform elements in the design.
New Thickness Object
A thickness object has been added to describe the surface thicknesses. It can be used for several surfaces. If the thickness of this object is modified, all assigned surface thicknesses are adjusted accordingly in one step.
Member Rotation in Direction of Local Surface Axis
The member rotation of a member can now be defined in the direction of the local surface axes of the member, for example, surface inclined in space.
Structure Modification Object
With the new structure modification object, it is possible to modify or deactivate stiffnesses, nonlinearities, and objects in a clearly arranged manner and depending on a load case.
Surface Eccentricity with Relative Orientation to Another Element
It is now possible to define the surface eccentricity depending on the edge of another element (a member or a surface).
Additional Types for Surface Stiffness Modification
For modifying surface stiffnesses, two new types are now available:- Multiplication factor of total stiffness
- Multiplication factors of partial stiffnesses, weights and masses
Result Combinations Using Parenthesis Terms
When creating result combinations, it is now also possible to use parenthesized terms.
Individual Global Calculation Parameters for Load Cases and Load Combinations
Load cases and load combinations can now be provided with individual global calculation parameters using the new structural analysis setting.
Combination Wizard Based on Automatic or Semi-Automatic Generation Conforming to Standards
The new combination wizards fill the design situations with load or result combinations on the basis of an automatic or semi-automatic generation conforming to the standards.
Improved Load Wizard
There are new functions for locking new members, smoothing occurring concentrated loads, and considering eccentricities and cross-section distribution that have been added to the load wizard.
Determination of Member Loads from Surface Loads by Specifying Cells and Surfaces
In the load wizard, it is now possible to determine member loads from surface loads by specifying surfaces (using corner nodes) and cells in a definition.
Eccentricity of Nodal and Member Loads
It is now possible to consider the eccentricities for nodal and member loads.
Load Options for Member Sets, Line Sets, Surface Sets, and Solid Sets
With the introduction of line sets, surface sets, and solid sets, new load options have also been added for loading these sets.
Global Organization of User-Defined Coordinate Systems
The user-defined coordinate systems for input and analysis purposes are now organized globally under the guide objects.
Organization of Different Object Snaps
Now, you can define several object snaps for different operating tasks.
Object Selection as New Guide Object
The new guide object "Object Selection" allows for generic filtering of:- Basic objects
- Types for nodes
- Types for Lines
- Types for surfaces
- Load wizards
- Loads
- Guide objects
Tabular Reference Description for Dimension Lines
The reference descriptions of incremental dimension lines are now given in tabular form for a better overview.
Implementation of SAF Format
A new file format for structural design, Structural Analysis Format (SAF), is now also supported. Both import and export is possible in RFEM 6 and RSTAB 9. SAF is a file format based on MS Excel, which is intended to facilitate the exchange of structural analysis models between different software applications.
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New
Consideration of Construction Stages in RFEM 6
The calculation of complex structures by means of finite element analysis software is generally performed on the entire model. However, the construction of such structures is a process carried out in multiple stages where the final state of the building is achieved by combining the separate structural parts. To avoid errors in the calculation of overall models, the influence of the construction process must be considered. In RFEM 6, this is possible by using the Construction Stages Analysis (CSA) add-on.
![Structural System and Cross-Section Dimensions According to [1]](/-/media/Images/website/img/000001-010000/009101-009200/009153.png?la=en&mlid=2EB9D46A596E46D7BC98C084D747D2BC&hash=4620909E3F21B7A63E22C3171A0B47CCB161096F)
New
Computation Kernel with Multi-Core Processor Technology
The calculation is now optimized utilizing a multi-core processor technology. It enables parallel calculations of linear load cases and load combinations by several processors without additional demands on the RAM: The stiffness matrix has to be created only once. Thus, even large systems can be calculated with the fast direct solver.
For models where many load combinations have to be calculated, several solvers (one per core) are started in parallel. Each solver then calculates a load combination. This leads to a better utilization of the cores.
The development of the deformation is displayed in a diagram during the calculation. This allows for good assessment of the convergence behavior.
- Are the models and presentations from Info Day 2018 freely available, and can you send them to me?
- In RF‑CONCRETE Surfaces, I obtain a high amount of reinforcement in relation to a lever arm that is almost zero. How is such a small lever arm of internal forces created?
- When converting from the manual definition of reinforcement areas to the automatic arrangement of reinforcement according to Window 1.4, the result of the deformation calculation differs, although the basic reinforcement has not been modified. What is the reason for this change?
- I would like to define a line support with ineffective tension and apply the tension force on this line by using a nodal support instead. Why does the line support still receive a tension force?
- Why do I get a discontinuous area in the distribution of internal forces? In the area of the supported line, the shear force VEd shows a jump, which does not seems to be plausible.
- Where can I find detailed information about orthotropy mentioned in the manual?
- I obtain different results when comparing the deformation analysis in the RF‑CONCRETE add-on modules and another calculation program. What could be the reason for this?
- What is the best way to consider steel fiber concrete in the structural analysis software RFEM?
- How do I display some results of all load cases in the printout report, but other results of the selected load cases only?
- How can I model a thickened area of my concrete slab in RFEM such as a drop panel?
