RFEM and RSTAB provide a wide range of selection options. Some of the previous posts have already described selection using "Special Selection" or tables.
When modeling structural systems or loads, input errors or faulty objects may occur due to subsequent modifications, displacements, and adjustments in the model.
The updated Results Navigator of RF‑JOINTS allows you to display the results of different module cases simultaneously. Thus, you can display all column base designs at the same time in order to perform collision checks of the foundations, for example.
The geometry data of an RFEM model are currently managed in 29 tables, so not all of the tabs are displayed at once. To open a particular table, we recommend using the navigation menu that you can open by right-clicking on any tab. A shortcut menu appears, where you can quickly access the desired input table.
RFEM provides the option to display up to three result values of the surface results in each group. Four groups are preset under "Groups" in the Results Navigator.
You can color the surfaces in the direction of the local z‑axis using the indicated option in the Display Navigator. By default, the side lying in the negative z-direction is colored red and the side lying in the positive z-direction is colored blue.
Generally, RFEM automatically detects all objects lying on a surface that are not used for surface definition. Objects integrated into surfaces can be selected using the "Select Integrated Objects" option in the shortcut menu of the relevant surface in Project Navigator. This way, you can easily find in the graphics which objects have already been integrated into a surface, for example.
You can display spring members in the Display Navigator. A spring member is displayed as a helix by default. Clear the "Spring Members" check box to display them as normal lines.
RFEM and RSTAB are programs where graphical input prevails. All data can be entered using dialog boxes, and the structure of the Project Navigator is optimized for input using the mouse. Nevertheless, you can always speed up the tabular input to reach your goal immediately.
During the optimization of a structure, the individual cross‑sections may have to be modified several times. This can be done very quickly using the function "Assign Graphically to Members", which is available under "Cross‑Sections" in Project Navigator – Data.
Just as in the RFEM Display Navigator, you can set the distribution of internal forces in surfaces in RF‑STEEL Surfaces. Since deformations are always the result of the FEM calculation, the corresponding forces will be recalculated. This means that the internal forces on an FEM element are calculated depending on the composition (triangular or square) in three or four places. In order to obtain continuous internal forces and thus a smoothed distribution, these internal forces have to be interpolated. Interpolation is done by selecting the "Distribution of internal forces" option in the surfaces.
When calculating the surface reinforcement in RF-CONCRETE Surfaces, the result values for both surface sides +/- z are available. If you are unsure which side of a surface is the positive or the negative z side, you can hide the local coordinate system of each surface in the RFEM Project Navigator - Display under "Model" → "Surfaces" → "Surface Axis Systems x,y,z". In the case of complex structures, this can quickly become confusing. Displaying multiple axis systems makes it difficult to recognize the incorrect direction of a surface, for example (see the figure on the top).
You can display the results on surfaces in a graphic. It may be useful to use the values on surfaces. Depending on the requirements, you can reduce the number of values considerably or adjust them to cover the entire structure. However, it is important to display the values that represent the local extreme values. In addition, it is necessary to determine the local extremes. This can be done by right-clicking this function in the Navigator.
In order to use the working window area optimally for the graphical input of model data or for result evaluation, there are various options for arranging Project Navigator, the table, and the result panel.
In order to display the internal forces of rigid members, it is necessary to select the corresponding option under ‘Results’ → ‘Members’ → ‘Results on Couplings’ in the Display navigator.
If a model should contain members with elastic foundations, the contact forces and moments are displayed in numerical form in the result windows. The graphical display of results is specified by the "Members" entry in the Results Navigator.
When you receive an RFEM or RSTAB file for further processing, the structures will be displayed in the program using the display settings of the last editor. If the settings do not correspond to your requirements, you can simply right‑click the empty area in Project Navigator - Display and select "Dlubal Standard". This returns the settings to the default values.
Users of RFEM and RSTAB already know the advantages of various visibilities that can be used to create user‑defined areas of the structure for further editing.