Announcing Steel Designer for Windows!
Multiframe Upgrade for Mac Speeds Up
Innovative Bridge Designed With Multiframe
Web Site Beta Testing Now Available
Announcing Steel Designer for Windows!
We are pleased to advise that Steel Designer, the steel code checking and optimization module for Multiframe, is now available for Windows 95/NT. Joining Multiframe 2D, 3D, 4D and Section Maker in the beta test program, Steel Designer is a complete implementation of the same code checking and least weight optimization methods that have been available on the Macintosh version. In addition, the Windows version of Steel Designer adds support for the Australian AS4100 limit state steel design code, and support for other limit state codes will be added in future. Other enhancements include an upgraded report which now offers a tear off formatting toolbar which lets you specify the style and color of any text in the design report. The report is now in RTF format which means it can be copied and pasted or opened directly into any Windows word processor for further editing or enhancement. It is also possible to paste any Multiframe or Steel Designer pictures into the report to produce a complete design summary.
Multiframe Upgrade for Mac Speeds Up
Users of Multiframe for Macintosh with current maintenance will soon be receiving a free upgrade which offers a dramatic speed up in analysis times. An update to our solver means a speed increase of between 2 and 5 times - great news for those larger analysis jobs.
Innovative Bridge Designed With Multiframe
The world of bridge design is a specialized blend of art and science and often results in some of the most elegant engineering solutions to be found. One recent example is a horizontally curved, incrementally launched reinforced concrete bridge designed using Multiframe by J. R. Spronken and Associates in Calgary, Canada. This is just the second incrementally launched bridge to be built in North America and the technique is particularly well suited to the Stoney Creek location because of the sensitive nature of the surrounding environment and the C$1.5M in cost savings which this method offered.
The Stoney Trail bridge, now completed, is built from 19 6,500 tonne concrete slabs, each of which was built on one bank and then jacked out horizontally into its final position atop the 30 metre high "Y" shaped concrete piers. The end result is a beautiful and very cost effective bridge which is scheduled to open this month.
Modeling of the bridge and its intermediate configurations during the incremental launch, required the creation of numerous Multiframe models and dozens of load cases. The designers also made extensive use of Multiframe's Section Maker module, to develop the details of the box girder cross section of the span. Other modeling challenges included the use of springs to simulate the ground support for the piers and the consideration of a very large number of load cases to take into account intermediate geometry during the jacking phase.
Web Site Beta Testing Now Available
We recently began conducting our beta testing for Multiframe for Windows from our web site. By making new releases available for download every 10 days to two weeks, we have reduced the amount of time testers must wait between updates, and made more updates available to testers that we may not have shipped. Most importantly, users now have access to key development issues such as which features have been implemented, outstanding problems with the beta, and expected release dates.
The feedback for the web site has been very positive, and we plan to conduct all future beta testing in the same manner. If you are currently a beta tester and have not received instructions on how to use the new web site, please email us at support@formsys.com.
This year we have exhibited at the ASCE Structures Congress in Portland, Oregon, the AISC show in Chicago and the AEC Systems show in Philadelphia. We will also be exhibiting at the ECH&S Show in Melbourne, Australia in October. We have had very positive feedback regarding our new Windows version from all our show attendees who have seen demonstrations of the software.
We find trade shows to be a great opportunity, not only to demonstrate our software, but also to meet some of our Multiframe users in person and to learn more about the ever changing world of structural design. Some topics of interest at the conferences associated with these shows were seismic retrofitting, bridge design, residential steel framing, metal fatigue, and materials and wood-based composites.
Also, for your diary, the ASCE will be holding the first Structural Engineers World Congress on July 18-23, 1998 in San Francisco, California. For more information on next year's show or becoming a member of ASCE, call 703-295-6000 or visit ASCE's web site at www.asce.org.
In recent months, Formation Design Systems has added an exciting new feature to our growing web site. The Multiframe Construction Page features the work of Multiframe users, and displays interesting structures that they have designed and analyzed using Multiframe. It also serves to promote the work of those engineers who use Multiframe in their day to day design work.
The site features designs from all around the world and ranges from simple structures in wood through to steel and reinforced concrete towers. The Constructions page has met with a great deal of enthusiasm and support but there is always room for more structures. We plan to have the site grow continuously and all Multiframe users are invited to submit their designs for inclusion. All submissions should be directed to info@formsys.com. Color photos of any structures you have created are also greatly appreciated and can be mailed to either Formation office at the addresses listed on the back page.
