Webinar Productivity Diamonds

The webinar Productivity hacks for Diamonds can be watched on-demand

• In English
• In Dutch (Nederlands)
• In French (Français)

Key takeaways from the webinar

Geometry

• Use Design Types to classify the different elements in your model
  • Elements belong to a Design Type can be easily selected with CTRL key
  • Use CTRL + SHIFT to add or substract other Design Type elements to the selection
• If you have selected elements with different properties (e.g. different spring support value), a lock will appear in the dialog window to protect unwanted modifications:
  • Parameters with common value can be modified as is
  • For parameters with different values, you need to consciously open the lock to enter the new value and override existing values
• Easily select elements with similar or equal properties via
  • menu ‘Select‘ (more general selection)
  • select single element > right mouse button > menu to selected other elements with identical properties (granular selection)

• On a large selection of elements: before you releasing the selection (clicking anywhere in the background), wait and think. You have to ask yourself: what other useful things can I do with this selection?
• Use templates to store your preferred parameter values
• Going from 2D to 3D, can be done by either
  • Drawing all walls, one by one
  • Creating a smart selection of elements and using the Translation function
• When the model is upside down
  • Click with right mouse button on the coordinate system XYZ in right bottom corner to return to the default 3D view
• If you have trouble zooming in
  • View > Perspective > Orthogonal view
• [Good practice] Avoid narrow openings for the mesh to go through. It is better to split up plates in smaller plate elements by creating a closed contours.
• If larger plates do not split up correctly, use the projection function.

Loads

• [Good practice] Remove empty load groups – these are load groups without any loads on the structure. It will reduce memory consumption and lead to a faster transfer of results.
• If you experiencing trouble defining the surface loads on bars, in particular the recognition of the surface, e.g. wind on walls/roof: use the projection function.
• Use linked load groups to reduce the number of load combinations and therefore speed up the analysis
• If you make a mistake in defining the load value, most people try to adjust the loads via the data table:
  • In 90% of cases the fastest way is to delete the load and add it again.
  • 10% exception: use the scale function to modify the value.

Results

• You can temporarily hide the results by simply clicking on the result button itself (e.g. deformation dy)
• Section cut lines:
  • Adjust singles section lines via right mouse button: divide/translation …
  • Use Generate cut lines for model to cut whole model at one at certain X/Y/Z plane
• Create a custom window configuration to quickly get an idea of what rebar net would be suitable, without really adding any practical reinforcement.
• To add practical reinforcement in plates, use the practical reinforcement tool
• In the cracking calculation, you can choose between
  • theoretical reinforcement,
  • practical reinforcement,
  • theoretical+practical reinforcement