Requires: IES VAConnect
Requires: Advanced Level

VAConnect consists of two stand-alone utilities for connection design, currently just steel connections per AISC. These programs can be launched from within VisualAnalysis. Integration with VAConnect can save a tremendous amount of time because it exports forces from many load cases and multiple joints, saving you all the bookkeeping. In VAConnect, there is a steel base plate component with anchorage calculations, and a beam-to-column shear-tab component.

How to Use IES VAConnect

1. Turn on the Auto-Connections option in the Project settings. You may customize these.
2. Define Result Type in project settings: VAConnect can use service case results or "pre-factored" results.
3. Go to Load Case Manager and turn on the analysis for all necessary load cases (they may not be enabled for service cases). 
4. Use the Filter the Design View you show connection icons, click on the connection to view properties and access VAConnect.

Connection Shapes & Geometry Limitations

General Requirements

• Steel materials and shapes only
• Grouped connections must be 'identical' in type, shape, orientations, etc.
• Only LRFD load combinations are supported

Base Plate Requirements

• Base plate is assumed to be perpendicular to the member's local axis
• A single member framing into a supported node or with spring-supports (no braces may frame into this node!)
• Permitted shapes: I-Beams, HSS (rectangular tubes), Pipe, Rectangle, or Round
• Will not design plates for biaxial bending.

Shear Tab Requirements

• Beam is nearly perpendicular to column or girder with end-released connection (~15° tolerance)
• A single member framing into a support column or girder
• Permitted beam shapes: I-Beams, Channels
• Permitted supporting member shapes: I-Beams, Channels, HSS, Pipe, Rectangle or Round

Notes:

• The preferred approach is to export service-case results. While you may export “factored” results into VAConnect, which would go in as “prefactored” loads. This is not the best way to design a connection. Use the Export Results type in Project Settings.
• The coordinate systems are different between VisualAnalysis and VAConnect.
• Member local forces in VisualAnalysis are exported to VAConnect, transformed into the appropriate directions.
• Once the project is created in VAConnect it is not “updated” from VisualAnalysis, and no information transfers back to VisualAnalysis.
• If your forces change in VisualAnalysis you must start the process over or manually update the VAConnect project.
• VAConnect reports are only available in VisualAnalysis 'per session'. If you exit and restart VisualAnalysis any VAConnect reports are no longer present.
• No connection data input into VAConnect is currently stored or transferred back to VisualAnalysis.
• You may save VAConnect project files manually to store your input-data and settings for each connection design.

Troubleshooting

If you have problems launching VAConnect from within VisualAnalysis, check the following:

1. Uninstall any older versions of VAConnect (2.0 or 1.0) and VisualAnalysis (prior to 12.0), from Control Panel
2. Check the "File Associations" on one of the example Base Plate and/or Shear Tab projects that ship with VAConnect
3. Re-install the latest versions of VisualAnalysis and then VAConnect